Tosa Dwarf Monocle Bream

Parascolopsis tosensis

Also known as: Dwarf Monocle Bream, Monocle Bream, Seaperch, Yellow-striped Monocle Bream

ALSO KNOWN AS

Dwarf Monocle Bream
Monocle Bream
Seaperch
Yellow-striped Monocle Bream

LCLeast ConcernIUCN Red List, 2022

Tosa Dwarf Monocle Bream adult, photographed at VSU beach resort, Philippines — @Mikhail · VSU beach resort, Philippines · July 20121 / 1

Overview

The Tosa dwarf monocle bream is a small, deep-living fish, red and silver with a yellow stripe, and at about 10cm the smallest species in its genus. It occurs singly or in loose schools, over flat bottoms, in off-shore reefs.

It belongs to Parascolopsis, the dwarf monocle breams, a genus in the threadfin bream family. The biggest species reaches around 35cm.

Most of what is known applies to the genus as a whole. Dwarf monocle breams live across the Indian and Pacific Oceans, usually on mud or sand in offshore continental shelf waters, and some go as deep as around 400m.

Telling them apart from other threadfin breams comes down to fine detail. The spine under the eye, a feature of related fish, is weak or missing altogether, and the cheek has 4 to 6 rows of scales.

How to identify

COLOURS

Pattern: yellow stripe
Behaviour: nocturnal schooling solitary

Tap any trait to see other fish that share it.

Habitat & where to find it

Range · Western Pacific
Country only · 1

LIVES IN

Found singly or in loose schools, over flat bottoms, in off-shore reefs.

RANGE

Western Pacific

Adult photos 1

Discussion

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ALL STAGES

FOR THE MARINE-BIOLOGY CURIOUS

Deep dive

Taxonomy

kingdomAnimalia
phylumChordata
classTeleostei
orderEupercaria incertae sedis
familyNemipteridae
genusParascolopsis
speciesParascolopsis tosensis (Kamohara, 1938)

SourcesWoRMS FishBase

Morphology

Features of the genus Parascolopsis rather than this species alone: suborbital spine weak or absent, 4 to 6 rows of scales on the preoperculum, second anal fin spine usually longer and stouter than its neighbours, and a shallowly notched tail fin. Scales on the crown reach the middle of the eye or the rear nostrils, and the scaly gill cover has a small flat spine on its upper edge.