Bigscale Ponyfish, Deveximentum megalolepis Mochizuki & Hayashi 1989


Other Names: Bigscaled Ponyfish

A Bigscale Ponyfish, Deveximentum megalolepis, USNM 403406, from Bais market, Negros, Negros Oriental, Philippines, June 2011. Source: Jeffrey T. Williams / Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History. License: CC BY Attribution-Noncommercial-ShareAlike

Summary:
A silvery ponyfish with dark markings forming about 10 irregular “bars” along the upper sides, anterior bars comprising columns of short bars and spots, a prominent curved black band running from the lower margin of the eye to the rear angle of the lower jaw, a black tip on the spinous dorsal fin, and a black line from the anteroventral margin of the orbit to the chin.

Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2022, Deveximentum megalolepis in Fishes of Australia, accessed 29 Mar 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/Home/species/2452

Bigscale Ponyfish, Deveximentum megalolepis Mochizuki & Hayashi 1989

More Info


Distribution

NE of Rosella Shoal off The Kimberley, Western Australia, to Bundaberg, Queensland. Elsewhere the species occurs in the east-Indo-west Pacific.
Forms schools over soft bottom habitats in shallow coastal waters and estuaries.

Features

Gill rakers 21–25; lateral-line scales 42-49; Scale rows above lateral line 6-7; Scale rows below lateral line 13-15; Scale rows between pectoral and pelvic fin bases 9-11; Cheek scale rows 6-9.
Body oval, compressed, depth 1.6–1.5 in SL; head strongly concave above eye, mouth angled upwards, anterior profile of lower jaw almost vertical when mouth closed; body scales relatively large; cheek and breast including isthmus fully scaled; lateral line terminating below rear of soft dorsal fin. 

Size

to 7.5 cm TL (total length)

Fisheries

Taken mostly in bottoms trawls.

Remarks

This species was previously known as Secutor megalolepis.

Etymology

The specific name megalolepis is from the Latin megalo- (= large) and lepis (= scale) in reference to the large scales on the cheek and body compared with those of other members of the genus Secutor at the time.

Species Citation

Secutor megalolepis Mochizuki & Hayashi 1989, Science Reports of the Yokosuka City Museum 37: 86, fig. 8a, b. Type locality: Songkhla, Thailand.

Author

Bray, D.J. 2022

Resources

Atlas of Living Australia

Bigscale Ponyfish, Deveximentum megalolepis Mochizuki & Hayashi 1989

References


Hoese, D.F. & Bray, D.J. 2006. Leiognathidae. pp. 1176-1182 in Hoese, D.F., Bray, D.J., Paxton, J.R. & Allen, G.R. Fishes. In, Beesley, P.L. & Wells, A. (eds) Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Vol. 35. Volume 35 Australia : ABRS & CSIRO Publishing Parts 1-3, 2178 pp. (as Secutor megalolepis)

Kottelat, M. 2013. The fishes of the inland waters of southeast Asia: a catalogue and core bibliography of the fishes known to occur in freshwaters, mangroves and estuaries. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology Supplement 27: 1-663 

Larson, H.K., Williams, R.S. & Hammer, M.P. 2013. An annotated checklist of the fishes of the Northern Territory, Australia. Zootaxa 3696(1): 1-293 (as Secutor megalolepis)

Mochizuki, K. & Hayashi, M. 1989. Revision of the leiognathid fishes of the genus Secutor, with two new species. Science Reports of the Yokosuka City Museum 37: 83-95 figs 1-7 

Woodland, D.J., Premcharoen, S. & Cabanban, A.S. 2001. Leiognathidae. pp. 2792-2823 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, V.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 5 2791-3379 pp. (as Secutor megalolepis)

Quick Facts


CAAB Code:37341022

Biology:Bioluminescent

Depth:2-50 m

Habitat:Coastal waters, estuaries

Max Size:7.5 cm TL

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CAAB distribution map