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Chanos chanos  (Forsskål, 1775)

Milkfish
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Native range | Year 2100
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Chanos chanos
Picture by Randall, J.E.

Taiwan country information

Common names: [No common name]
Occurrence: native
Salinity: brackish
Abundance: | Ref:
Importance: highly commercial | Ref: FAO, 2000
Aquaculture: commercial | Ref: FAO, 1997
Regulations: | Ref:
Uses: no uses
Comments: Known from northern (Tung-hsiao, Tai-chung and Chang-hwa) and southern (Erh-jen-shi) Taiwan (Ref. 43515) and from Green Island (Ref. 48451). Collected from mangrove creeks in southwestern Taiwan (Pu-Tai, Pei-Men, and Syh-Tsao) (Ref. 48455). The first successful larviculture in Taiwan occurred in 1978 (Ref. 40297). Also Ref. 49, 36073, 55073.
National Checklist: Taiwan
Country Information: httpss://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/tw.html
National Fisheries Authority:
Occurrences: Occurrences Point map
Main Ref: Shen, S.C. (ed.), 1993
National Database: The Fish Database of Taiwan

Classification / Names

Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) > Gonorynchiformes (Milkfish) > Chanidae (Milkfish)
Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL

Common names from other countries

Ханос (=молочная рыба), 虱目鱼(遮目鱼), Chano, ... more

Main reference

Bagarinao, T. 1994. (Ref. 9814)
 References | Biblio | Coordinator | Collaborators

Size / Weight / Age

Max length : 180 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 9710); 124.0 cm SL (female); common length : 100.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 9814); max. published weight: 14.0 kg (Ref. 9814); max. reported age: 15 years (Ref. 9814)

Length at first maturity
 Lm 91.8, range 68 - 70 cm

Environment

Marine; freshwater; brackish; benthopelagic; amphidromous (Ref. 51243); depth range 1 - 30 m (Ref. 6898), usually ? - 15 m (Ref. 89972)

Climate / Range

Tropical; 15°C - 43°C (Ref. 43081), preferred 26°C (Ref. 107945); 46°N - 52°S, 19°E - 77°W

Distribution

Indo-Pacific: along continental shelves and around islands, where temperatures are greater than 20°C. Red Sea and South Africa to Hawaii and the Marquesas, north to Japan, south to Victoria, Australia. Eastern Pacific: San Pedro, California to the Galapagos.
 Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions

Short description

Dorsal spines (total): 2; Dorsal soft rays (total): 13-17; Anal spines: 2; Anal soft rays: 8 - 10; Vertebrae: 46. This species is characterized by the following: body elongate and somewhat compressed; mouth small and toothless; branchiostegal rays 4; one dorsal fin; pectoral fins falcate; body olive green; flanks silvery; fins dark bordered (Ref. 55763). Superficially resembles bonefishes but by evolution more advanced by having 4 branchiostegal rays (Ref. 1602); jaws toothless (Ref. 12693); with 31 caudal fin rays (Ref. 50686).

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Found in offshore marine waters and shallow coastal embayments, but also frequently enter estuaries and occasionally penetrate freshwater streams (Ref. 44894). A marine species which enters estuaries and rivers (Ref. 52331). Adults occur in small to large schools near the coasts or around islands where reefs are well developed. Eggs and larvae are pelagic up to 2-3 weeks. Older larvae migrate onshore and settle in coastal wetlands (mangroves, estuaries) during the juvenile stage, or occasionally enter freshwater lakes. Juveniles and sub-adults return to sea where they mature sexually. Spawn only in fully saline water. Larvae eat zooplankton; juveniles and adults eat cyanobacteria, soft algae, small benthic invertebrates, and even pelagic fish eggs and larvae. Larvae are collected from rivers and are grown in culture ponds into juveniles, which are marketed fresh, smoked, canned or frozen. Brood stocks can be raised and spawned in captivity to produce larvae in the hatchery (Ref. 12868). Can thrive and grow in water as hot as 32° C (Ref. 9987).

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 115185)

  Not Evaluated 

Threat to humans

  Harmless



Human uses

Fisheries: highly commercial; aquaculture: commercial; gamefish: yes; bait: usually

Tools

Bio-Quiz | E-book | Field guide | Length-frequency wizard | Life-history tool | Point map | Classification Tree

Special reports

Check for Aquarium maintenance | Check for Species Fact Sheets | Check for Aquaculture Fact Sheets

Download XML

Summary page | Point data | Common names | Photos

Internet sources

Alien/Invasive Species database | BHL | BOLDSystems | Check for other websites | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | FAO(Aquaculture: production, species profile; fisheries: production; publication : search) | GenBank(genome, nucleotide) | GOBASE | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | iSpecies | National databases | Public aquariums | PubMed | RFE Identification | Scirus | Sea Around Us | SeaLifeBase | Tree of Life | uBio | uBio RSS | Wikipedia(Go, Search) | World Records Freshwater Fishing | Zoological Record | Fishtrace

Estimates of some properties based on models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82805)
 PD50 = 1.5000 many relatives (e.g. carps) 0.5 - 2.0 few relatives (e.g. lungfishes)

Trophic Level (Ref. 69278)
 2.4   ±0.20 se; Based on food items.

Resilience (Ref. 69278)
 Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (tm=4-8; tmax=15; Fec=200,000)

Vulnerability (Ref. 59153)
 Very high vulnerability (76 of 100)
Price category (Ref. 80766)
 Unknown