Pikey Bream, Acanthopagrus pacificus Iwatsuki, Kume & Yoshino 2010

Other Names: Black Bream, Goldsilk seabream, Pacific Seabream, Picnic Seabream, Pikey Black Bream

A Pikey Bream, Acanthopagrus pacificus, from Mackay, Queensland, August 2015. Source: Bob Joynes / iNaturalist.org. License: CC by Attribution-NonCommercial

Summary:

A silvery-grey seabream, paler below, with dusky dorsal, caudal, anal, and pelvic fins, and very long pectoral fins. This popular angling species is one of the most abundant larger fishes in some northern Australian estuaries.

This species was previously mididentified in Australia as Acanthopagrus berda which occurs throughout most of the Indian Ocean (excluding Australia).

Cite this page as:

Bray, D.J. 2018, Acanthopagrus pacificus in Fishes of Australia, accessed 20 Apr 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/673

Pikey Bream, Acanthopagrus pacificus Iwatsuki, Kume & Yoshino 2010

More Info

Distribution	Recorded in Australia from Darwin, Northern Territory, to Port Clinton, Queensland. Elsewhere the spcies occurs in the Western Pacific, from southern Japan, southern China, Vietnam, Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and northern Australia. Mostly inhabits brackish waters in estuaries, inlets, coastal rivers and tidal creeks, occasionally entering the lower parts of freshwater streams. Juveniles inhabit protected bays and estuaries.
Features	Dorsal fin XI, 11; Anal fin III, 8-9; Gill rakers 15-19. Distinguished from congeners by having: 3.5 scale rows between fifth dorsal-fin spine base and lateral line; ventral edge of first two infraorbitals above rear end of maxilla straight in fish less than ca 30 cm SL, but a moderate concavity of the ventral edge of the first two infraorbitals above the posterior part of upper jaw obvious in specimens about 35 cm SL; front edge of dorsal scaly area on head slightly curved (convex) without small scales; ; deeper body, 45-48% SL (mean 47% SL); smaller orbit diameter, 2.9-4.9 (mean 3.7) in head length/orbit diameter; second anal-fin spine clearly longer than third anal-fin spine; scales on preopercle flange absent; pelvic and anal fins uniformly dark black. (Iwatsuki et al. 2010).
Colour	Head and body silvery-grey, ventral portion of head and abdomen somewhat whitish; dorsal, caudal, anal, and pelvic fins dusky, especially membranes; pectoral fin hyaline or somewhat dusky dorsally.
Biology	Most likely a protandrous hermaphrodite, changing sex from male to female during the life cycle. Migrates to the lower reaches of estuaries from May to September to spawn, with peak spawning during July and August.
Fisheries	A popular angling species, often taken on hook and line.
Etymology	The species is named pacificus in reference to its distribution in the western Pacific.
Species Citation	Acanthopagrus pacificus Iwatsuki, Kume & Yoshino 2010, Bull. Natl Mus Nature Sci Series A 36(4): 116, figs. 1, 2A, 3A-D, 4A, 5A-B, 6. Type locality: Iriomote Island, Japan [24°21’32.4”N, 123°44’52.4”E].
Author	Bray, D.J. 2018
Resources	Australian Faunal Directory

Pikey Bream, Acanthopagrus pacificus Iwatsuki, Kume & Yoshino 2010

References

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