''Taractes'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

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 ...

es from 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 ...

Bramidae, the pomfrets. ''Taractes'' can be distinguished from other bramid genera but having a flat, or slightly curved profile, between the eyes (unlike the definitive arched profile present in the other genera) and by having scales on both the dorsal and anal fins (unlike '' Pterycombus '' and '' Pteraclis'' which lack these scales).

Species

There are currently two recognized species in this genus: * '' Taractes asper'' R. T. Lowe, 1843 (Rough pomfret) * '' Taractes rubescens'' ( D. S. Jordan & Evermann, 1887) (Pomfret) These two species are easily distinguished from one another as adults. Adult ''T. rubescens'' develop a dense, bony keel on the caudal peduncle that is thought to be composed of enlarged, fused scales, which are absent in ''T. asper''. Additionally, adult ''T. rubescens'' lack a noticeable lateral line, which is typically present in adult ''T. asper''.

Distribution

The genus is widely distributed across both Atlantic and Pacific oceans. ''T. asper'' has been documented to possess range from the Norwegian Sea to the

Sea of Japan The Sea of Japan is the marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, the Korean Peninsula, and the mainland of the Russian Far East. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it ...

and

Cape of Good Hope The Cape of Good Hope ( ) is a rocky headland on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. A List of common misconceptions#Geography, common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Afri ...

in Southern Africa. ''T. rubescens'' has been documented in the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...

and the Eastern and Central Pacific Ocean. Despite being found across all seas, they remain difficult to collect and are quite uncommon.

References

Bramidae {{Scombroidei-stub