Meet the Striking Spotted Sicklefish

Drepane punctata, commonly known by names such as butterfish, concertinafish, jetto, peppercorn, sickle-fish, silver moonfish, spotted batfish, spotted sicklefish, sicklefish, and spotted spadefish, is a ray-finned fish belonging to the family Drepaneidae, commonly known as the sicklefishes. Its natural distribution extends throughout the Indo-Pacific region.

Appearance

Drepane punctata has a strongly compressed, oval-shaped body, with the body depth exceeding its standard length. The snout has either a straight or slightly concave outline. The snout, cheeks, and preoperculum are without scales, while the lower margin of the preoperculum has a serrated edge.

A fringe of small cirrhi is present on the chin. The mouth is highly protrusible and, when extended, creates a tube that points downward. The jaws contain bands of slender, pointed teeth, while the roof of the mouth has no teeth.

The dorsal fin contains between 8 and 10 spines, with 9 being the usual number, followed by 20 to 22 soft rays. The anal fin is equipped with 3 spines and between 16 and 19 soft rays. In larger adults, the caudal fin is rounded to nearly truncate in shape.

The pectoral fins are elongated and distinctly sickle-shaped, reaching backward as far as the caudal peduncle. A noticeable bump or bony knob is located between the eyes.

The head and body are generally silvery in color, with between 5 and 10 rows of black spots arranged in vertical series across the upper portion of the body. The fins have a dusky yellow coloration. The dorsal and caudal fins become darker toward their outer margins, and they feature two or three horizontal rows of dark spots. Each spot occurs on an individual section of membrane between the soft rays.

The maximum published total length for this species is 50 cm (20 in), although individuals measuring around 25 cm (9.8 in) are more commonly encountered.