Silver pomfret - Silver pomfret

A marine fish belonging to the order Perciformes and family Pongodontidae of the class Osteichthyes. It is found from central Honshu south to the East Indies, and is common in the East China Sea. Its body is oval and laterally compressed, covered with tiny scales that peel off easily. Adult fish have no pelvic fins. There is one dorsal fin, with a vestigial spine in front of it, more or less hidden under the skin. Its mouth is small, its snout protruding from the lower jaw, and it has tiny teeth only on both jaws. Its esophagus swells into an oblong pouch with many teeth inside. Its body is bluish gray, and it can reach a total length of 60 centimeters. It is an pelagic fish, but during the spawning season in June and July, it enters inland seas, swims in schools in the mid-level, and sometimes approaches the mouth of rivers. It migrates to the open sea in autumn. The young fish also leave for the open sea after a few months when they reach a body length of about 3cm. They are caught using set nets, gill nets and dragnets. The meat is soft and delicious. In the Kansai region in particular, it is enjoyed as sashimi, teriyaki and miso-marinated. A closely related species is the Korean pomfret, P. echinogaster . Unlike the Korean pomfret, this species has fine wavy ripples on the rear side of the head that do not reach the vertical line that passes through the base of the pectoral fin. It is found in the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea.

[Kiyoshi Suzuki]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

硬骨魚綱スズキ目マナガツオ科に属する海水魚。本州中部以南から東インド諸島まで分布し、東シナ海に多い。体は卵円形で側扁(そくへん)し、剥(は)がれやすい微小鱗(りん)で覆われる。成魚には腹びれがない。背びれは1基で、その前方には多少とも皮膚中に隠れた痕跡(こんせき)的な棘(とげ)がある。口は小さく、吻(ふん)は下顎(かがく)より突出し、歯は微小で両顎だけにある。食道部は膨らんで長楕円(ちょうだえん)形の袋となり、内部に多数の歯を備える。体色は青みを帯びた灰色で、全長60センチメートルに達する。外洋性であるが、産卵期の6、7月ごろ内海に入り、中層を群遊し、河口に近づくこともある。秋、外海へ移動する。幼魚も数か月で体長3センチメートルぐらいになると外海へ出る。建網、刺網、引網などで漁獲される。肉は軟らかくて美味。とくに関西地方では刺身、照り焼き、みそ漬けなどにして賞味される。近縁種にコウライマナガツオP. echinogasterがある。この種は、マナガツオと異なり、頭部後方側面にある微細な波状紋は胸びれ基部を通る垂直線に達しない。黄海および東シナ海に分布する。

［鈴木　清］

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