''Pagrus major'', the red seabream, red pargo, red porgy or silver seabream, is a species of marine

ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fish or actinopterygians, is a class of bony fish that comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. They are so called because of their lightly built fins made of webbings of sk ...

in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Sparidae Sparidae is a family of ray-finned fishes belonging to the order Spariformes, the seabreams and porgies, although they were traditionally classified in the order Perciformes. The over 150 species are found in shallow and deep marine waters in t ...

, which includes the seabreams and porgies. This species is found in the Western Pacific Ocean. The fish has high culinary and cultural importance in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, and is also frequently eaten in

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

and

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

Taxonomy

''Pagrus major'' was first formally described as ''Chrysophrys major'' in 1843 by the

naturalist Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...

Coenraad Jacob Temminck Coenraad Jacob Temminck (; 31 March 1778 – 30 January 1858) was a Dutch people, Dutch patrician, Zoology, zoologist and museum director. Biography Coenraad Jacob Temminck was born on 31 March 1778 in Amsterdam in the Dutch Republic. Fro ...

and

Hermann Schlegel Hermann Schlegel (10 June 1804 – 17 January 1884) was a German ornithologist, herpetologist and ichthyologist. Early life and education Schlegel was born at Altenburg, the son of a brassfounder. His father collected butterflies, which stimulated ...

with its type locality given as ''all the bays of Japan''. The genus ''

Pagrus ''Pagrus'' is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Sparidae, which includes the seabreams and porgies. These fishes are found in the Western Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. They are esteemed food fish ...

'' is placed in the family Sparidae within the

order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood ...

Spariformes Spariformes is an order of ray-finned fishes consisting of six families within the series Percomorpha. Taxonomy Spariformes was first used as a taxonomic term in 1860 by the Dutch physician, herpetologist and ichthyologist Pieter Bleeker. Trad ...

by the 5th edition of ''

Fishes of the World ''Fishes of the World'' is a standard reference for the systematics of fishes. It was first written in 1976 by the American ichthyologist Joseph S. Nelson (1937–2011). Now in its fifth edition (2016), the work is a comprehensive overview of t ...

''. Some authorities classify this genus in the subfamily Sparinae, but the 5th edition of Fishes of the World does not recognise subfamilies within the Sparidae.

Etymology

''Pagrus major'' has the

specific name Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...

''major'', meaning "great". Temminck and Schlegel described this species as the “most common of all the Japanese species of ''Chrysophrys'' and the largest in size”.

Physical description

Red sea breams are relatively large fish, reaching up to 120 cm in length, although they are usually smaller. In countries where it’s eaten, larger specimens are preferred for fishing, but the most commonly consumed fish are between 30 and 70 cm in length. The body is oblong and laterally flattened, with the jaws protruding slightly forward. The pectoral fins are long and slender, reaching nearly half of the total length. The dorsal fin has 12 anterior spines and 10 posterior soft rays, and the anal fin has 3 spines and 8 soft rays. Caudal fins are large and bifid. The mouth has two pairs of sharp fangs on the upper jaw, and three pairs on the lower jaw. There are molars behind the fangs. The scales range from pinkish red to purplish brown, with blue spots across the body. Juveniles have five stripes that disappear upon maturity.

Range and habitat

Red seabream is a marine subtropical oceanodromous

demersal fish Demersal fish, also known as groundfish, live and feed on or near the bottom of seas or lakes (the demersal zone).Walrond Carl . "Coastal fish - Fish of the open sea floor"Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Updated 2 March 2009 They oc ...

, found in the Northwest

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the cont ...

from the northeastern part of the

South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by South China, in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan island, Taiwan and northwestern Philippines (mainly Luz ...

(

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

excluded) northward to Japan. Adult fish live near the bottom of reefs at 30–200 meters deep, and are often solitary. Juveniles live in shallower waters.

Life cycle

Red seabream spawns between February and August, when they swim from deeper waters to shallower areas. Eggs and juveniles float freely in the ocean, and are not protected by parents, which makes them easy prey for larger fish. Habitat preference is genetically coded in juveniles, which helps them to choose the optimal microhabitat in a fluctuating environment. Habitat preference is only observed in juvenile fish up to the age of 30 days, while adult fish do not show any habitat preference. Both adults and juveniles feed on small crustaceans, such as

shrimp A shrimp (: shrimp (American English, US) or shrimps (British English, UK)) is a crustacean with an elongated body and a primarily Aquatic locomotion, swimming mode of locomotion – typically Decapods belonging to the Caridea or Dendrobranchi ...

and

crabs Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura (meaning "short tailed" in Greek), which typically have a very short projecting tail-like abdomen, usually hidden entirely under the thorax. Their exoskeleton is often thickened and ha ...

