Leiognathidae

views updated

Leiognathidae (pony-fish, slipmouth; subclass Actinopterygii, order Perciformes) A small family of marine fish that have an oblong and strongly compressed body, large eyes, a small, highly protrusible mouth, and long dorsal and anal fins covering at least half of the dorsal and ventral profiles. When handled, the skin may produce a soapy mucus. Pony-fish are fairly small, Leiognathus equula (common pony-fish) of the Indo-Australian region growing to a length of 25 cm. There are about 18 species, frequenting coastal waters of the Indo-Pacific region.