Photopectoralis bindus (Valenciennes, 1835)

Abraham, K. J., Joshi, K. K. & Murty, V. S. R., 2011, Taxonomy of the fishes of the family Leiognathidae (Pisces, Teleostei) from the West coast of India, Zootaxa 2886 (1), pp. 1-18 : 10

7. Photopectoralis bindus (Valenciennes, 1835)

(Plate I, Fig. 7; Tables 1 –2)

Equula bindus Valenciennes 1835 , in Cuvier & Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. Poiss., 10: 78.

Material examined. 30 specimens (6 females, 9 males, 15 indeterminates) of 50–106 mm TL ( Cochin and Neendakara ) .

Description. D.VIII, 16; P. ii, 11–13, ii – iii; V. I, 5; A. III – 14; C. 14–15.

As percent of standard length: Total length 128.95–139.66 (135.80); fork length 112.33–117.24 (114.72); predorsal 31.25–37.25 (34.61); preanal 42.31–48.65 (46.45); dorsal base 56.86–61.70 (59.35); anal base 44.74–50.91 (47.28); head 26.92–30.99 (29.11); dorsal height 15.69–21.43 (18.53); anal height 12.50–17.91 (15.17); pectoral 17.65–22.97 (20.89); depth 48.65–57.14 (54.24).

As percent of head length: Snout 18.18–26.67 (23.28); eye 35.00–45.00 (39.94); head height 90.91–110.53 (102.58).

Body deep oval and strongly compressed, particularly in the lower part. Ventral profile of the body more markedly convex than the dorsal profile. Abdomen before anal more strongly convex. Occipital profile shows a slight concavity and gradually rises to the dorsal profile. Protracted mouth parts point forward to slightly downward. Commencement of the gape of mouth somewhat above level of lower border of eye. Mandible slightly concave. Teeth small, numerous, in both the jaws. Two small spines on top of the head, opposite the front border of the eye. Pre-opercle with its lower margin finely serrate. First part of the lateral line straight, later running less convex to the dorsal profile and ending below the middle of the soft dorsal, posteriorly lateral line becoming obsolete. Ventrals short, their tips scarcely reaching half way to the anals. Ventral fin with a long axillary scale. Caudal fin deeply forked with spreading pointed lobes. Dorsolateral lobes of light organs hypertrophied about pectoral-axil window.

Color. Body silvery, abdomen more silvery than back. Dark irregular, somewhat vermiculate or semicircular markings in a zigzag pattern, commencing immediately behind head and extending to the end of the soft dorsal, laterally extending down to less than half height. In males with flank patch in the region behind the pectoral fin is translucent, whereas in females it is covered in silvery white as in the remainder of the body. Spinous part of dorsal fin, black at half height, above which the membrane between the second and fifth spines bears a bright orange blotch which turns yellow on preservation in formalin. Tip of snout and ventral half of body with grey dots. Pectoral axil dotted black. Faint yellow colour on basal part of spinous anal fin membrane. Caudal especially its posterior margins are dusky.

Distribution. Widely distributed along both the coasts, along Veraval, Mangalore, Calicut, Cochin, Palk bay, Gulf of Mannar, Madras, Kakinada, Visakhapatnam and West Bengal. It forms a significant part of silverbelly fishery in Gujarat, Tamilnadu.