Japanese whiting
Encyclopedia
The Japanese whiting, Sillago japonica, (also known as the Japanese sillago or Shiro-gisu) is a common species of coastal marine
fish
belonging to the smelt-whiting family, Sillaginidae
. As suggested by its name, the Japanese whiting was first recorded from Japan
in 1843, but has subsequently been found to extend to Korea
, China
and Taiwan
.
The species inhabits a variety of shallow water habitats where it preys on a variety of crustacean
s as well as polychaete
s, bivalves and small fish. They spawn
between June and October, and are taken in large quantities during this period by fishermen. Being one of the most abundant species of fish around Japan, they make up a large percentage of the commercial catch.
in the genus
Sillago
, which is one of three divisions of the smelt whiting family
Sillaginidae
. The smelt-whitings are Perciformes
in the suborder Percoidea
.
The species was first recognized and scientifically described
by Temminck and Schlegel in 1843 based on a holotype
taken somewhere along the Japanese coast. The species has often been mistaken for Sillago sihama, and erroneously been published under this name by a number of author
s, the first being Steindachner and Döderlein in 1885. Studies into various aspects of the Japanese whiting's biology
have also been incorrectly named as studies on S. sihama.
The binomial and common name
of the species refers to the country
where the species was first described from; Japan
, although its range has subsequently found to be much wider than just Japan. The species is locally known as Shiro-gisu in Japan and Chin-Sa-Suo in China
.
extending to the two rows of cheek
scales and head. The first dorsal fin
has 11 spines and the second dorsal fin has 1 leading spine with 21 to 23 soft rays posterior. The anal fin is similar to the second dorsal fin, but has 2 spines with 22 to 24 soft rays posterior to the spines. Other distinguishing features include 70 to 73 lateral line
scales and a total of 35 vertebrae. The species has a known maximum length of over 30 cm.
Like all species of sillaginid, the swim bladder is the most dependable diagnostic feature. Japanese whiting have a swim bladder characterised by a single, long posterior extension which tapers to a slender point. The anterior end of the organ has three long median projections, with the central extension the longest.
The colour of the fish is a greenish grey above with the dorsal region of the head
darker and whitish on the underside of the fish. The anterior and posterior dorsal fins are hyaline
, with the first few membranes of the spinous dorsal fin dusted in tiny brown spots. The anal, ventral and pectoral fins are also hyaline, with the pectoral having a greenish upper margin and base. The caudal fin is whitish with dark margins.
The Japanese whiting ranges from Japan
where it was first described, west toward Korea
, China
and Taiwan
, possibly extending as far south as the Philippines
. The species is not only the most common sillaginid of Japan, but is one of the most common coast
al species of any family, often making up a significant proportion of shallow water samples.
S. japonica occurs in a variety of habitat
s, with shallow sand
y flats in bay
s, surf
zones of beaches, protected eelgrass
seabeds and occasionally estuaries used by the species. They are a shallow water species, operating in depths between 0 and 30 m. Juveniles tend to use eelgrass beds as a nursery area, gaining both food and protection from these habitats while adults move to more exposed areas.
system. This is due to the benthic nature of their prey during the daytime, which inhabit these layers of weaker water flow preferentially due to their body shape. Japanese whiting are a schooling
species like most other sillaginids, and similarly are able to burrow into the sand to escape predators or forage for prey.
as fish mature, with the change occurring at a length of around 20 mm. Young fish tended to consume a higher proportion of calanoid copepod
s, with small amounts of mysids also taken. Older fish take substantially more mysids, with few copepods or polychaetes taken. Other studies have found amphipods, bivalves, caridean shrimp
s, crab
s and small fish
also contribute to the diets of S. japonica in some areas, helping to reduce interspecific competition
locally. In most all diet surveys, there is a shift in diet as size increases, probably to avoid intraspecific competition
. Season
al changes associated with prey abundance are also observed.
period, which occurs between June and October. The larval development has been extensively described by Oozeki et al., who described ten stages in the morphological and histological development of the species. Juveniles inhabit protected areas such as shallow bays and seagrass beds. The species becomes sexually mature by 2 years for both sexes, living to at least 4 years of age and reaching more than 30 cm in length.
species in the country, greatly esteemed for its delicate flavour. Recreational fishermen
in Japan also take the species often, especially in summer, with the species relatively easy to access from land based fishing areas. Many studies have been carried out on the breeding of the species in captivity, which has led to the development of an aquaculture
market for Japanese whiting.
