The dark-banded fusilier (Pterocaesio tile), also known as blue-streak fusilier, bluedash fusilier, or neon fusilier, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a fusilier belonging to the familyCaesionidae. It has a wide Indo-West Pacific range. It is of some importance to fisheries within its range.
The dark banded fusilier has a fusiform, elongated and compressed body. There are small conical teeth in the jaws and on the vomer and palatines.[5] The dorsal fin contains 10–12 spines and 19–22 soft rays, while the anal fin has three spines and 13 soft rays.[2] There are scales on both the dorsal and anal fins. There are 22–24 rays in the pectoral fins.[5] This species attains a maximum total length of 30 cm (12 in), although a standard length of 21.2 cm (8.3 in) is more typical.[2] The overall colour is brownish with each scale on the back having a white spot creating rows. The lower body is pink to reddish, and there is a wide iridescent blue stripe extending from the snout to the caudal peduncle edged above by a thin black stripe reaching onto the upper lobe of the caudal fin. There is also a black spot on the base of the pectoral fin. They can quickly change colour, darkening to reddish below while shortening the blue stripe.[7] The dorsal fin is pale bluish-green to pinkish and there is a black streak in the lower lobe of the caudal fin, separate from the black lateral stripe which runs onto the upper lobe.[2]
The dark-banded fusilier is a schooling fish and it joins in mixed schools with other fusiliers. The juveniles can occur in large aggregations in shallow lagoons and on reef flats.[1] The schools forage for zooplankton in midwater. It is an oviparous species which lays large numbers of small, pelagic eggs.[2]
Fisheries
The dark-banded fusilier is heavily exploited in parts of its range, it is fished for using drive-in nets, gill nets, traps and blast fishing it is also caught to be used as bait by commercial tuna fisheries.[1] Where it is sold for human consumption it can be sold as fresh fish or preserved as salt fish.[5]
^Christopher Scharpf & Kenneth J. Lazara, eds. (5 January 2021). "Order LUTJANIFORMES: Families HAEMULIDAE and LUTJANIDAE". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Archived from the original on 12 April 2021. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
^ abBray, D.J. (2019). "Pterocaesio tile". Fishes of Australia. Museums Victoria. Retrieved 6 July 2021.