Monodactylus argenteus

Monodactylus argenteus is a species of fish in the family Monodactylidae, the moonyfishes. Its common names include silver moonyfish, or silver moony,[1] butter bream, and diamondfish.[2] It is native to the western Pacific and Indian Oceans, including the Persian Gulf, Red Sea, and associated estuaries, such as the Mekong Delta.[1]

Monodactylus argenteus
Monodactylus argenteus, commonly known as the silver moony,Mono angel

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Actinopterygii
Order:
Perciformes
Family:
Monodactylidae
Genus:
Monodactylus
Species:
M. argenteus
Binomial name
Monodactylus argenteus
Synonyms
  • Chaetodon argenteus Linnaeus, 1758
  • Psettus argenteus (Linnaeus, 1758)
  • Scomber rhombeus Forsskål, 1775
  • Psettus rhombeus (Forsskål, 1775)

This species reaches a maximum length of about 27 centimeters. It is bright shiny silver with yellowish edges to the fins.[1] The dorsal and anal fins have black tips.[2] Juveniles have more yellow coloration[1] and are distinguished by two vertical black bands.[3]

A school of silver moony fish swimming above corals off the coast of Madagascar.

This species occurs in a wide variety of habitat types, including the open ocean, brackish waters, and the freshwater habitat of rivers.[1] In Australia it can be found in harbors and estuaries around piers.[2] Its ability to survive in a wide range of salinities makes it a model organism in the study of salinity tolerance.[3][4] Juveniles are especially tolerant to salinity changes, easily maintaining homeostasis in variable environments such as estuaries.[3]

Although the silver moony displays territorial behavior,[1] the species can be kept in saltwater aquaria and is easy to rear in captivity.[4] It can remain solitary or form schools. It is a detritivore and planktivore.

The myxozoan parasite Kudoa monodactyli was first described from and named after this fish.[5]

References
  1. Froese, R. and D. Pauly, Editors. Monodactylus argenteus. FishBase. 2017.
  2. Monodactylus argenteus. Fishes of Australia.
  3. Kang, C., et al. (2012). Effects of low environmental salinity on the cellular profiles and expression of Na, K-ATPase and Na, K, 2Cl 2 cotransporter 1 of branchial mitochondrion-rich cells in the juvenile marine fish Monodactylus argenteus. Fish Physiol Biochem 38 665-678.
  4. Yang, S., et al. (2015) Comparisons of two types of teleostean pseudobranchs, silver moony (Monodactylus argenteus) and tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus), with salinity‑dependent morphology and ion transporter expression. J Comp Physiol B185 677-693.
  5. Gunter, N. L., et al. (2006). Characterization of Kudoa monodactyli n. sp.(Myxosporea: Multivalvulida) from the muscle of Monodactylus argenteus (Teleostei: Monodactylidae) from Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia. The Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology 53(5), 374.
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