Boutan's whiting
Encyclopedia
Boutan's whiting, Sillago boutani, is a poorly understood species
of coastal marine fish of the smelt-whiting
family Sillaginidae
that inhabits the waters of the Gulf of Tonkin
and south eastern China
. Like most sillaginids, the species inhabits areas populated with a number of other whiting species of similar appearance, causing the species to often be misidentified as the well known Sillago sihama, and for this reason its biology
is poorly known. The species is taken by seine net in Vietnam
and is often exported to Japan
.
of the genus
Sillago
, one of 3 genera in the smelt-whiting family Sillaginidae
, a division of the suborder Percoidea
.
The species was first validly described by Pellegrin in 1905 from the holotype
specimen
collected from Bai de Hatan, Along, in northern Vietnam
. In a major review of the Sillaginidae in 1985, McKay proposed the three subgenera of Sillago, of which S. boutani fell into the 'Parasillago'. This created the synonym
of Sillago (?Parasillago) boutani, which is still used, depending on if the subgenera are accepted. It should be noted all members of the Sillago may have a name in the format Sillago (subgenus) species.
In 1933, Fowler noted the fin ray and lateral line
scale counts are very similar to the now invalid S. bostockii, a claim which was dismissed by McKay (1985) on the basis of vertebrae numbers.
. The species is very similar to much more common Sillago sihama and is often misidentified, with counts of spines, rays and lateral line
scales needed for identification. The first dorsal fin
has 11 spines of which the posterior most one is very small, with the second dorsal fin having one spines followed by 21 soft rays. The anal fin has two spines followed by 21 or 22 soft rays, while the lateral line
scale count is 76 to 80 and the vertebrae count is 38.
The swim bladder has three large anterior protrusions, the two lateral most extensions having a branch of which one lobe extends posteriorly for over half the length of the swim bladder. There is a single simple posterior projection. The ventral surface of the bladder has a narrow duct
like process extending to the urogenital opening.
The colour of the body is an olive-yellow dorsally, while paler on the sides and abdomen
; the cheeks and part of the operculum
are orange-yellow with one or two stripes of orange-yellow running along the sides of the body. The fins are all uniformly greyish, with some presence of dots on the rays of the second dorsal fin.
of Boutan's whiting is known only to include Gulf of Tonkin
, and the coast
of south east China
, although the common confusion with S. sihama may mean it is more widespread but not reported. The species is known to live on inshore silt
y bottoms, in depths down to 20 m. Nothing else is known of its biology
.
s. It has been reported however to be taken by seine nets in Vietnam
, forming the basis of an export
market in butterflied fillet
s to Japan
. The sillaginid
species of much this region are inadequately studied and many fisheries are unmonitored.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of coastal marine fish of the smelt-whiting
Sillaginidae
The Sillaginidae, commonly known as the smelt-whitings, whitings, sillaginids, sand borers and sand-smelts, are a family of benthic coastal marine fishes in the order Perciformes. The smelt-whitings inhabit a wide region covering much of the Indo-Pacific, from the west coast of Africa east to Japan...
family Sillaginidae
Sillaginidae
The Sillaginidae, commonly known as the smelt-whitings, whitings, sillaginids, sand borers and sand-smelts, are a family of benthic coastal marine fishes in the order Perciformes. The smelt-whitings inhabit a wide region covering much of the Indo-Pacific, from the west coast of Africa east to Japan...
that inhabits the waters of the Gulf of Tonkin
Tonkin
Tonkin , also spelled Tongkin, Tonquin or Tongking, is the northernmost part of Vietnam, south of China's Yunnan and Guangxi Provinces, east of northern Laos, and west of the Gulf of Tonkin. Locally, it is known as Bắc Kỳ, meaning "Northern Region"...
and south eastern China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. Like most sillaginids, the species inhabits areas populated with a number of other whiting species of similar appearance, causing the species to often be misidentified as the well known Sillago sihama, and for this reason its biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
is poorly known. The species is taken by seine net in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
and is often exported to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
Taxonomy and naming
Boutan's whiting is a one of 29 speciesSpecies
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of the genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Sillago
Sillago
Sillago is one of three genera in the family Sillaginidae containing the smelt-whitings, and contains 29 species, making Sillago the only non-monotypic genus in the family. Distinguishing among Sillago species can be difficult, with many similar in appearance and colour, forcing the use of swim...
, one of 3 genera in the smelt-whiting family Sillaginidae
Sillaginidae
The Sillaginidae, commonly known as the smelt-whitings, whitings, sillaginids, sand borers and sand-smelts, are a family of benthic coastal marine fishes in the order Perciformes. The smelt-whitings inhabit a wide region covering much of the Indo-Pacific, from the west coast of Africa east to Japan...
, a division of the suborder Percoidea
Percoidea
Percoidea is a superfamily of fish of the order Perciformes....
.
The species was first validly described by Pellegrin in 1905 from the holotype
Holotype
A holotype is a single physical example of an organism, known to have been used when the species was formally described. It is either the single such physical example or one of several such, but explicitly designated as the holotype...
specimen
Specimen
A specimen is a portion/quantity of material for use in testing, examination, or study.BiologyA laboratory specimen is an individual animal, part of an animal, a plant, part of a plant, or a microorganism, used as a representative to study the properties of the whole population of that species or...
collected from Bai de Hatan, Along, in northern Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
. In a major review of the Sillaginidae in 1985, McKay proposed the three subgenera of Sillago, of which S. boutani fell into the 'Parasillago'. This created the synonym
Synonym (taxonomy)
In scientific nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that is or was used for a taxon of organisms that also goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linnaeus was the first to give a scientific name to the Norway spruce, which he called Pinus abies...
of Sillago (?Parasillago) boutani, which is still used, depending on if the subgenera are accepted. It should be noted all members of the Sillago may have a name in the format Sillago (subgenus) species.