In other countries where other sillaginids are more prevalent, Japanese whiting are caught as a byproduct of smaller inshore fisheries, usually alongside other species of Sillago.
Marine (ocean)
Marine is an umbrella term. As an adjective it is usually applicable to things relating to the sea or ocean, such as marine biology, marine ecology and marine geology...
fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
belonging to the smelt-whiting family, Sillaginidae
Sillaginidae
The Sillaginidae, commonly known as the smelt-whitings, whitings, sillaginids, sand borers and sand-smelts, are a family of benthic coastal marine fishes in the order Perciformes. The smelt-whitings inhabit a wide region covering much of the Indo-Pacific, from the west coast of Africa east to Japan...
. As suggested by its name, the Japanese whiting was first recorded from Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in 1843, but has subsequently been found to extend to Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
.
The species inhabits a variety of shallow water habitats where it preys on a variety of crustacean
Crustacean
Crustaceans form a very large group of arthropods, usually treated as a subphylum, which includes such familiar animals as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles. The 50,000 described species range in size from Stygotantulus stocki at , to the Japanese spider crab with a leg span...
s as well as polychaete
Polychaete
The Polychaeta or polychaetes are a class of annelid worms, generally marine. Each body segment has a pair of fleshy protrusions called parapodia that bear many bristles, called chaetae, which are made of chitin. Indeed, polychaetes are sometimes referred to as bristle worms. More than 10,000...
s, bivalves and small fish. They spawn
Spawn (biology)
Spawn refers to the eggs and sperm released or deposited, usually into water, by aquatic animals. As a verb, spawn refers to the process of releasing the eggs and sperm, also called spawning...
between June and October, and are taken in large quantities during this period by fishermen. Being one of the most abundant species of fish around Japan, they make up a large percentage of the commercial catch.
Taxonomy and naming
The Japanese whiting is one of 29 speciesSpecies
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
in the genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Sillago
Sillago
Sillago is one of three genera in the family Sillaginidae containing the smelt-whitings, and contains 29 species, making Sillago the only non-monotypic genus in the family. Distinguishing among Sillago species can be difficult, with many similar in appearance and colour, forcing the use of swim...
, which is one of three divisions of the smelt whiting family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Sillaginidae
Sillaginidae
The Sillaginidae, commonly known as the smelt-whitings, whitings, sillaginids, sand borers and sand-smelts, are a family of benthic coastal marine fishes in the order Perciformes. The smelt-whitings inhabit a wide region covering much of the Indo-Pacific, from the west coast of Africa east to Japan...
. The smelt-whitings are Perciformes
Perciformes
The Perciformes, also called the Percomorphi or Acanthopteri, is one of the largest orders of vertebrates, containing about 40% of all bony fish. Perciformes means perch-like. They belong to the class of ray-finned fish and comprise over 7,000 species found in almost all aquatic environments...
in the suborder Percoidea
Percoidea
Percoidea is a superfamily of fish of the order Perciformes....
.
The species was first recognized and scientifically described
International Code of Zoological Nomenclature
The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature is a widely accepted convention in zoology that rules the formal scientific naming of organisms treated as animals...
by Temminck and Schlegel in 1843 based on a holotype
Holotype
A holotype is a single physical example of an organism, known to have been used when the species was formally described. It is either the single such physical example or one of several such, but explicitly designated as the holotype...
taken somewhere along the Japanese coast. The species has often been mistaken for Sillago sihama, and erroneously been published under this name by a number of author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
s, the first being Steindachner and Döderlein in 1885. Studies into various aspects of the Japanese whiting's biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
have also been incorrectly named as studies on S. sihama.
The binomial and common name
Common name
A common name of a taxon or organism is a name in general use within a community; it is often contrasted with the scientific name for the same organism...
of the species refers to the country
Country
A country is a region legally identified as a distinct entity in political geography. A country may be an independent sovereign state or one that is occupied by another state, as a non-sovereign or formerly sovereign political division, or a geographic region associated with a previously...
where the species was first described from; Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, although its range has subsequently found to be much wider than just Japan. The species is locally known as Shiro-gisu in Japan and Chin-Sa-Suo in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
.
