Boleophthalmus pectinirostris
Boleophthalmus pectinirostris | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Gobiiformes |
Family: | Oxudercidae |
Genus: | Boleophthalmus |
Species: | B. pectinirostris
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Binomial name | |
Boleophthalmus pectinirostris (Linnaeus, 1758)
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Boleophthalmus pectinirostris, commonly known as the great blue spotted mudskipper, is a species of mudskipper native to the north-western Pacific Ocean. It can be found on the coastlines of Japan, eastern China, Sumatra, Malaysia, Taiwan and the Korean Peninsula.[1]
Description
Individuals of B. pectinirostris are predominantly greenish-grey in colour, with prominent sky blue speckles across their body, including their fins and on the skin below their eyes.[2]
Anatomy
Epidermis
B. pectinirostis is amphibious, and breathes through its
The middle layer consists of layers of small cells and larger cells known as swollen cells that have a large
Dermal bulges
B. pectinirostis also has dermal bulges at the highest point of its scales on its body, except for where the fins and sucking disc are. The bulges' mean height ranges from 82 to 391 μm and their mean weight ranges from 172 to 485 μm. The distribution of bulges ranges from 0 to 6 per millimetre. The epidermis is very thin at these bulges, such that the stratus germinativum is very close to the outside.[3]
Blood vessels
B. pectinirostis has
Taxonomy
Etymology
B. pectinirostris's generic name, Boleophthalmus, is derived from the placement of the fish's eyes, which can be raised above the level of their orbits. It is taken from the Greek bole ('ejected') and ophthalmon ('eye'). The specific epithet is a compound Latin form, taken from pecten ('comb, rake') and rostrum ('beak'), and likely refers to the incised teeth of the fish's mandible, which it uses to scrape its food off the surface of the ground when on land.[2]
Phylogeny
Habitat and distribution
Boleophthalmus pectinirostris can be found in
Behaviour
Burrowing
Like other mudskippers, B. pectinirostris is able to
Boleophthalmus pectinirostris use their mouths to move soil and maintain their burrows, in the process increasing sediment surface area and oxygenating deeper layers of sediment. Burrows of the B. pectinirostris examined in mangrove ecosystems in Pandansari Brebes, Central Java were observed to have diameters of 3–4 centimetres (1.2–1.6 in) in muddy beach areas and 2–9 centimetres (0.79–3.54 in) in mangrove areas, identified as belonging to members of the species by tracks left by their fins.[6]
Boleophthalmus pectinirostris in
Territorialism
Great blue mudskippers are territorial,[7] and males will fight with others of their species over access to burrows and during the breeding season, signalling their aggression by raising their large dorsal fins. The species is also known to compete with the Japanese mud crab (Macrophthalmus japonicus) over food in locations where both species occur.[citation needed]
Diet
Boleophthalmus pectinirostris are
Relationship with humans
Culinary use
Boleophthalmus pectinirostris is of culinary importance in Japan, and is fished in areas where the species is particularly abundant, such as the Ariake Sea and the Yatsushiro Sea in Saga Prefecture and Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu. A style of cooking the fish local to this region involves grilling and basting it whole over charcoal.[8]
Fishing
Boleophthalmus pectinirostris is typically caught by line or by trapping. The line method, referred to as mutsukake, is an unusual method developed in Japan that bears a resemblance to fly fishing, and is carried out at low tide with the use of a long fishing rod, a harpoon-like hook that catches in the fish's skin, and a wooden sled called an oshiita, which is used to travel out onto the tidal flats and to support oneself, as the surface of the flats is too soft to stand on. An alternative means of catching great blue spotted mudskippers is by using long burrow traps made out of hollow bamboo, which are driven into the tidal flat and trap the fish after they enter.[2]
Status and conservation
As a shoreline species, B. pectinirostris is vulnerable to water pollution and overfishing, and had formerly been in decline from around 1970 due to these factors. However, surveys of the populations in the Ariake and Yatsushiro Sea conducted in 2013 found that the species' numbers had increased by over eight times since the previous survey, which was undertaken 16 years prior. B. pectinirostris's recovery is believed to be the result of improved water quality, reduced fishing of the species due to a lower demand, and implementation of conservation measures. A series of mild winters may have also factored into the population increase.[9]
References
- ^ a b c "Boleophthalmus pectinirostris summary page". FishBase. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
- ^ a b c d Polgar, Gianluca (2014-06-01). "The mudskipper - Boleophthalmus pectinirostris". www.mudskipper.it. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
- ^ ISSN 0139-7893.
- S2CID 255611621.
- ^ Hui, Chen; Polgar, Gianluca; Cui-Zhang, Fu (January 2014). "Cryptic species and evolutionary history of Boleophthalmus pectinirostris complex along the northwestern Pacific coast". Acta Hydrobiologica Sinica: 75–86 – via ResearchGate.
- ^ .
- ^ S2CID 83870704.
- ^ "Grilled mudskipper - 【郷土料理ものがたり】". kyoudo-ryouri.com. kyodoryori-story, Ltd. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
- Saga, Japan. 2013-05-30. Retrieved 2023-02-15.