Oder Beryciformes Family Holocentridae(Squirrelfishes, soldierfishes) Pinecone soldierfish Myripristis murdjan(Forsskål, 1775) Max length/60.0 cm TL. Common length/18.0 cm TL Korean name/jeok-tu-eo(적투어) Japanese name/ヨゴレマツカサ(Yogore-matsukasa) Chinese name/赤鋸鱗魚(적거린어) D/spine 11, soft ray 13~15, A/spine 4, soft ray 11~14. P1/14~15. P2/spine 1, soft ray 7. 새파수(Gill raker)/total; 36-44(modally 39); Lateral line scales/27-32(modally 29);
Distribution; Indo-Pacific/Korea's Jeju Island and Busan, southern Japan, Taiwan, Philippines, Guam, Vietnam, Micronesia, Melanesia, Polynesia, Hawaiian Islands, Pacific coast of Central America, Galapagos, Australia, Indonesia, southern India, Maldives, Red Sea, Oman, East Africa. General; Body oval, robust and compressed. The head has a bursa, and the exposed bones are mostly ridged. With big eyes. Mouth oblique cleft, lower jaw with one pair of tooth patches at front of lower jaw just outside of gape. Villous group teeth on jaws, vomer and palatine bone. Lower jaw of adults slightly projecting when mouth closed. Big eyes. Interorbital space broad, its width 3.65- 4.4 times in head length. There are no strong spines on the posterior lower corner of the preopercular bone; both the opercular bone and the lower orbital bone have hard spines of varying strengths. The body is covered with large ctenoid scale, the lateral line is complete, the number of lateral line scales is 27-29. Inner pectoral axil with numerous small scales. The dorsal fin is continuous and single, with a deep concave between the hard spines and soft rays. Caudal fin is deeply forked.
A pink to silvery-white soldierfish with large scales having pale centres and red margins. A narrow dark brown to blackish streak or marking on the outer part of the gill cover ending in a blotch at the pectoral-fin base. All fins with red color, and with narrow white leading edges on the soft dorsal, anal, caudal, and pelvic fins(except pectorals). There is a large black blotch above the pupil and a smaller blotch below.
Occur in reef flats and shallow lagoon and seaward reefs. It is benthic and nocturnal, and hides in reef crevices or caves during the day and go out to forage at night. Juvenile fish are more common in shallow seas or tide pools, while adults will go to the deeper seabed at a depth of about 30-50 meters. It is carnivorous and feeds on larger zooplankton, and because its upper and lower jaws have short clusters of canine teeth, it is most suitable for preying on small crustacean bottom-dwelling organisms. Because they often forage on the sandy bottom, there is often a large amount of sediment in their stomachs. Oviparous, with planktonic eggs and larvae.
The fish is usually caught by angling and longlining. The flesh of the fish is white, but the texture is rather crumbly. The meat is easy to fall apart when boiled in soup and contains a lot of dissolved oil, so it is suitable for frying with salt. Just be aware that tropical marine fish poisons may accumulate in its internal organs. Its scales and thorns are sharp, so be careful with puncture wounds. Some people like the bright red color of this fish and raise it as an ornamental fish.
|