Teleostei (teleosts) >
Beloniformes (Needle fishes) >
Zenarchopteridae (Internally fertilized halfbeaks)
Etymology: Zenarchopterus: Particle zen, derived from zao = to give life + Greek, archos = anus + Greek, pteron = fin.
Eponymy: Count Georges Louis Leclerc de Buffon (1707–1788) is one of the giants of zoology and widely written about, hence the brevity of this entry. [...] (Ref. 128868), visit book page.
More on author: Valenciennes.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; brackish; reef-associated; depth range 0 - ? m. Tropical
Indo-West Pacific: India, Malay Peninsula, East Indies, Philippines, Hainan Island in China, Taiwan, New Guinea and northern Australia (Ref. 10943). Known from the lower Mekong (Ref. 12693).
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?, range 10 - ? cm
Max length : 23.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 7050)
Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 11 - 12; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 10 - 13. This species is distinguished by the following characters: upper jaw distinctly wider than long; width divided by length 1.05-1.35; sixth anal fin ray of adult males much thickened and enlarged, not reaching base of caudal fin; fourth to seventh dorsal rays of adult males slightly elongate; a prominent dark brown stripe along the midline of the snout.
Body shape (shape guide): elongated.
Found at the surface levels in coastal waters, estuaries and rivers. Feeds on terrestrial insects. Not seen in markets (Ref. 12693).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Ovoviviparous.
Collette, B.B. and J. Su, 1986. The halfbeaks (Pisces, Beloniformes, Hemiramphidae) of the Far East. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 138(1):250-301. (Ref. 10943)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: subsistence fisheries
Tools
Special reports
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Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref.
123201): 25 - 29.1, mean 28.3 °C (based on 1204 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00550 (0.00278 - 0.01086), b=3.06 (2.88 - 3.24), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this species & (Sub)family-body (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 2.5 ±0.50 se; based on food items.
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (13 of 100).
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Nutrients (Ref.
124155): Calcium = 156 [55, 312] mg/100g; Iron = 0.866 [0.377, 1.936] mg/100g; Protein = 17.2 [15.0, 19.2] %; Omega3 = 0.101 [0.042, 0.295] g/100g; Selenium = 20.6 [9.1, 48.6] μg/100g; VitaminA = 124 [29, 530] μg/100g; Zinc = 2.14 [1.33, 3.44] mg/100g (wet weight);
![Image of Zenarchopterus buffonis (Buffon\](/images/thumbnails/gif/tn_Zebuf_u0.gif "Image of Zenarchopterus buffonis (Buffon\")
