Deep Pugnose Ponyfish, Deveximentum ruconium (Hamilton 1822)

Other Names: Pig-nosed Pony-fish, Pugnose Ponyfish, Pug-nosed Ponyfish

Summary:

A very deep-bodied silvery ponyfish with a pink and blue iridescence, a darker back with about 10 vertical bars that become a series of spots with growth, a dark line from the angle of the mouth to the chin, a dark spot on the gill cover, bluish fins, a black blotch on the outer part of the spinous dorsal fin, and black pigment in the axil of the pectoral fin.

Cite this page as:

Bray, D.J. 2022, Deveximentum ruconium in Fishes of Australia, accessed 20 Apr 2025, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/Home/species/2221

Deep Pugnose Ponyfish, Deveximentum ruconium (Hamilton 1822)

More Info

Distribution	Exmouth Gulf, Western Australia, to Shoalwater Bay, Queensland. Elsewhere the species occurs in the tropical, east-Indo-west Pacific. Forms schools over soft bottom habitats in estuaries and shallow coastal waters. The species is rarely seen near reefs.
Features	Dorsal fin VIII-IX,16-17; Anal fin 111,14; Pectoral fin 17-18; Gill rakers 18-28; Lateral-line tubed scales 28-32. Body very deep, compressed, depth 1.4-1.7 in SL; lateral line ending below middle of soft dorsal fin; mouth almost vertical when protracted; jaw teeth small, inconspicuous.
Remarks	In Australia, this species has previously been known as Leiognathus interruptus, Secutor interruptus, Leiognathus ruconius and Secutor ruconius.
Etymology	The specific name ruconius is from Ruconi chanda, the local name for this species along the estuaries of the Ganges River.
Species Citation	Chanda ruconius Hamilton 1822, An account of the fishes found in the River Ganges and its branches: 106, 371, pl. 12 (fig. 35). Type locality: Ganges River estuaries, India.
Author	Bray, D.J. 2022
Resources	Atlas of Living Australia Australian Faunal Directory Catalog of Fishes

Deep Pugnose Ponyfish, Deveximentum ruconium (Hamilton 1822)

References

Abraham, K.J., Joshi, K.K. & Murty, V.S.R. 2011. Taxonomy of the fishes of the family Leiognathidae (Pisces, Teleostei) from the west coast of India. Zootaxa 2886: 1-18

Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 292 pp. 106 pls. (as Secutor ruconius)

Allen, G.R. & Erdmann, M.V. 2012. Reef fishes of the East Indies. Perth : Tropical Reef Research 3 vols, 1260 pp. (as Secutor ruconius)

Allen, G.R. & Swainston, R. 1988. The Marine Fishes of North-Western Australia. A field guide for anglers and divers. Perth, WA : Western Australian Museum vi 201 pp., 70 pls. (as Secutor ruconis)

Baldwin, Z.H. & Sparks, J.S. 2011. A new species of Secutor (Teleostei: Leiognathidae) from the western Indian Ocean. Zootaxa 2998: 39-47 (as Secutor ruconius)

Chakrabarty, P., Amarasinghe, T. & Sparks, J.S. 2009. Redescription of ponyfishes (Teleostei: Leiognathidae) of Sri Lanka and the status of Aurigequula Fowler 1918. Ceylon Journal of Science 37(2): 143-161

Chakrabarty, P., Sparks, J.S. & Ho., H.-C. 2010. Taxonomic review of the ponyfishes (Perciformes: Leiognathidae) of Taiwan. Marine Biodiversity 40: 107-121

De Vis, C.W. 1884. New fishes in the Queensland Museum. No. 3. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 1 9(3): 537-547 (described as Equula profunda, type locality Cape York, Qld)

Gloerfelt-Tarp, T. & Kailola, P.J. 1984. Trawled Fishes of Southern Indonesia and Northwest Australia. Jakarta : Dir. Gen. Fish. (Indonesia), German Tech. Coop., Aust. Dev. Ass. Bur. 406 pp. (as Secutor ruconius)

Hamilton, F. 1822. An account of the fishes found in the River Ganges and its branches. Edinburgh : Archibald Constable 405 pp., pls 1-39. See ref at BHL

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 interruptus)

Jones, G. 1985. Revision of the Australian species of the fish family Leiognathidae. Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 36: 559-613 figs 1-19 (as Secutor ruconius)

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 (as Leiognathus ruconius)

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 interruptus)

Larson, H.K. & Williams, R.S. 1997. Darwin Harbour fishes: a survey and annotated checklist. pp. 339-380 in Hanley, H.R., Caswell, G., Megirian, D. & Larson, H.K. (eds). The Marine Flora and Fauna of Darwin Harbour, Northern Territory, Australia. Proceedings of the Sixth International Marine Biology Workshop. Darwin : Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory 466 pp. (as Secutor ruconius)

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 (as Secutor interruptus)

Randall, J.E. 2005. Reef and shore fishes of the South Pacific. New Caledonia to Tahiti and the Pitcairn Islands. Honolulu : University of Hawaii Press 707 pp.

Sainsbury, K.J., Kailola, P.J. & Leyland, G.G. 1984. Continental Shelf Fishes of Northern and North-Western Australia. Canberra : Fisheries Information Service 375 pp. figs & pls. (as Secutor ruconius)

Sparks, J.S. & Chakrabarty, P. 2015. Description of a new genus of ponyfishes (Teleostei: Leiognathidae), with a review of the current generic-level composition of the family. Zootaxa 3947(2): 181–190

Valenciennes, A. in Cuvier, G.L. & Valenciennes, A. 1835. Histoire Naturelle des Poissons. Paris : Levrault Vol. 10 482 pp. pls 280-306 (described as Equula interrupta, type locality Pondicherry, India)

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 ruconius)