Author: (Bloch, 1790)
Pelates quadrilineatus (Bloch, 1790)
Status in World Register of Marine Species:
Accepted name: Pelates quadrilineatus (Bloch, 1790) (updated 2009-06-25)
Diagnosis: body moderately deep, compressed. Opercular flap limited to edge of bony opercle, without projecting lobe; 2 short opercular spines. Post-temporal unexposed, non-serrate. Gill membrane joined to isthmus. Jaws sub-equal, gape oblique; front row of teeth enlarged, flattened, brown tipped; 1 additional row of teeth in upper jaw and 2 in lower jaw. Gillrakers 22-27 lower, 16- 18 upper. D XII-XIII + 9-11, penultimate spine almost as long as ultimate; A III + 9-10. Lateral line scales 66 75. Vertebrae 25. Colour: 5 or 6 longitudinal stripes, none on caudal fin. Size: to 15 cm SL, usually 8-12 cm.
Habitat: coastal waters up to depths of 20 m. Food: small invertebrates. Reproduction: summer months.
Distribution: Israel, Lebanon and Mediterranean coast of Sinai (Lourie and Ben-Tuvia, 1970; Mouneimne, 1977). A Suez Canal immigrant, distributed widely in the western Indo-Pacific, from Red Sea and east coast of Africa to Australia, New Guinea and north to China and Japan.
Eggs, larvae and young stages. No data.
Otoliths (sagitta). No data.