Himeji (English spelling) goatfishes

Japanese: ヒメジ - ひめじ（英語表記）goatfishes

A general term for fishes of the family Mullidae, order Perciformes, class of Osteichthyes, or one of them. The family Mullidae is widely distributed in temperate to tropical regions around the world, with about 62 species in six genera known worldwide, and about 25 species in three genera known from Japan: Mullidae, Goatfish, and Mullidae. The Mullidae genus is distinguished by having teeth on the vomer (the bone at the front end of the skull floor) and palatine bone, and having scales on the lower part of the front half of the second dorsal fin, while the Mullidae and Mullidae genera are distinguished by not having teeth on the vomer and palatine bone, and not having scales on the second dorsal fin. The two genera are also distinguished by the fact that the genus Acanthurus has small, villiform teeth on both the upper and lower jaws, while the genus Acanthurus has a single row of large, conical teeth. Some species reach a maximum body length of over 60 cm, but most are 10 to 20 cm. The body is elongated and laterally compressed. There is a pair of long barbels near the tip of the lower jaw. The lateral line is complete, running uninterrupted from behind the gill cover to the base of the caudal fin, parallel to the dorsal edge of the body, and there are 27 to 38 perforated scales to the base of the caudal fin. There are two well-spaced dorsal fins, the first dorsal fin has 7 to 8 spines, the spines are elongated, and the first spine is extremely short. The second dorsal fin usually has 9 soft rays. The anal fin usually has seven soft rays. The caudal fin is deeply forked. Most species live on sandy and muddy bottoms in coastal coral reefs and rocky areas. The barbels have chemosensory receptors (taste buds) that allow them to search for prey organisms above or below the bottom. They capture prey by piercing the bottom with their proboscis. They are carnivorous, feeding mainly on a variety of small animals such as crustaceans and benthic invertebrates, although some species also eat small fish. Their meat is of good quality and they are sold fresh. They resemble the Polymixiidae fishes in that they have a pair of long barbels on their chins, but can be distinguished from the Polymixiidae by having a single dorsal fin with 4 to 6 spines and an anal fin with 3 to 4 spines.

[Masao Katayama and Kunio Amano, February 17, 2021]

Representative species

The Japanese goatfish Upeneus japonicus is the most common fish of the family Upeneidae in Japan, and is called hime in Tokyo, himeichi in Kansai, benisashi in Nagasaki, and okinojo in Niigata. It is found in the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan coasts from Hokkaido to the southern coast of Kyushu, the East China Sea, the Ryukyu Islands, the Ogasawara Islands, the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island (Korea), Taiwan, the coast of China, and Peter the Great Bay. The body is elongated and slightly laterally compressed. The mouth is small, and the rear end of the upper jaw does not reach the front edge of the eye. The lower jaw does not protrude forward beyond the upper jaw. There are villiform teeth on both the upper and lower jaws, the vomer, and the palatine. There are two long barbels near the front end of the lower jaw, which reach the rear edge of the main operculum. There are no serrations on the rear edge of the preoperculum. The fish has two widely separated dorsal fins with 7 spines and 9 soft rays. The first spine is the longest. The anal fin has 7 soft rays. The rear edge of the caudal fin is deeply forked. The body is covered with round scales that peel off easily. There are 31 to 33 perforated scales on the lateral line. The second dorsal fin, the anterior half of the base of the anal fin, and the base of the caudal fin are covered with small scales. The body color is dark red to orange-red on the dorsal side, red to pale red on the lateral side, and white on the ventral side. The barbels are yellow. The upper lobe of the dorsal fin and caudal fin have 2 to 4 red oblique stripes. The lower lobe of the caudal fin is uniformly red. When resting or at night, the body color becomes paler, and 3 to 4 red horizontal stripes appear on the sides of the body. The fish lives in sandy areas mixed with pebbles and shells at depths of 4 to 200 meters. They use the barbels on their lower jaw to search for food in or on the sand, mainly eating crustaceans such as shrimps and amphipods. Juvenile fish appear in the coastal surface layer from May to December, and move to the bottom layer at a body length of about 3.5 cm. They reach a maximum total length of 20 cm, and are caught in large quantities with bottom trawl nets. They are in season in winter, and their flesh is mild. They are used in prepared dishes such as salt-grilled, simmered, dried, and tempura, as well as in fish paste products.

Eight species of the goatfish genus Upeneus are known to exist in Japan, but this species can be distinguished from the others by its yellow barbels, the lack of vertical stripes on its sides, and the presence of two to four dark red stripes on the upper lobe of its tail fin.

