LUTJANIDAE


Pinjalo pinjalo, 11.6 cm SL
(photo by Seishi Kimura)


Pinjalo pinjalo
(Bleeker, 1850)
Pinjalo

D XI 14-15; A III, 9-10; P1 17-19; LLp 48-51; GR 6-8 + 16-18.

Body moderately deep, laterally compressed. Dorsal profile of head convex. Interorbital region strongly convex. Vomerine tooth patch triangular or chevron-shaped. Dorsal fin continuous without a notch between spinous and soft portions. Caudal fin deeply emarginated. Color: body mostly pink to silvery lavender dorsally, shading to pale pink or silvery white ventrally, with diagonal yellowish brown to brown red lines following scale rows on nape and dorsal one-half to two-thirds of body. Size: maximum standard length at least 45 cm. Distribution: Widely distributed in the Indo-West Pacific from Persian Gulf to western Pacific, limited from southern Indonesia to Taiwan. Remarks: inhabiting in coastal reefs and rocky bottoms at depths <50 m. Feeds on small fishes and benthic organisms. Caught by handlines or bottom trawls. Marketed. (Yukio Iwatsuki)