, as well as smaller fish and

sea urchins Sea urchins or urchins () are echinoderms in the class Echinoidea. About 950 species live on the seabed, inhabiting all oceans and depth zones from the intertidal zone to deep seas of . They typically have a globular body covered by a spiny p ...

. The fish's average life span is between 20 and 40 years.

As food

, ''Pagrus major'' is known as madai (真鯛 "true sea bream") or simply tai (鯛 "sea bream"). It is prized for its

umami Umami ( from ), or savoriness, is one of the five basic tastes. It is characteristic of broths and cooked meats. People taste umami through taste receptors that typically respond to glutamates and nucleotides, which are widely present in me ...

flavor and considered a luxury food, often served at festive events such as weddings, and during

Japanese New Year The is an annual festival that takes place in Japan. Since 1873, the official Japanese New Year has been celebrated according to the Gregorian calendar, on January 1 of each year, . Prior to 1872, traditional events of the Japanese New Year wer ...

. It is also the most commonly eaten fish in

. In

, the fish is called domi () or chamdom (), and is moderately popular as food. Red seabream can be broiled, grilled, baked or eaten raw, such as in

sashimi is a Japanese cuisine, Japanese delicacy consisting of fresh raw fish or Raw meat, meat sliced into thin pieces and often eaten with soy sauce. Origin The word ''sashimi'' means 'pierced body', i.e., "wikt:刺身, 刺身" = ''sashimi'', whe ...

. File:Supplies for New Year's Day, Japan; January 2020 (05).jpg, Red seabream prepared for New Year's Day File:121222 Baishokaku Nagasaki Japan02s8.jpg, Red seabream baked in a shell of salt File:Sashimi-dish Red seabream01.jpg, Red seabream

File:Red sea bream sashimi (27992669723).jpg, Sashimi File:Madai-fried-tokyoarea-sept23-2016.jpg, Fried red seabream File:Suimono by sunday driver in Kyoto.jpg, ''Suimono'' (clear soup) with red seabream File:HSY- Sushi, Tai.jpg, Red seabream

sushi is a traditional Japanese dish made with , typically seasoned with sugar and salt, and combined with a variety of , such as seafood, vegetables, or meat: raw seafood is the most common, although some may be cooked. While sushi comes in n ...

File:Domi-gui.jpg, Korean ''domi-gui'' before baking

In culture

''Pagrus major'' is important in

Japanese culture Japanese culture has changed greatly over the millennia, from the country's prehistoric Jōmon period, to its contemporary modern culture, which absorbs influences from Asia and other regions of the world. Since the Jomon period, ancestral ...

, where it is associated with good fortune and abundance, and eaten on special occasions. The red scales are considered auspicious, and traditionally believed to ward off evil spirits. Public figures such as politicians or

sumo is a form of competitive full-contact wrestling where a ''rikishi'' (wrestler) attempts to force his opponent out of a circular ring (''dohyō'') or into touching the ground with any body part other than the soles of his feet (usually by th ...

wrestlers are often photographed holding up a red seabream after a victorious event. Ebisu, the god of fortune and fishermen, is often portrayed holding a red seabream. Due to its prestige, red seabream is sometimes called "The King of Hundred Fishes" (百魚の王) in Japan, where "hundred" is a metaphor for all other fishes. Several Japanese

idioms An idiom is a phrase or expression that largely or exclusively carries a figurative or non-literal meaning, rather than making any literal sense. Categorized as formulaic language, an idiomatic expression's meaning is different from the lit ...

also reference the red seabream as a precious object: * ''Ebi de tai o tsuru'' (海老で鯛を釣る "To fish a sea bream using a shrimp as bait"): To gain a great profit or achievement with minimal investment. * ''Kusatte mo tai'' (腐っても鯛 "Even if it's rotten, it's still sea bream"): Something of high quality still retains its value even if it becomes degraded. * ''Tai no o yori iwashi no atama'' (鯛の尾より鰯の頭 "Rather than a sea bream's tail, better a sardine's head"): It's better to be the leader of a small group rather than a follower of a large group. The ''tai no tai'' (鯛の鯛 "bream within bream") is a good luck charm consisting of a fish's

scapula The scapula (: scapulae or scapulas), also known as the shoulder blade, is the bone that connects the humerus (upper arm bone) with the clavicle (collar bone). Like their connected bones, the scapulae are paired, with each scapula on either side ...

