Pinjalo pinjalo

Pinjalo pinjalo, called the pinjalo, is a marine ray-finned fish in the snapper family Lutjanidae. Its range covers the Indian and Western Pacific Oceans, extending from the Red Sea east to Papua New Guinea, and from Taiwan and the Philippines south to Mozambique, the Persian Gulf, and parts of Australia.

Taxonomy

The species was first formally described in 1850 by Dutch scientist Pieter Bleeker, who named it Caesio pinjalo based on a specimen from Batavia (now Jakarta) on Java. The specific name comes from the Malay term ikan Pinjalo, the local name for this fish near the type locality. When Bleeker later created the genus Pinjalo, he proposed Pinjalo typus as the type species, but that name was invalid; Caesio pinjalo became the type species through tautonymy.

Description

The pinjalo has a moderately deep body with a steep forehead and a convex area between the eyes. Its eye is relatively large, about as wide as or wider than the snout, and has an adipose eyelid. The snout is short and pointed, and the small mouth reaches only to the front of the eye. The jaws hold a single row of small, conical teeth, with larger ones at the front and an inner band of bristle-like teeth.

The dorsal fin has 10 spines and 13 to 15 soft rays, while the anal fin has 3 spines and 8 to 10 soft rays. Both dorsal and anal fins have scaly sheaths at their bases. The long pectoral fins extend to the anus and have 18 rays. The caudal fin is slightly notched.

Upper body color is greyish to pinkish-grey, fading to silvery pink or silvery-white below. The dorsal and caudal fins are pinkish to pinkish-yellow with darker edges, while the pelvic and anal fins are yellowish. These colors can either quickly fade or intensify. Maximum total length is 80 cm (31 in), though 30 cm (12 in) is more typical.

Distribution and habitat

This species lives at depths of 15 to 100 m (49 to 328 ft) on coral and rocky reefs, both coastal and offshore, as well as on outer reef slopes. It is a schooling fish that feeds mainly on benthic and planktonic invertebrates. Otherwise, its biology is poorly known.

Fisheries

Artisanal fisheries in many parts of its range, especially in Asia, catch the pinjalo using gill nets, handlines, traps, and bottom trawls. It is sold fresh or preserved as salted fish.