Description
As with most of the genus Sillago, the Japanese whiting has a slightly compressed, elongate body tapering toward the terminal mouth. The body is covered in small ctenoid scalesScale (zoology)
In most biological nomenclature, a scale is a small rigid plate that grows out of an animal's skin to provide protection. In lepidopteran species, scales are plates on the surface of the insect wing, and provide coloration...
extending to the two rows of cheek
Cheek
Cheeks constitute the area of the face below the eyes and between the nose and the left or right ear. They may also be referred to as jowls. "Buccal" means relating to the cheek. In humans, the region is innervated by the buccal nerve...
scales and head. The first dorsal fin
Dorsal fin
A dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of various unrelated marine and freshwater vertebrates, including most fishes, marine mammals , and the ichthyosaurs...
has 11 spines and the second dorsal fin has 1 leading spine with 21 to 23 soft rays posterior. The anal fin is similar to the second dorsal fin, but has 2 spines with 22 to 24 soft rays posterior to the spines. Other distinguishing features include 70 to 73 lateral line
Lateral line
The lateral line is a sense organ in aquatic organisms , used to detect movement and vibration in the surrounding water. Lateral lines are usually visible as faint lines running lengthwise down each side, from the vicinity of the gill covers to the base of the tail...
scales and a total of 35 vertebrae. The species has a known maximum length of over 30 cm.
Like all species of sillaginid, the swim bladder is the most dependable diagnostic feature. Japanese whiting have a swim bladder characterised by a single, long posterior extension which tapers to a slender point. The anterior end of the organ has three long median projections, with the central extension the longest.
The colour of the fish is a greenish grey above with the dorsal region of the head
Head
In anatomy, the head of an animal is the rostral part that usually comprises the brain, eyes, ears, nose and mouth . Some very simple animals may not have a head, but many bilaterally symmetric forms do....
darker and whitish on the underside of the fish. The anterior and posterior dorsal fins are hyaline
Hyaline
The term hyaline denotes a substance with a glass-like appearance.-Histopathology:In histopathological medical usage, a hyaline substance appears glassy and pink after being stained with haematoxylin and eosin — usually it is an acellular, proteinaceous material...
, with the first few membranes of the spinous dorsal fin dusted in tiny brown spots. The anal, ventral and pectoral fins are also hyaline, with the pectoral having a greenish upper margin and base. The caudal fin is whitish with dark margins.
Distribution and habitat
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
where it was first described, west toward Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, possibly extending as far south as the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. The species is not only the most common sillaginid of Japan, but is one of the most common coast
Coast
A coastline or seashore is the area where land meets the sea or ocean. A precise line that can be called a coastline cannot be determined due to the dynamic nature of tides. The term "coastal zone" can be used instead, which is a spatial zone where interaction of the sea and land processes occurs...
al species of any family, often making up a significant proportion of shallow water samples.
S. japonica occurs in a variety of habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
s, with shallow sand
Sand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
y flats in bay
Bay
A bay is an area of water mostly surrounded by land. Bays generally have calmer waters than the surrounding sea, due to the surrounding land blocking some waves and often reducing winds. Bays also exist as an inlet in a lake or pond. A large bay may be called a gulf, a sea, a sound, or a bight...
s, surf
Breaking wave
In fluid dynamics, a breaking wave is a wave whose amplitude reaches a critical level at which some process can suddenly start to occur that causes large amounts of wave energy to be transformed into turbulent kinetic energy...
zones of beaches, protected eelgrass
Zostera
Zostera is a small genus of widely distributed seagrass, commonly called marine eelgrass or simply eelgrass . The genus Zostera contains sixteen species.-Ecology:Zostera is found on sandy substrates or in estuaries submerged or partially floating...
seabeds and occasionally estuaries used by the species. They are a shallow water species, operating in depths between 0 and 30 m. Juveniles tend to use eelgrass beds as a nursery area, gaining both food and protection from these habitats while adults move to more exposed areas.