and

coracoid A coracoid is a paired bone which is part of the shoulder assembly in all vertebrates except therian mammals (marsupials and placentals). In therian mammals (including humans), a coracoid process is present as part of the scapula, but this is n ...

bones, which resemble a red seabream. The bones are interpreted as a "second bream" inside the original bream, which is discovered and collected after the fish's meat is consumed. ''Tai no tai'' are traditionally associated with red seabreams, but can come from the bones of any fish.

Taiyaki is a Japanese fish-shaped cake, commonly sold as street food. It imitates the shape of , which it is named after. The most common filling is anko. Some shops even sell with , gyoza filling, or a sausage inside. Smaller, differently shaped ve ...

, a cake filled with azuki bean paste, is famously made in the shape of a red seabream (''tai''), which its inventor intended as a way to make street food feel luxurious. File:Osakatenman-gu Osaka Japan05-r.jpg, Red seabream as an auspicious object, with straw bindings and coins at Osaka Tenmangū shrine File:Japan- Fukuoka, Itoshima Tambo art 2015 1.jpg, Tambo art depicting a red seabream in a rice paddy in Itoshima,

Fukuoka Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Fukuoka Prefecture has a population of 5,109,323 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,986 Square kilometre, km2 (1,925 sq mi). Fukuoka Prefecture borders ...

File:Taiyaki-Plate.JPG,

cakes being made in the shape of red seabream (''tai'') File:Tai of Tai 001.jpg, A ''tai no tai'', the bones of a red seabream that resembles a second fish inside the original fish, used as a good luck charm

In art

The red seabream has historically been the subject of paintings, and its shape has also been used in crafts. File:Painting of a Red Sea Bream (Tai) by Ogawa Haritsu, 18th century.jpg, ''Tai on Bamboo Leaves'', painting by Ogawa Haritsu (1663-1747) File:Naturalis Biodiversity Center - RMNH.ART.429 - Pagrus major (Temminck and Schlegel) - Kawahara Keiga - 1823 - 1829 - Siebold Collection - pencil drawing - water colour.jpeg, Painting by

Kawahara Keiga Kawahara Keiga (, also known as Taguchi Takumi or Toyosuke, Nagasaki, 1786–1860?) was a late Edo period Japanese painter of plants, fishes, birds, reptiles, crustaceans, social scenes, landscapes and portraits at the Dutch Factory of Dejima, a ...

(1786–1860) File:Naturalis Biodiversity Center - RMNH.ART.509 - Pagrus major perhaps - Yūshi Ishizaki - Cock Blomhoff Collection - pencil drawing - water colour.jpg, Painting by Kawahara Keiga File:'A Tai Fish' by Shibata Zeshin, Honolulu Museum of Art 4597.1.jpg, Painting by

Shibata Zeshin was a Japanese lacquer Japanese painting, painter and print artist of the Edo period, late Edo period and early Meiji era. He has been called "Japan's greatest lacquerer", but his reputation as painter and print artist is more complex: In Japa ...

(1807-1891) File:Japanese illustration from Bairei Gakan by Kono Bairei, from rawpixel's original plates 00003.jpg, Painting by

Kōno Bairei was a Japanese painter, book illustrator, and art teacher. He was born (as Yasuda Bairei) and lived in Kyoto. He was a member of the broad Maruyama-Shijo school and was a master of kacho-e painting (depictions of birds and flowers) in the Meiji ...

(1844-1895).

References

* Takahashi, K and Masuda, R. “ Nurture is above nature: nursery experience determines habitat preference of red sea bream Pagrus major juveniles” Journal of Ethology 37.3 (2019): 317–323. Web. Sep-2019.

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q1196387 Pagrus Taxa named by Coenraad Jacob Temminck Taxa named by Hermann Schlegel Fish described in 1843 Fish of the Pacific Ocean Fish of Japan Fish of Russia Fish of China Fish of East Asia Fish of Korea