A New Fish Record in the Yangtze Estuary: Slender Mandarinfish <I>Siniperca roulei</I>

Abstract

A new recorded fish (Siniperca roulei) of the Yangtze estuary and Shanghai district was collected at the west end of Chongming Island in the survey on the intertidal fishes in May. 2008. It belongs to Family Serranidae of Order Perciformes. Its main features were described as the following: body slim and long, nearly tubby; head long and a little flat, and proboscis sharp; oral fissure big, the mandible apparent protruding, and the upper jaw outstretch to the area under the eye; ten thin sawteeth and two declining spurs at the rear edge and the ventrolateral edge of the front operculum, respectively; one flat spine at the back-end of the operculum with one short spine at its up-end; body tawny and some anomalistic macula and dark spots on the head and both sides of the body. Owing to the overfishing and water pollution, the resource amount of the fish has decreased sharply in recent decades. It has been listed in China Red Book of Endangered Animals. Currently, very few studies on this fish species have been carried out, especially those on their breeding. feeding and growing characteristics are even scare. Hence, it is extremely urgent to carry out the study and conservation on this species.