# Brama (fish)

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Genus of fishes

Brama Atlantic pomfret (B. brama) Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Actinopterygii Order: Scombriformes Family: Bramidae Genus: Brama Bloch & J. G. Schneider, 1801 Type species Sparus raii Bloch, 1791 Synonyms[1] Amblytoxotes Bleeker, 1876 Collybus Snyder, 1801 Lepidotus Asso y del Rio, 1801 Lepodus Rafinesque, 1810 Tylometopon Bleeker, 1872

***Brama*** is a [genus](/source/Genus) of marine [ray-finned fishes](/source/Ray-finned_fish) from the [family](/source/Family_(taxonomy)) Bramidae, the [pomfrets](/source/Pomfret). The genus currently comprises eight [species](/source/Species) (see below).

## Characteristics

Species of *Brama* have a compressed [head and body](/source/Fish_anatomy), the body forming a tapering oval shape with a slender [caudal](/source/Anatomical_terms_of_location) [peduncle](/source/Peduncle_(anatomy)).[2]

The [dorsal and ventral](/source/Anatomical_terms_of_location) profiles of the head are smoothly convex, and the snout is short and bluntly rounded.[3] The mouth is oblique and angled upward, with the lower jaw projecting[4]

There is a single [dorsal fin](/source/Dorsal_fin) and a long-based [anal fin](/source/Fish_anatomy); the dorsal fin originates above the base of the [pectoral fins](/source/Fish_anatomy).[2] The dorsal and anal fins are similar in shape, although the dorsal fin has a distinct [anterior lobe](/source/Anatomical_terms_of_location).[3] The pectoral fins are positioned low on the body and are relatively long, extending to about the midpoint of the anal fin.[4] The [pelvic fins](/source/Fish_anatomy) are small and situated below the base of the pectoral fins.[2] The caudal fin is deeply forked.[3]

The body and most of the head are covered in [keeled scales](/source/Keeled_scales), while the [scales](/source/Fish_scale) that cover the ventral surface are smooth.[5]

## Taxonomy

The genus *Brama* was established in 1801 by the German naturalists [Marcus Elieser Bloch](/source/Marcus_Elieser_Bloch) (1723–1799) and [Johann Gottlob Schneider](/source/Johann_Gottlob_Theaenus_Schneider) (1750–1822).[1] In 1823, [Jean-Baptiste Bory de Saint-Vincent](/source/Jean-Baptiste_Bory_de_Saint-Vincent) designated *Sparus raii Bloch, 1791* as the [type species](/source/Type_species).[1]

## Species

Eight recognized species are in this genus:[6]

- *[Brama australis](/source/Brama_australis)* [Valenciennes](/source/Achille_Valenciennes), 1838 (southern Ray's bream)

- *[Brama brama](/source/Brama_brama)* ([Bonnaterre](/source/Pierre_Joseph_Bonnaterre), 1788) (Atlantic pomfret)

- *[Brama caribbea](/source/Brama_caribbea)* [Mead](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Giles_W_Mead_jr&action=edit&redlink=1), 1972 (Caribbean pomfret)

- *[Brama dussumieri](/source/Brama_dussumieri)* [G. Cuvier](/source/Georges_Cuvier), 1831 (lesser bream)

- *[Brama japonica](/source/Brama_japonica)* [Hilgendorf](/source/Franz_Martin_Hilgendorf), 1878 (Pacific pomfret)

- *[Brama myersi](/source/Brama_myersi)* [Mead](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Giles_W_Mead_jr&action=edit&redlink=1), 1972 (Myers' pomfret)

- *[Brama orcini](/source/Brama_orcini)* [G. Cuvier](/source/Georges_Cuvier), 1831 (bigtooth pomfret)

- *[Brama pauciradiata](/source/Brama_pauciradiata)* [Moteki](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Masato_Moteki&action=edit&redlink=1), [Fujita](/source/Kiyoshi_Fujita) & [Last](/source/Peter_R._Last), 1995 (shortfin pomfret) [7]

