Systematic position
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Order: Perciformes (Perchs)
Family: Scatophagidae (Butter fishes)
Genus: Scatophagus
Species: S. argus
Synonyms
Chaetodon argus Linnaeus, 1766
Chaetodon atromaculatus Bennett, 1830
Chaetodon pairatalis Hamilton, 1822
Ephippus argus (Linnaeus, 1766)
Scatophagus aetatevarians De Vis, 1884
Scatophagus argus argus (Linnaeus, 1766)
Scatophagus argus ocellata Klunzinger, 1880
Scatophagus bougainvillii Cuvier, 1831
Scatophagus maculatus Gronow, 1854
Scatophagus ornatus Cuvier, 1831
Scatophagus purpurascens Cuvier, 1831
Scatophagus quadranus De Vis, 1884
Common/local names
ENglish: Spotted scat
Bangladesh: Bistara (বিশতারা) and Chitra (চিত্রা)
Distributions: Bangladesh. Also India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Combodia, Malaysia, Indonesia, China and Australia (IUCN Bangladesh, 2000).
Conservation status: Endangered in Bangladesh due to habitat degradation (IUCN Bangladesh, 2000).
Morphology: Body deeply compressed. With small non-protractile mouth and arched lateral line. Body with minute ctenoid scales. Body with round black spots. Variable body color; greenish-silvery or bluish-silver or coffee brown above and silvery below.
Fin formula: D. X I/16-17; P1. 17-18; P2; I/5; A. IV/14-16 (Rahman, 1989; IUCN Bangladesh, 2000)
Maximum length: Maximum length reported 35 cm (Huda et al., 2003), 30 cm (IUCN Bangladesh, 2000) and 10.4 cm (Rahman, 1989).
Habitat: Bay of Bengal, estuaries and tidal rivers (Rahman, 1989) as well as mangrove (IUCN Bangladesh, 2000).
Breeding: Breed in the sea, young migrate to freshwater and estuaries and return to sea when old enough (IUCN Bangladesh, 2000). Larval Tholichthys stage present in life cycle in which a bony-armor and nape is developed (IUCN Bangladesh, 2000).
Economics importance: Used as both food fish and ornamental fish in Bangladesh.
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References
Bennett JW. 1830. A selection from the most remarkable and interesting fishes found on the coast of Ceylon. London. A selection from the most remarkable and interesting fishes found on the coast of Ceylon. First Edition: i-viii + 30 unnumbered pp., Pls. 1-30.
Cuvier G and Valenciennes A. 1831. Histoire naturelle des poissons. Tome septième. Livre septième. Des Squamipennes. Livre huitième. Des poissons à pharyngiens labyrinthiformes. Histoire naturelle des poissons. v. 7: i-xxix + 1-531, Pls. 170-208.
De Vis CW. 1884. New Australian fishes in the Queensland Museum. Part II. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales v. 9 (pt 3): 453-462.
Gray JE (Gronow). 1854. Catalogue of fish collected and described by Laurence Theodore Gronow, now in the British Museum. London. Catalogue of fish collected and described by Laurence Theodore Gronow, now in the British Museum.: i-vii + 1-196.
Hamilton F. 1822 An account of the fishes found in the river Ganges and its branches. Edinburgh & London. An account of the fishes found in the river Ganges and its branches.: i-vii + 1-405, Pls. 1-39.
Huda MS, Haque ME, Babul AS and Shil NC (ed.). 2003. Field guide to finfishes of Sundarban, Aquatic resources division, Sundarban, Boyra, Khulna, Bangladesh, p. 165.
IUCN Bangladesh. 2000. Red book of threatened fishes of Bangladesh, IUCN- The world conservation union. xii+116 pp.
Klunzinger CB. 1880 Die von Müller’sche Sammlung australischer Fische in Stuttgart. Sitzungsberichte der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften. Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Classe v. 80 (1. Abth.) (nos. 3-4): 325-430, Pls. 1-9.
Linnaeus C. 1766. Systema naturae sive regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Laurentii Salvii, Holmiae. 12th ed. Systema naturae sive regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Laurentii Salvii, Holmiae. 12th ed. v. 1 (pt 1): 1-532.
Rahman AKA. 1989. Freshwater Fishes of Bangladesh, 1st edition, Zoological Society of Bangladesh, Department of Zoology, University of Dhaka, Dhaka-1000, pp. 322-323.
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