Slender whiting

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Slender whiting
Individuals at the Kuwait Scientific Center

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Spariformes
Family: Sillaginidae
Genus: Sillago
Species:
S. attenuata
Binomial name
Sillago attenuata
McKay, 1985
Range of the Slender whiting

The slender whiting (Sillago attenuata) is a poorly known

markets
.

Taxonomy and naming

The Slender whiting is one of over 30 species in the genus

suborder of the Perciformes.[3] The 5th edition of Fishes of the World classifies the Sillaginidae in the order Spariformes.[4]

The species was first identified and named Sillago attenuata by McKay in 1985 from the holotype specimen collected in 1948 from Ras Tanura, Zaal Island in the Persian Gulf, with a number of paratypes also examined. The name of the species is derived from the Latin 'attenuatus', meaning attenuated or slender, reflected in the species common name.[3]

Description

Illustration of an individual

The Slender whiting has the same basic body profile as all the smelt whiting species, with an elongate, slightly compressed body covered in

ctenoid scales, tapering toward the terminal mouth. Being one of three species known from the Persian Gulf, further anatomical features must be examined before the species can be confidently identified.[5]

The first

vertebrae count which is 37 to 39.[5]

The

ventral surface of the swim bladder.[3]

The overall colour of the Slender whiting is a light sandy brown, with two series of faint blotches running laterally. The upper row of these blotches has about 8 or 9 spots while the lower mid-lateral row has 10 spots. A row of indistinct spots or blotches runs along the base of the first, spinous dorsal fin, whose anterior most interspinous membranes are dusted with black spots. The membrane of the second dorsal fin dusted with black, while all other fins are hyaline in appearance. Juveniles have a well defined mid lateral horizontal row of 9 elongate spots just below the lateral line.[3]

Distribution and habitat

The Slender whiting, like the

tidal flats along the coast. Nothing else is known about the biology or habitat of this species.[6]

Importance to humans

The slender whiting is a common catch for

markets. Like many other Sillago species, it is taken alongside other smelt-whitings and no attempt is made to distinguish the species, as they are caught solely for consumption in an area with little to no fishing regulations or studies.[6]

References

  1. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T56852351A115522596.en
    . Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  2. ^ Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2023). Species of Sillago in FishBase. June 2023 version.
  3. ^ a b c d McKay, R.J. (1985). "A Revision of the Fishes of the Family Sillaginidae". Memoirs of the Queensland Museum. 22 (1): 1–73.
  4. OL 25909650M
    .
  5. ^
    ISBN 92-5-103123-1
    .
  6. ^ a b McKay, Roland J.; L.J. McCarthy (1989). "A revision of the sillaginid fish of the Persian Gulf with a description of Sillago arabica new species". Memoirs of the Queensland Museum. 27 (2): 551–554.

External links

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