## Distribution and range

Species of the genus *Brama* are predominantly [pelagic](/source/Pelagic_fish) and occur worldwide in [high seas](/source/International_waters), with the exception of [Arctic](/source/Arctic) and [Subarctic](/source/Subarctic) regions.[8] Two species, *[Brama orcini](/source/Brama_orcini)* and *[Brama dussumieri](/source/Brama_dussumieri)*, differ in occurring in shallower waters near landmasses.[8]

## Commercial importance

Some *Brama* species are common and, when large, are targeted by fisheries, particularly those off [Spain](/source/Spain) and [Portugal](/source/Portugal).[8]

## Ecology

Although known to be [migratory](/source/Fish_migration), their migratory behaviour remains poorly documented.[4] [Spawning](/source/Spawning) is thought to occur in near-surface waters, as early life stages are most frequently collected in the [upper water column](/source/Water_column).[8] Bramids, including *Brama* species, are commonly recorded in the stomach contents of large pelagic predators such as [tuna](/source/Tuna) and [billfish](/source/Billfish),[9] indicating their importance as [forage fish](/source/Forage_fish).[8]

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-CofF_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-CofF_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-CofF_1-2) Fricke, Ronald; Eschmeyer, William N.; Van der Laan, Richard (2024). ["Bramidae"](https://researcharchive.calacademy.org/research/ichthyology/catalog/FamilySearch.asp). *Catalog of Fishes*. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 23 April 2026.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Nelson2006_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Nelson2006_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Nelson2006_2-2) Nelson, Joseph S. (2006). *Fishes of the World* (4th ed.). Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-0-471-25031-9.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Mead1972_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Mead1972_3-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Mead1972_3-2) Mead, Giles W. (1972). "Bramidae". In Bigelow, Henry B.; Schroeder, William C. (eds.). *Fishes of the Western North Atlantic*, Part Nine, Vol. 1. New Haven, Connecticut: Sears Foundation for Marine Research, Yale University. pp. 364–396.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FroesePauly2024_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FroesePauly2024_4-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-FroesePauly2024_4-2) Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2024). *FishBase*. World Wide Web electronic publication. [https://www.fishbase.org](https://www.fishbase.org) (accessed 23 April 2026).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-STRI_5-0)** ["Brama"](https://biogeodb.stri.si.edu/caribbean/en/thefishes/taxon/1297). *Shorefishes of the Greater Caribbean online information system*. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. Retrieved 8 November 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FishBase_6-0)** ["Genus: Brama"](https://www.fishbase.org/summary/Brama.html). *FishBase*. FishBase. Retrieved 23 April 2026.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Hibino_7-0)** Hibino, Yusuke; Okada, Masashi; Moteki, Masato; Kimura, Seishi (2014). "Redescription of the shortfin pomfret, *Brama pauciradiata*, based on Japanese specimens (Actinopterygii: Perciformes: Bramidae)". *Species Diversity*. **19** (2): 111–115.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Mead_8-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Mead_8-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Mead_8-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-Mead_8-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-Mead_8-4) G. W. Mead (1972). "Bramidae". *Dana Report*. **81**: 1–166.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Manday1964_9-0)** Manday, D. G. (1964). "Biología pesquera del emperador o pez espada, *Xiphias gladius* Linnaeus (Teleostomi: Xiphiidae), en las aguas de Cuba". *Instituto de Biología* (in Spanish).

Taxon identifiers Brama Wikidata: Q1053062 Wikispecies: Brama ADW: Brama AFD: Brama BOLD: 3687 CoL: C93ZJ GBIF: 5208069 iNaturalist: 84184 ITIS: 170288 NBN: NBNSYS0000179912 NCBI: 215351 NZOR: 4cce08d4-3817-4e93-b3e7-81a86c87fb36 Open Tree of Life: 679815 Paleobiology Database: 35967 WoRMS: 125924

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Brama (fish)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brama_(fish)) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brama_(fish)?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.