Meristic formula D, XI-XII + 9-11; A, III + 7-9; P, 14-15; V, I + 5; LL, 46-56; GR, 20-25  photo: Valter Žiža

SHORT DESCRIPTION Body oblong slightly compressed. A continuous single dorsal fin with distinct notch between the spinous and the soft portions. The 3rd – 6th dorsal spines the longest. Anal fin opposite soft dorsal fin part, the 3rd spine is the longest but still slightly shorter than first ray. Caudal fin forked. Small finely ctenoid scales. Lateral line continuing onto caudal fin. 6-8 rows of scales above lateral line. Terminal, slightly oblique mouth. Jaws reach back to the vertical of the anterior margin of eye. Bends of villiforms teeth, the outer row larger. No teeth on the vomer and palatine. Preoperculum serrated. Two spines on the operculum, the lower much larger at eye level and extend beyond opercular margin. color : body silvery-grey to dusky-green on the back with silvery white belly. Four wide longitudinal blackish to brown stripes on the flank. The 3rd stripe extends to the middle of caudal fin. Both caudal fin lobes with two horizontal stripes, a black spot on the tip of upper lobes. Large black spot between 3rd-7th dorsal spines. Two slightly slanted dark stripes on the posterior part of dorsal fin. Juveniles have 6-7 grey vertical bars. size : 10-15 cm (max. 30 cm). DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS Apogon puta – 10-13 rows of scales above lateral line. The longitudinal stripes on the body  much narrower than the distance between them; 70-85 lateral line scales. Pelates quadrilineatus – The longitudinal stripes do not extend onto the caudal fin. The lower opercular spine does not reach the opercular adge. Pomadasys stridens – Two pores and a median pit on the chin. The longitudinal stripes do not extend onto the caudal fin. Other families: lack of two spines on the operculum (three such spines in Serranidae); lack of longitudinal stripes (young specimens of Epinephelus costae have brown longitudinal stripes). BIOLOGY / ECOLOGY Inhabits shallow coastal waters; also found in brackish waters. Feeds on invertebrates and small fish.

1st MEDITERRANEAN RECORD Slovenia, Piran, 2008 [2007]. DISTRIBUTION Worldwide : wide Indo-Pacific: from east Africa and the Red Sea to Japan and northern Australia. Mediterranean : only a single record from Slovenia, Piran (northern Adriatic Sea) was recorded (Lipej et al., 2008). ESTABLISHMENT SUCCESS Very rare, only a single specimen collected in the Adriatic Sea. MODE OF INTRODUCTION Presumably via the Suez Canal but also possibly escaped from some human activity.  IMPORTANCE TO HUMANS Caught in small quantities in commercial fishery throughout its original distribution.

KEY REFERENCES Lipej L., Mavrič B., Žiža V. and Dulčić J., 2008. The largescaled terapon Terapon theraps: a new Indo-Pacific fish in the Mediterranean Sea. J. Fish Biology, 73: 1819-1822. Randall J.E., 1995. Coastal Fishes of Oman. University of Hawai'i Press, Honolulu, Hawai'i. Vari R.P., 1984. Teraponidae. In: FAO species identification sheets for fishery purposes. Western Indian Ocean (Fishery Area 51) Fischer W. and Bianchi G. (eds). FAO United Nations, Rome.   Vari R.P., 1978. The terapon perches (Perciformes, Teraponidae). A cladistic analysis and taxonomic revision. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, 159(5): 175-340. FEEDBACK / COMMENTS TO AUTHORS

Last update of the species sheet: January 2009 ©ciesm 2002