Threadfin bream / Nemipterus virgatus

Description

The threadfin breams consist of the family Nemipteridae within the order Perciformes. They are also known as whiptail breams and false snappers.

They are found in tropical waters of the Indian and western Pacific Oceans. Most species are benthic carnivores, preying on smaller fishes, cephalopods, crustaceans and polychaetes; however, a few species eat plankton.

Threadfin bream harbour parasites. A study conducted in New Caledonia has shown that the fork-tailed threadfin bream (Nemipterus furcosus) harboured 25 species of parasites, including nematodes, cestodes, digeneans, monogeneans, isopods, and copepods. None of these parasites is transmitted to humans.

Nemipterus virgatus, the golden threadfin bream, is a species of threadfin bream native to the western Pacific, from southern Japan south to northwest Australia including the Arafura Sea. It inhabits areas with mud or sand substrates and the young can be found at depths from 18 to 33 m (59 to 108 ft) while the adults can be found down to 220 m (720 ft). This species can reach a length of 35 cm (14 in), though most are only around 23 cm (9.1 in). It is one of the most important species of commercial fisheries in the East China Sea and northern South China Sea.