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Leiognathus equulus — Details

Greater Ponyfish learn more about names for this taxon

Overview

Comprehensive Description

Biology

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Found in river mouths and muddy inshore areas (Ref. 2847, 37816), often in mangrove areas (Ref. 48635). Adults are coastal inhabitants found on soft bottoms, usually between depths of 10-70 meters. Juveniles are commonly found in mangrove estuaries and tidal creeks, sometimes entering the lower reaches of freshwater streams (Ref. 44894). Adults move in schools. Frequently ascend into freshwater reaches of rivers (Ref. 12693). Active by day (Ref. 12693). Feed on polychaetes, small crustaceans, small fishes (Ref. 30573) and worms (Ref. 12693). Important food fish in the tropics (Ref. 4376). Marketed fresh or dried (Ref. 12484).

James, P.S.B.R. 1984 Leiognathidae. In W. Fischer and G. Bianchi (eds.) FAO species identification sheets for fishery purposes. Western Indian Ocean (Fishing Area 51). Vol. 2. FAO, Rome. pag. var. (Ref. 3424) http://www.fishbase.org/references/FBRefSummary.php?id=3424&speccode=4450

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Distribution

Distribution

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Comores, Djibouti, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Reunion, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa (country), Tanzania

MacNae, W. & M. Kalk (eds) (1958). A natural history of Inhaca Island, Mozambique. Witwatersrand Univ. Press, Johannesburg. I-iv, 163 pp. http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=sourcedetails&id=6266
Anon. (1996). FishBase 96 [CD-ROM]. ICLARM: Los Baños, Philippines. 1 cd-rom pp. http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=sourcedetails&id=5909
Anon. (2000). FishBase 2000 [CD-ROM]. ICLARM: Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines. 4 cd-roms pp. http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=sourcedetails&id=6542
Smith, J.L.B. & M.M. Smith (1963). The fishes of Seychelles. Department of Ichthyology, Rhodes University. Grahamstown. http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=sourcedetails&id=5926
Grove, S.J., M.C. Little & P.J. Reay (1986). Tudor Creek Mombasa: the early life-history stages of fish and prawns 1985. Report of Overseas Development Administration Research Project R3888 http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=sourcedetails&id=6037
Bock, K.R. (1996). Checklist of the reef fishes of Diani and Galu, Kenya. Journal of East African natural History 85: 5-22. http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=sourcedetails&id=6357

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Indo-West Pacific: Red Sea, Persian Gulf and East Africa (including Reunion, Comoros, Seychelles, Madagascar and Mauritius) to Fiji, north to the Ryukyu Islands, south to Australia.

James, P.S.B.R. 1984 Leiognathidae. In W. Fischer and G. Bianchi (eds.) FAO species identification sheets for fishery purposes. Western Indian Ocean (Fishing Area 51). Vol. 2. FAO, Rome. pag. var. (Ref. 3424) http://www.fishbase.org/references/FBRefSummary.php?id=3424&speccode=4450

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Physical Description

Morphology

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Dorsal spines (total): 8; Dorsal soft rays (total): 15 - 16; Analspines: 3; Analsoft rays: 14 - 15

Kühlmorgen-Hille, G. 1974 Leiognathidae. In W. Fischer and P.J.P. Whitehead (eds.) FAO species identification sheets for fishery purposes. Eastern Indian Ocean (fishing area 57) and Western Central Pacific (fishing area 71). Rome, FAO. Vol. II, pag. var. (Ref. 2108) http://www.fishbase.org/references/FBRefSummary.php?id=2108&speccode=4453

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Size

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Maximum size: 280 mm NG

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Max. size

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28.0 cm TL (male/unsexed; (Ref. 9710))

Lieske, E. and R. Myers 1994 Collins Pocket Guide. Coral reef fishes. Indo-Pacific & Caribbean including the Red Sea. Haper Collins Publishers, 400 p. (Ref. 9710) http://www.fishbase.org/references/FBRefSummary.php?id=9710&speccode=13770

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Diagnostic Description

Description

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Found in river mouths and muddy inshore areas. Adults move in schools. Feeds on polychaetes, small crustaceans, and small fish. Occurs at temperatures ranging from 26 to 29°C (Ref. 4959).

Anon. (1996). FishBase 96 [CD-ROM]. ICLARM: Los Baños, Philippines. 1 cd-rom pp. http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=sourcedetails&id=5909

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Deep-bodied with short rounded snout and large eyes (Ref. 48635). Body silvery; caudal peduncle with a small brown saddle; anal fins yellowish; dorsal fin transparent. Strongly arched back. Naked head; with nuchal spine. Protracted mouth pointing downward.

Kühlmorgen-Hille, G. 1974 Leiognathidae. In W. Fischer and P.J.P. Whitehead (eds.) FAO species identification sheets for fishery purposes. Eastern Indian Ocean (fishing area 57) and Western Central Pacific (fishing area 71). Rome, FAO. Vol. II, pag. var. (Ref. 2108) http://www.fishbase.org/references/FBRefSummary.php?id=2108&speccode=4453

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Ecology

Habitat

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Depth range based on 77 specimens in 1 taxon.
Water temperature and chemistry ranges based on 21 samples.

Environmental ranges
  Depth range (m): 0.3 - 332.5
  Temperature range (°C): 25.585 - 28.954
  Nitrate (umol/L): 0.068 - 2.179
  Salinity (PPS): 32.200 - 35.138
  Oxygen (ml/l): 4.166 - 4.770
  Phosphate (umol/l): 0.078 - 0.475
  Silicate (umol/l): 1.354 - 7.567

Graphical representation

Depth range (m): 0.3 - 332.5

Temperature range (°C): 25.585 - 28.954

Nitrate (umol/L): 0.068 - 2.179

Salinity (PPS): 32.200 - 35.138

Oxygen (ml/l): 4.166 - 4.770

Phosphate (umol/l): 0.078 - 0.475

Silicate (umol/l): 1.354 - 7.567

Note: this information has not been validated. Check this *note*. Your feedback is most welcome.

