Family Nemipteridae

1. Family Nemipteridae
• Valid Scientific name: Nemipteridae
• Synonyms: Pentapodidae
• Common name(s): Breams
• Local name(s): Threadfin breams [English], Geretak Lanta [Malay], False Snappers [English],
Bisugo [Filipino]

2. Distinguishing Group Traits

The family Nemipteridae is comprised of 5 genera and 71 species. Their bodies are deep or
moderately compressed. The dorsal fin is continuous comprised of 10 spines and 9 rays while the anal
fin has 3 spines and 7 soft rays. The caudal fin may be falcate, lunate, emarginate, or forked, depending
on the species. The mouth is terminal with conical teeth in the jaws. The palatine and vomer of Breams
lack teeth. The pelvic keels are well developed and possess an intercalar. They are usually pinkish or
reddish in color but may also occur in yellow, red, and blue markings. Their reproductive guild is
nonguarders. They are found in rubble, sand, or mud near areas with coral reefs (Russell, n.d.).

3. Ecology
Breams are carnivorous fishes that feed mainly on smaller benthic fishes, plankton,
crustaceans, cephalopods and polychaetes (FishBase, 2012). Some species are specifically important
in the ecosystem because they feed on algae that may otherwise smother corals. Several species from
the genus Nemipterus including N. mesoprion, N. hexodon, N. nemurus, N. nematophorus, N.
tambuloides, N. peronii, N. furcosus and Scolopsis taeniopterus were found to be specifically predators
of fishes and shrimps with the help of their adaptive structures for feeding. They are also food for
larger fishes and marine organisms (Mithun, 2018).

4. Distribution (Spatial)

Figure 1. Spatial distribution of species under Family Nemipteridae [A. Recorded from 1817-2000, B.
Probably present as of May 2022] (GBIF,2021)
5. Diet
Breams are a group of carnivorous fishes. Their diet is mainly composed of small fishes,
crustaceans, cephalopods, worms, and prawns. Other species are planktivores that feed on
phytoplankton, zooplankton, and other planktonic food. Few species eat seaweed, like the black sea
bream. Moreover, breams have different adaptive structures and strategies made especially for their
feeding mechanism (Hoogenboezem, 2000).
6. Reproduction
Nemipterids are nonguarders. The spawning seasonality differs between species and where
the species are located. The spawning process may be protracted wherein females have mature ova
for a longer period of time. The male breams then fertilize the eggs externally before hatching into
juveniles. The males develop faster, so they appear larger than the females (Robertson, 1996).

7. Philippine Representatives

https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/904 https://tinyurl.com/yc6vvxun https://www.flickr.com/photos/johnwturnbull/51285958792

Parascolopsis inermis Pentapodus paradiseus Scolopsis monogramma

Unarmed dwarf monocle bream Paradise whiptail Monogrammed monocle bream
Occurrence in the Philippines: Occurrence in the Philippines: Occurrence in the Philippines:
Native Native Native
8. Environment
Representatives of the family Nemipteridae are distributed in the tropical and sub-tropical
areas of the Indo-West Pacific Ocean. They are present in marine and brackish environments. There
are no freshwater representatives. They have been observed in depths up to 300meters, but most
species are found in mud and sand bottoms of shallower waters (Bray, 2019).
9. Most recent studies

10. Trivia
Scaevius is a monotypic genus
There is only one species under the genus Scaevius which is the Scaevius milii. It is commonly known
as the green-striped coral bream. The scales of this species do not reach eye level and is native to the
Western Pacific Ocean (WoRMS, 2008).
They are also sold as fishballs
Although not the best quality fishballs, Nemipterids considered trash fish by fishermen are made into
fishballs. Other uses of trash nemipterids include surimi, fish cakes, and even as animal feed.
Generally, they are among the top 5 important catch species (Russell, n.d.).
The brain of Breams also age
Sparus aurata or the Gilthead bream was studied by Falcon et al. (1996) for age-related changes in the
different binding sites of its brain and it was found that as breams through the years, the affinity for
binding is reduced and is also affected by the light/dark cycle.