milkfish

n., pl., milkfish, or -fish·es.
A large silvery fish (Chanos chanos) of the South Pacific and Indian oceans, widely used for food.

[From its color.]

Chanos chanos

FAMILY

Chanidae

TAXONOMY

Chanos chanos Forsskål, 1775, Red Sea.

OTHER COMMON NAMES

English: Bangos; French: Chanos; German: Milchfisch; Spanish: Chano, sabalote.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Standard length of over 70.9 in (180 cm). Adults are silvery herringlike fishes with a forked tail, large eyes, pointed snout with terminal mouth, cycloid scales, and an epibranchial organ. The mouth is small and terminal. The jaws are toothless. The dorsal fin has 13–17 rays; the anal fin has 6–8; the pectoral fins 15–17, and the pelvic fins 10–11. Four or five branchiostegal rays are present on each side.

DISTRIBUTION

Throughout the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

HABITAT

Diadromous; adults occur in marine open waters, larvae inhabit brackish inland ponds.

BEHAVIOR

Schooling fishes, both as juveniles and adults.

FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET

Larvae in coastal ponds consume diatoms and copepods. Adults have well-developed epibranchial organ used as an extension of the alimentary canal and may live on plant material.

REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY

Breeds in inshore waters and produces pelagic eggs. Larvae of about 0.4 in (1 cm) enter brackish waters and as young adults return to the sea.

CONSERVATION STATUS

Not threatened.

SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS

Commercially raised for food in the Philippines and Indonesia and fished extensively throughout its range. Local fishermen use cormorants with rings around the birds' necks to fish for milk-fish. The rings prevent the birds from fully swallowing the fish.

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)