Biology
Like other sillaginids, the Japanese whiting is benthic in nature, inhabiting the bottom layer of water in a marineMarine (ocean)
Marine is an umbrella term. As an adjective it is usually applicable to things relating to the sea or ocean, such as marine biology, marine ecology and marine geology...
system. This is due to the benthic nature of their prey during the daytime, which inhabit these layers of weaker water flow preferentially due to their body shape. Japanese whiting are a schooling
Shoaling and schooling
In biology, any group of fish that stay together for social reasons are said to be shoaling , and if, in addition, the group is swimming in the same direction in a coordinated manner, they are said to be schooling . In common usage, the terms are sometimes used rather loosely...
species like most other sillaginids, and similarly are able to burrow into the sand to escape predators or forage for prey.
Diet
Studies of Japanese whiting occupying surf zones show that there is a distinct shift in dietDiet (nutrition)
In nutrition, diet is the sum of food consumed by a person or other organism. Dietary habits are the habitual decisions an individual or culture makes when choosing what foods to eat. With the word diet, it is often implied the use of specific intake of nutrition for health or weight-management...
as fish mature, with the change occurring at a length of around 20 mm. Young fish tended to consume a higher proportion of calanoid copepod
Copepod
Copepods are a group of small crustaceans found in the sea and nearly every freshwater habitat. Some species are planktonic , some are benthic , and some continental species may live in limno-terrestrial habitats and other wet terrestrial places, such as swamps, under leaf fall in wet forests,...
s, with small amounts of mysids also taken. Older fish take substantially more mysids, with few copepods or polychaetes taken. Other studies have found amphipods, bivalves, caridean shrimp
Shrimp
Shrimp are swimming, decapod crustaceans classified in the infraorder Caridea, found widely around the world in both fresh and salt water. Adult shrimp are filter feeding benthic animals living close to the bottom. They can live in schools and can swim rapidly backwards. Shrimp are an important...
s, crab
Crab
True crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" , or where the reduced abdomen is entirely hidden under the thorax...
s and small fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
also contribute to the diets of S. japonica in some areas, helping to reduce interspecific competition
Interspecific competition
Interspecific competition, in ecology, is a form of competition in which individuals of different species compete for the same resource in an ecosystem...
locally. In most all diet surveys, there is a shift in diet as size increases, probably to avoid intraspecific competition
Intraspecific competition
Intraspecific competition is a particular form of competition in which members of the same species vie for the same resource in an ecosystem...
. Season
Season
A season is a division of the year, marked by changes in weather, ecology, and hours of daylight.Seasons result from the yearly revolution of the Earth around the Sun and the tilt of the Earth's axis relative to the plane of revolution...
al changes associated with prey abundance are also observed.
Reproduction
Japanese whiting produce between 13,600 to 68,900 egg in a spawningSpawn (biology)
Spawn refers to the eggs and sperm released or deposited, usually into water, by aquatic animals. As a verb, spawn refers to the process of releasing the eggs and sperm, also called spawning...
period, which occurs between June and October. The larval development has been extensively described by Oozeki et al., who described ten stages in the morphological and histological development of the species. Juveniles inhabit protected areas such as shallow bays and seagrass beds. The species becomes sexually mature by 2 years for both sexes, living to at least 4 years of age and reaching more than 30 cm in length.
Relationship to humans
Being one of the most common inshore species in Japan, it has become one of the most important commercialCommerce
While business refers to the value-creating activities of an organization for profit, commerce means the whole system of an economy that constitutes an environment for business. The system includes legal, economic, political, social, cultural, and technological systems that are in operation in any...
species in the country, greatly esteemed for its delicate flavour. Recreational fishermen
Angling
Angling is a method of fishing by means of an "angle" . The hook is usually attached to a fishing line and the line is often attached to a fishing rod. Fishing rods are usually fitted with a fishing reel that functions as a mechanism for storing, retrieving and paying out the line. The hook itself...
in Japan also take the species often, especially in summer, with the species relatively easy to access from land based fishing areas. Many studies have been carried out on the breeding of the species in captivity, which has led to the development of an aquaculture
Aquaculture
Aquaculture, also known as aquafarming, is the farming of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, molluscs and aquatic plants. Aquaculture involves cultivating freshwater and saltwater populations under controlled conditions, and can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is the...
market for Japanese whiting.
In other countries where other sillaginids are more prevalent, Japanese whiting are caught as a byproduct of smaller inshore fisheries, usually alongside other species of Sillago.