Pterycombus

{{Short description|Genus of ray-finned fishes}} {{Automatic taxobox | image = Annals of the South African Museum - Pterycombus falcatus.jpg | image_caption = Prickly Fanfish ''(Pterycombus petersii)'' | taxon = Pterycombus | authority = Fries, 1837 | type_species = ''Pterycombus brama'' | type_species_authority = Fries, 1837<ref name = CofF>{{Cof record | genid=1430 | title = Pterycombus | access-date = 13 November 2020}}</ref> }}

'''''Pterycombus''''' is a genus of pomfrets distinguished by greatly elongated dorsal and anal fins. Along with the genus ''Pteraclis'', they are commonly referred to as fanfishes. ''Pterycombus'' can be distinguished from ''Pteraclis'' by examining the dorsal and anal fin rays, which should be relatively uniform in thickness to neighboring rays and by a lack of scales anterior to the dorsal fin.<ref name = Fries>{{cite journal | author1 = B. F. Fries | year=1837 | title = Pterycombus, ett nytt fisk-slagte fran Ishafvet. — K. Svenska Vetenskaps | journal = Akad. Handl | pages = 14–22}}</ref>

==Species== Currently, there are two recognized species in this genus:<ref>{{FishBase genus | genus = Pterycombus| month = February | year = 2013}}</ref> * ''Pterycombus brama'', Atlantic fanfish <small>(Fries, 1837)</small> * ''Pterycombus petersii'', prickly fanfish <small>(Hilgendorf, 1878)</small>

==Species Distinction== ''Pterycombus brama'' can be distinguished from ''Pterycombus petersii'' by measuring the length of the longest dorsal and anal fin rays. In ''P. brama'', the longest ray will be greater than half standard length, but will be less than half standard length in ''P. petersii''.<ref name = Hilgendorf>{{cite journal | author1 = F. M. Hilgendorf | year=1878 | title = Über das Vorkommen einer Brama-Art und einer neuen Fischgattung Centropholis aus der Nachbarschaft des Genus Brama in den japanischen Meeren | journal = Sitzungsberichte der Gesellschaft Naturforschender Freunde zu Berlin | volume = 15 | pages = 1–2}}</ref> These two species can also be distinguished by geographic location. ''P. brama'' is generally distributed throughout the North and Central Atlantic Ocean, while ''P. petersii'' inhabits Pacific waters from Southern Africa to the Indo-Pacific. However, ''P. petersii'' has recently been found in the eastern North Pacific off the coast of Oregon,<ref name = Orr>{{cite journal | author1 = J. W. Orr | author2 = V. Tuttle | author3 = C. Donovan | year=2018 | title = ''Pterycombus petersii'' (Bramidae: Teleostei): First Record for the Eastern North Atlantic | url = https://bioone.org/journals/Northwestern-Naturalist/volume-99/issue-3/NWN18-14.1/iPterycombus-petersii-i-Bramidae--Teleostei--First-Record-For/10.1898/NWN18-14.1.short | journal = Northwestern Naturalist | volume = 9 | issue = 3 | pages = 236–239}}</ref> suggesting that it may have a greater distribution throughout Pacific waters.

==References== {{Reflist}}

Category:Bramidae