Pterocaesio pisang is a bait of major importance for tuna fishery in the Maldives, and fusiliers are used as live bait most frequently during the northeast monsoon season. Fusiliers have previously been recorded under the family Caesionidae.
Details
§ 01
size
Common to 10 cm; max. 21 cm
color
Dark red to silvery, paler ventrally. Lateral line darker than the background colouration. No stripes or bands on sides. Snout often yellowish. Tips of caudal lobes dark red to black.
This species is found in coastal waters and on coral and rocky reefs. It is a schooling fish, meaning it tends to form groups with other members of the same species, and sometimes forms groups with other species of the same genus. It feeds on zooplankton in midwater aggregations, which are groups of animals that live in the water column.
distinctive characters
The dorsal fin has 10 spines and 15 (sometimes 14 or 16) rays, the anal fin has 3 spines and 12 (sometimes 11 or 13) rays, and the pectoral fin has 18-20 rays. The body is fusiform, elongate, and compressed, with a depth of 3.8-4.2 in standard length, and the bases of the dorsal and anal fins are covered with scales.