[Masao Katayama and Kunio Amano, February 17, 2021]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

硬骨魚綱スズキ目ヒメジ科Mullidae魚類の総称、またはそのなかの1種。ヒメジ科魚類は世界の温帯～熱帯域に広く分布し、世界から6属約62種、日本からはヒメジ属、アカヒメジ属およびウミヒゴイ属の3属約25種が知られている。ヒメジ属は鋤骨(じょこつ)（頭蓋(とうがい)床の最前端にある骨）と口蓋骨に歯があり、第2背びれの前半の下部に鱗(うろこ)があることなどで、アカヒメジ属とウミヒゴイ属は鋤骨と口蓋骨に歯がなく、第2背びれに鱗がないことなどで区別する。また、アカヒメジ属は上下両顎(りょうがく)歯が小さく絨毛(じゅうもう)状であることなどで、他方ウミヒゴイ属は大きな円錐歯(えんすいし)が1列に並ぶことなどで、これら2属が区別される。最大体長は60センチメートルあまりになる種もいるが、10～20センチメートルのものが多い。体は細長く、側扁(そくへん)する。下顎の先端付近に1対(つい)の長いひげがある。側線は完全で、鰓蓋(さいがい)の後ろから尾びれの付け根までとぎれずに体の背縁に並行して走り、尾びれ基底までの有孔鱗(ゆうこうりん)数は27～38枚。背びれはよく離れた2基であり、第1背びれは7～8棘(きょく)で、棘は細長く、第1棘はきわめて短い。第2背びれは普通は9軟条。臀(しり)びれは普通は7軟条。尾びれは深く二叉(にさ)する。ほとんどの種は沿岸のサンゴ礁や岩礁域の砂泥底に生息する。口ひげは化学感覚受容器（味蕾(みらい)）をもっていて、底層の上や内部にいる餌(えさ)になる生物を探すことができる。吻(ふん)を底に突き立てて、餌をつかまえる。肉食性でおもに甲殻類や底生無脊椎(むせきつい)動物などのさまざまな小動物を食べるが、小魚を食べる種もいる。肉質はよくて、鮮魚で売られている。あごに1対の長いひげをもつことでギンメダイ科Polymixiidae魚類に似るが、ギンメダイ科では背びれは1基で4～6棘をもつこと、臀びれに3～4棘をもつことなどでヒメジ科と区別できる。

［片山正夫・尼岡邦夫　2021年2月17日］

代表種

ヒメジUpeneus japonicus（英名はJapanese goatfish）は日本ではヒメジ科の魚のなかでもっとも普通にみられる種で、東京ではヒメ、関西ではヒメイチ、長崎ではベニサシ、新潟ではオキノジョウなどとよばれる。北海道から九州南岸の太平洋と日本海の沿岸、東シナ海、南西諸島、小笠原(おがさわら)諸島、朝鮮半島、済州島(さいしゅうとう)（韓国）、台湾、中国沿岸、ピョートル大帝湾などに分布する。体は細長くやや側扁する。口は小さく、上顎の後端は目の前縁下に達しない。下顎は上顎より前に突出しない。上下両顎、鋤骨および口蓋骨に絨毛状の歯がある。下顎の前端付近に2本の長いひげがあり、主鰓蓋骨の後縁下に達する。前鰓蓋骨の後縁に鋸歯(きょし)がない。背びれはよく離れた2基で、7棘9軟条。第1棘はもっとも長い。臀びれは7軟条。尾びれの後縁は深く二叉する。体ははがれやすい円鱗で覆われる。側線有孔鱗数は31～33枚。第2背びれと臀びれの基底前半部および尾びれ基底は小鱗をかぶる。体色は背側が暗赤色～橙赤(とうせき)色で、側面が赤色～淡赤色、腹面が白色。ひげは黄色。背びれと尾びれの上葉に2～4本の赤色の斜走帯がある。尾びれの下葉は一様に赤色。休息時や夜間には体色は淡くなり、体側面に3～4本の赤色の横帯が出現する。水深4～200メートルの小石や貝殻混じりの砂地にすむ。下顎のひげを使って砂中や砂上の餌を探し、おもにコエビ類、ヨコエビ類などの甲殻類を食べる。稚魚は5～12月に沿岸表層域に出現し、体長3.5センチメートルくらいで底層に移動する。最大全長は20センチメートルに達し、底引網で多量に漁獲される。旬(しゅん)は冬で、肉質は淡泊。塩焼き、煮つけ、干物、てんぷらなどの総菜や練り製品の材料にされる。

　ヒメジ属Upeneusには日本から8種が知られているが、本種はひげが黄色で、体側に縦帯がなく、尾びれの上葉に2～4本の暗赤色帯があることなどで他種と区別できる。

［片山正夫・尼岡邦夫　2021年2月17日］

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例

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