''Leiopotherapon plumbeus'', known commonly as the silver perch,Froese, R. and D. Pauly, Eds
Common names of ''Leiopotherapon plumbeus''.
FishBase. 2013. is a species of

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

Terapontidae Grunters or tigerperches are ray-finned fishes in the family Terapontidae (also spelled Teraponidae, Theraponidae or Therapontidae). This family is part of the superfamily Percoidea of the order Perciformes. Characteristics The Terapontidae ...

, the grunters. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to the

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 ...

, where it is called ''ayungin'', ''bugaong'', ''bigaong'', and ''bagaong''.

Description

This species reaches 16 centimeters in maximum length.Froese, R. and D. Pauly, Eds
''Leiopotherapon plumbeus''.
FishBase. 2013.

Behavior

The species exhibits paternal care, as the male guards and tends the eggs.

Uses

The fish is caught and consumed locally as food. It is considered to be one of the most delicious of the native freshwater fish in the Philippines. The supply has run thin due to overharvesting, and it is now rare in markets, making it quite expensive.
innovations-report.com April 29, 2009. The fish is also used to feed

duck Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family (biology), family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and goose, geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfam ...

Conservation

Populations have declined due to

overfishing Overfishing is the removal of a species of fish (i.e. fishing) from a body of water at a rate greater than that the species can replenish its population naturally (i.e. the overexploitation of the fishery's existing Fish stocks, fish stock), resu ...

. In 1991 it was the most abundant fish in Laguna de Bay, the largest lake in the Philippines; by 2002 it was the third most abundant.

Sedimentation Sedimentation is the deposition of sediments. It takes place when particles in suspension settle out of the fluid in which they are entrained and come to rest against a barrier. This is due to their motion through the fluid in response to th ...

and

pollution Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause harm. Pollution can take the form of any substance (solid, liquid, or gas) or energy (such as radioactivity, heat, sound, or light). Pollutants, the component ...

contribute to the population drop in the lake.Santos, B. S. et al. (2010)
Geometric morphometric analysis and gill raker count variation of populations of the endemic Philippine silver perch, ''Leiopotherapon plumbeus'' (Perciformes: Terapontidae).
''The Philippine Agricultural Scientist'' 93(4) The fish is being reared in

captive breeding Captive breeding, also known as captive propagation, is the process of keeping plants or animals in controlled environments, such as wildlife reserves, zoos, Botanical garden, botanic gardens, and other Conservation biology, conservation facilitie ...

projects, in which it grows well on a diet of prawn food and tubifex worms. It is dosed with

hormone A hormone (from the Ancient Greek, Greek participle , "setting in motion") is a class of cell signaling, signaling molecules in multicellular organisms that are sent to distant organs or tissues by complex biological processes to regulate physio ...

s to induce spawning.Agron, E. B
BAR highlights promising UPLB technology to save endangered fish species.
''BAR Chronicle'' 10(8). August, 2009. Bureau of Agricultural Research.

Gallery

File:Ayungin Buhi.JPG, ''Ayungin'' found in Lake Buhi, Camarines Sur. File:Leiopotherapon plumbeus.jpg, This species, known locally as 'ayungin', is a common food fish in the country.

Description

Behavior

Uses

Conservation

Gallery

References

Further reading