Actinopterygii (Gigaclass) > Actinopteri (Class) > Teleostei (Subclass) > Acanthuriformes (Order) > Gerreidae (Family) > Gerres (Genus)

Labre oyène, Gerres breton, Blanche gouvernail, Blanche commune, Breton blanc, Blacktip silverbiddy, Common silver biddy, Longtail silverbiddy, Oceanic silver biddy, Shining silver-belly, Slender silver belly, Blacktip silver biddy, Common silverbiddy, Darnley island silverbelly, Darnley island silver-belly, Slankstekel-plooibek, Oyena mojarra, Mojarra elegante, Mojarra común, slenderspine mojarra, Mussalakh, Kurosagi, Minami-kurosagi, ミナミクロサギ, 게레치, 卡帕斯銀鱸, 奧奈鑽嘴魚,

Synonymes
Cichla argyrea (Forster, 1801)
Diapterus kapas (Bleeker, 1851)
Diapterus oyena (Fabricius, 1775)
Gerreomorpha rostrata (Alleyne & MacLeay, 1877)
Gerres australis (Castelnau, 1875)
Gerres bispinosus (Alleyne & Macleay, 1877)
Gerres carinatus (Alleyne & MacLeay, 1877)
Gerres kapas (Bleeker, 1851)
Gerres oynea (Fabricius, 1775)
Gerres socotranus (Steindachner, 1902)
Gerres splendens (De Vis, 1884)
Gerres vaigiensis (Quoy & Gaimard, 1824)
Labrus oeyena (Fabricius, 1775)
Labrus oeyena (Forsskål, 1775)
Labrus oyena (Fabricius, 1775)
Labrus öyena (Fabricius, 1775)
Smaris oyena (Fabricius, 1775)
Xystaema kapas (Bleeker, 1851)
Xystaema oyena (Fabricius, 1775)

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Description
Dorsal spines (total): 9; Dorsal soft rays (total): 10; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 7; Pectoral fin rays: 17-18; Lateral line scales: 35-40; Scale rows: 3½ between base of 5th spine of dorsal fin and lateral line; Gill rakers: 3-6 + 8-9; Scale rows usually: 3½ from base of dorsal fin spines, 5-7 to lateral line. Body oblong, compressed, anterodorsal profile convex. Body depth: 2.4-3.3 in SL; Head long: 2.9-3.6 in SL; Eye diameter: 2.3-3.2 in HL; Body depth at base of first anal fin spine 33 % SL; Peduncle depth: 11 % SL; 2nd and 3rd dorsal fin spines: 21 % SL and 19 % SL, respectively; 2nd and 3rd anal fin spines: 10 % SL and 11 % SL, respectively. Upper jaw extending almost to level of front edge of eyes. Posterior tip of maxilla extending beyond front of eye. Second dorsal fin spine not elongated; Pectoral fins short, not reaching origin of anal fin. U-shaped premaxillary groove mostly naked, but tiny scales anteriorly in fish >13 cm TL. Caudal fin forked deeply and with long lobes. Max. length: 30.0 cm TL, common length: 20.0 cm SL. Depth range: 0 - 20 m.

Color
Body brownish silver above grading to brilliant silver below, sometime with faint dark vertical bands on sides (usually more apparent in preserved specimens or young stressed fish); Tip of dorsal and caudal fins with black margins; A row of small dusky spots on dorsal fin membrane near base; Anal and pelvic fins yellowish. Caudal fin uniformly dusky.

Etymology
Gerres: from Latin, gerres = a name used for Spicara maena (Spariformes: Sparidae), which, like gerreids, has a protractile mouth. Named by Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/24–79), called Pliny the Elder, was a Roman author, a naturalist and natural philosopher, a naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire.
oyena: from Abu öyena, an Arabic name for this species along the Red Sea.
Original description: Labrus oeyena Fabricius (ex Forsskål), 1775 - Type locality: Al-Luhayya, Yemen, Red Sea. Suez, Egypt, Red Sea. Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Red Sea.

Distribution
Red Sea; Indo-West Pacific: KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa), East Africa, Persian Gulf, Socotra (Yemen), Mozambique Channel, Madagascar and Mascarenes (La Réunion, Mauritius, Rodrigues), east to Marshall Islands and Samoa, north to Ryukyu Islands (Japan) and southern Korea, south to Western Australia, New South Wales (Australia), New Caledonia and Tonga.

Biology
Found along the coast, saltwater lagoons, and estuaries. Also in sand bottoms in sheltered waters near reefs. Occurs singly or in groups. Feeds on small organisms living on sandy bottoms. Utilized as fish meal and duck food. Sold fresh in markets.

Similar species

• Gerres longirostris (Lacepède, 1801) - Reported from New Caledonia - Pectoral fins reaches to or beyond level of anal fin origin; Caudal fin forked deeply. Max. length: 44.5 cm TL, common length: 20.0 cm TL. Depth range: 0 - 12 m.
• Gerres subfasciatus (Cuvier, 1830) - Reported from New Caledonia. Adults shiny with dark-tipped dorsal fin; Juveniles olive above with some indistinct dark blotching. Max. length: 20.0 cm TL. Depth range: 3 - 40 m.
• Pomadasys argenteus (Forsskål, 1775) - Reported from New Caledonia - Body ovate; Head profile almost straight. Mouth small; Lips not thickened; Two pores and a central groove under the chin. No antrorse spine before the dorsal fin origin; Notch between the spinous and soft-rayed portion of the dorsal fin shallow. Color is generally silver-mauve to fawn above, white below. Small specimens with numerous spots aligned horizontally or fused into horizontal lines; Large specimens plain or with scattered charcoal scale spots on back and upper sides; The snout is dark brown; The upper operculum charcoal or purplish. Max. length: 70.0 cm TL, common length: 25.0 cm TL. Depth range: 15 - 115 m.