Pinecone fishes and pineapple fishes are the common names for the members of Monocentridae family. They are recognized by their rounded, compressed and yellow colour body, greatly enlarged free spines in dorsal or pelvic fins, and greatly enlarged and plate-like scales.
Pinecone fishes are found in the Indian and Pacific oceans. They are demersal fishes occurring in school from the depth of 3 m to about 300 m. They are nocturnal fishes, feeding on zooplankton.
There are 2 genera and about 4 species worldwide.
|
Scientific Name: Monocentris japonica (Houttuyn, 1782) English Name: Pineconefish, Japanese Pineapplefish Mandarin Name | 鱼类中文名: 松球鱼 (Sōng qiú yú) Local Malay Name: Ikan Nenas, Ikan Jepun, Setonggang Thai Name | ชื่อสามัญภาษาไทย: ปลาสับปะรด (Plā s̄ạbpard) Main Identification Features: Body except for caudal peduncle armored with large scales (scutes). Scales are non-overlapping, plates with central keel and posterior spine. Yellow with black between scale plates. Lower jaw black. Light-producing organs filled with luminescent bacteria on each side of the lower jaw. Size: Maximum total length 17 cm. Habitat and Ecology: Inhabits coral and rocky reefs, 20 to 250 m depth. A nocturnal species, found in schools during the day in caves and under ledges. Disperses at night to hunt for food over sandy bottoms of rocky reefs. Feeds mainly on crustaceans. 
|