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Depth: 10 - 110m.
From 10 to 110 meters.

Habitat: benthopelagic.

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Environment

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demersal; amphidromous; freshwater; brackish; marine; depth range 10 - 110 m (Ref. 12260)

Pauly, D., A. Cabanban and F.S.B. Torres, Jr. 1996 Fishery biology of 40 trawl-caught teleosts of western Indonesia. p. 135-216. In D. Pauly and P. Martosubroto (eds.) Baseline studies of biodiversity: the fish resource of western Indonesia. ICLARM Studies and Reviews 23. (Ref. 12260) http://www.fishbase.org/references/FBRefSummary.php?id=12260&speccode=10220

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Migration

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Amphidromous. Refers to fishes that regularly migrate between freshwater and the sea (in both directions), but not for the purpose of breeding, as in anadromous and catadromous species. Sub-division of diadromous. Migrations should be cyclical and predictable and cover more than 100 km.Characteristic elements in amphidromy are: reproduction in fresh water, passage to sea by newly hatched larvae, a period of feeding and growing at sea usually a few months long, return to fresh water of well-grown juveniles, a further period of feeding and growing in fresh water, followed by reproduction there (Ref. 82692).

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Trophic Strategy

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Found in river mouths and muddy inshore areas. Sometimes enters freshwater (Ref. 2847). Between February and May, adult less abundant in the estuary (Ref. 4959). Feeds on zooplankton and benthic invertebrates (Ref. 11889).

Blaber, S.J.M. 1980 Fish of the Trinity Inlet System of North Queensland with notes on the ecology of fish faunas of tropical Indo-Pacific estuaries. Aust. J. Mar. Freshwat. Res. 31:137-46. (Ref. 4959) http://www.fishbase.org/references/FBRefSummary.php?id=4959&speccode=10220

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Molecular Biology and Genetics

Molecular Biology

Barcode data: Leiognathus equulus

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The following is a representative barcode sequence, the centroid of all available sequences for this species.

There are 11 barcode sequences available from BOLD and GenBank. Below is a sequence of the barcode region Cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI or COX1) from a member of the species. See the BOLD taxonomy browser for more complete information about this specimen and other sequences.

GBGC8776-09|EU381032|Leiognathus equulus| ---------------------AACCATAAAGATATTGGCACCCTTTATATAGTATTTGGTGCTTGAGCTGGAATGGTAGGAACCGCCCTA---AGTCTTCTTATTCGGGCAGAGCTAAGCCAGCCAGGTGCTCTGCTCGGAGAC---GACCACATTTATAATGTTATTGTCACCGCACATGCATTCGTAATAATTTTTTTTATGGTCATACCTATTATGATTGGAGGTTTCGGTAACTGGCTAATCCCACTAATA---ATTGGAGCCCCTGACATAGCATTCCCACGAATGAACAACATAAGTTTCTGACTTCTACCTCCCTCATTCTTACTTCTTTTGGCATCCTCAGGCATTGAAGCTGGAGCAGGAACTGGGTGAACAGTCTACCCCCCTCTTGCAGGCAACCTTGCCCACGCAGGCGCTTCCGTAGACCTG---ACTATCTTCTCCCTCCACTTAGCCGGAATCTCGTCAATCTTAGGGGCCATTAACTTCATTACAACAATTATTAATATAAAACCCCCAGCCATCTCACAATTCCAAACGCCCCTGTTTGTCTGAGCAGTGCTAATCACAGCAGTTCTCCTTCTCCTTTCTCTCCCAGTTCTTGCAGCG---GGTATCACAATGCTTCTAACTGACCGTAACCTTAATACTACGTTCTTTGACCCTGCAGGAGGTGGAGACCCAATTTTATACCAACACCTATTTTGATTCTTTGGTCACCCAGAAGTCTATATTCTTATCCTCCCTGGATTTGGAATAATCTCCCACATTGTAGCATATTATACAGGTAAAAAA---GAACCCTTCGGGTACATAGGAATAGTTTGAGCCATAATGGCAATTGGCCTATTAGGGTTCATCGTCTGGGCCCATCACATGTTCACAGTAGGAATGG
-- end --

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Statistics of barcoding coverage: Leiognathus equulus

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Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 11
Species: 26
Species With Barcodes: 1

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Conservation

Threats

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Not Evaluated

IUCN 2006 2006 IUCN red list of threatened species. www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded July 2006. http://www.fishbase.org/references/FBRefSummary.php?id=57073

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Relevance to Humans and Ecosystems

Benefits

Importance

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fisheries: minor commercial; aquaculture: commercial

Liao, C.-I., H.-M. Su and E.Y. Chang 2001 Techniques in finfish larviculture in Taiwan. Aquaculture 200(2001):1-31. (Ref. 40297) http://www.fishbase.org/references/FBRefSummary.php?id=40297&speccode=1895
James, P.S.B.R. 1984 Leiognathidae. In W. Fischer and G. Bianchi (eds.) FAO species identification sheets for fishery purposes. Western Indian Ocean (Fishing Area 51). Vol. 2. FAO, Rome. pag. var. (Ref. 3424) http://www.fishbase.org/references/FBRefSummary.php?id=3424&speccode=4450

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