Fourfinger threadfin (Eleutheronema tetradactylum)

Scientific name: Eleutheronema tetradactylum Shaw, 1804

Fourfinger threadfin (Eleutheronema tetradactylum)

The Fourfinger threadfin (Eleutheronema tetradactylum) is a freshwater fish of the family Polynemidae.

Biology

Occur mainly over shallow muddy bottoms in coastal waters. Also enter rivers. Juveniles found in estuaries. During winter, adults ascend the rivers. They usually form loose schools, although larger fish are more often observed in pairs or singly. Feed on prawns and fish (largely members of Mugilidae, Engraulidae, and Sciaenidae) with occasional polychaetes. Frequency of crustaceans to fish in the diet varies seasonally. Larvae (7-30 mm TL) feed mainly on copepods and mysids but also take shrimps and prawn larvae. Juveniles (31-60 TL) feed on prawns shrimps and mysids. Protandrous hermaphrodites. Marketed fresh, frozen, and dried or salted.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Eleutheronema tetradactylum
Family
Polynemidae (Threadfins)
Order
Perciformes (Perch-like fish)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
200
Common length
50.0
Depth range
0–23 m (0–75 ft)
Environment
Marine; freshwater; brackish; pelagic-neritic; amphidromous; depth range 0 - 23 m
Climate
Tropical
Distribution
Indo-West Pacific: Persian Gulf to Papua New Guinea and northern Australia. Replaced by Eleutheronema rhadinum (Jordan & Evermann, 1902), in East Asia (Japan, China, Viet Nam).
Conservation status (IUCN)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: highly commercial; aquaculture: commercial
Resilience
Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Fec=680,000; assuming tm>=2)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

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