In 1933, Fowler noted the fin ray and lateral line
Lateral line
The lateral line is a sense organ in aquatic organisms , used to detect movement and vibration in the surrounding water. Lateral lines are usually visible as faint lines running lengthwise down each side, from the vicinity of the gill covers to the base of the tail...
scale counts are very similar to the now invalid S. bostockii, a claim which was dismissed by McKay (1985) on the basis of vertebrae numbers.
Description
Boutan's whiting has a very similar profile to other members of the genus Sillago, with a slightly compressed, elongate body tapering toward the terminal mouthMouth
The mouth is the first portion of the alimentary canal that receives food andsaliva. The oral mucosa is the mucous membrane epithelium lining the inside of the mouth....
. The species is very similar to much more common Sillago sihama and is often misidentified, with counts of spines, rays and lateral line
Lateral line
The lateral line is a sense organ in aquatic organisms , used to detect movement and vibration in the surrounding water. Lateral lines are usually visible as faint lines running lengthwise down each side, from the vicinity of the gill covers to the base of the tail...
scales needed for identification. The first dorsal fin
Dorsal fin
A dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of various unrelated marine and freshwater vertebrates, including most fishes, marine mammals , and the ichthyosaurs...
has 11 spines of which the posterior most one is very small, with the second dorsal fin having one spines followed by 21 soft rays. The anal fin has two spines followed by 21 or 22 soft rays, while the lateral line
Lateral line
The lateral line is a sense organ in aquatic organisms , used to detect movement and vibration in the surrounding water. Lateral lines are usually visible as faint lines running lengthwise down each side, from the vicinity of the gill covers to the base of the tail...
scale count is 76 to 80 and the vertebrae count is 38.
The swim bladder has three large anterior protrusions, the two lateral most extensions having a branch of which one lobe extends posteriorly for over half the length of the swim bladder. There is a single simple posterior projection. The ventral surface of the bladder has a narrow duct
Duct
A duct may refer to:* Duct , various ducts in anatomy and physiology* Duct , for transfer of air between spaces in a structure* Duct tape, a kind of adhesive tape* Ducted fan, motor for aircraft...
like process extending to the urogenital opening.
The colour of the body is an olive-yellow dorsally, while paler on the sides and abdomen
Abdomen
In vertebrates such as mammals the abdomen constitutes the part of the body between the thorax and pelvis. The region enclosed by the abdomen is termed the abdominal cavity...
; the cheeks and part of the operculum
Operculum (fish)
The operculum of a bony fish is the hard bony flap covering and protecting the gills. In most fish, the rear edge of the operculum roughly marks the division between the head and the body....
are orange-yellow with one or two stripes of orange-yellow running along the sides of the body. The fins are all uniformly greyish, with some presence of dots on the rays of the second dorsal fin.
Distribution and habitat
The known rangeRange (biology)
In biology, the range or distribution of a species is the geographical area within which that species can be found. Within that range, dispersion is variation in local density.The term is often qualified:...
of Boutan's whiting is known only to include Gulf of Tonkin
Tonkin
Tonkin , also spelled Tongkin, Tonquin or Tongking, is the northernmost part of Vietnam, south of China's Yunnan and Guangxi Provinces, east of northern Laos, and west of the Gulf of Tonkin. Locally, it is known as Bắc Kỳ, meaning "Northern Region"...
, and the coast
Coast
A coastline or seashore is the area where land meets the sea or ocean. A precise line that can be called a coastline cannot be determined due to the dynamic nature of tides. The term "coastal zone" can be used instead, which is a spatial zone where interaction of the sea and land processes occurs...
of south east China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, although the common confusion with S. sihama may mean it is more widespread but not reported. The species is known to live on inshore silt
Silt
Silt is granular material of a size somewhere between sand and clay whose mineral origin is quartz and feldspar. Silt may occur as a soil or as suspended sediment in a surface water body...
y bottoms, in depths down to 20 m. Nothing else is known of its biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
.
Relationship to humans
Boutan's whiting is taken locally along its range and mostly sold fresh in local marketMarket
A market is one of many varieties of systems, institutions, procedures, social relations and infrastructures whereby parties engage in exchange. While parties may exchange goods and services by barter, most markets rely on sellers offering their goods or services in exchange for money from buyers...
s. It has been reported however to be taken by seine nets in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, forming the basis of an export
Export
The term export is derived from the conceptual meaning as to ship the goods and services out of the port of a country. The seller of such goods and services is referred to as an "exporter" who is based in the country of export whereas the overseas based buyer is referred to as an "importer"...
market in butterflied fillet
Fillet (cut)
A fillet is a cut or slice of boneless meat or fish.- Meat :In the case of beef, in the USA, the term most often refers to beef tenderloin, especially filet mignon.- Chicken :...
s to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. The sillaginid
Sillaginidae
The Sillaginidae, commonly known as the smelt-whitings, whitings, sillaginids, sand borers and sand-smelts, are a family of benthic coastal marine fishes in the order Perciformes. The smelt-whitings inhabit a wide region covering much of the Indo-Pacific, from the west coast of Africa east to Japan...
species of much this region are inadequately studied and many fisheries are unmonitored.