Threadfin
Threadfins (family Polynemidae) are a group of ray-finned fishes distinguished by their elongate, filamentous lower pectoral-fin rays, which give the family its common name.[1] These perciform species, numbering approximately 40 in eight genera, are primarily marine but also occur in brackish estuaries and some freshwater habitats.[2] Native to tropical and subtropical waters worldwide, threadfins typically inhabit coastal areas, river mouths, and mangroves over sandy or muddy bottoms, where they play key ecological roles as predators of small invertebrates, crustaceans, and fishes.[3] The family's diversity spans Indo-Pacific, Atlantic, and eastern Pacific regions, with notable species including the Atlantic threadfin (Polydactylus octonemus) and the king threadfin (Polydactylus macrochir), both of which are oviparous with pelagic eggs and larvae.[4] Threadfins are commercially significant in tropical fisheries, particularly in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and West Africa, where they are harvested for human consumption due to their mild-flavored, white flesh.[5] Additionally, they support recreational angling and serve as important bait fish in trap and line fisheries. As of 2001, annual global catches were about 93,000 metric tons.[4] Ecologically, threadfins contribute to coastal food webs as mid-level predators and nursery-dependent juveniles, with many species showing strong site fidelity to estuarine habitats for spawning and early development.[6] Conservation concerns arise from overfishing and habitat degradation in mangroves, prompting management measures such as size limits and seasonal closures in regions like Australia and Indonesia.[7]Taxonomy
Classification
Threadfins are classified in the family Polynemidae, which belongs to the kingdom Animalia, phylum Chordata, class Actinopterygii, subclass Teleostei, series Percomorpha, order Carangiformes, and suborder Pleuronectoidei.[2][8] Historically, the family was placed within the order Perciformes and suborder Percoidei based on morphological characteristics shared with other percomorph fishes, such as fin ray counts and body form.[9] However, molecular phylogenetic analyses using mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences have revealed paraphyly in Perciformes, leading to the reassignment of Polynemidae to Carangiformes, where it forms part of a clade including flatfishes (Pleuronectoidei) and other carangimorph groups, supported by shared genomic markers and pectoral girdle specializations.[10] Diagnostic traits defining the family at this level include the bifurcated pectoral fin, with the upper lobe containing attached rays and the lower lobe featuring 3–7 (rarely more) elongated, detached filamentous rays that extend below the pectoral base and serve tactile functions in muddy or sandy environments.[11] Additional family-level features encompass an inferior mouth, separated dorsal fins, subabdominal pelvic fins with one spine and five soft rays, and 24–25 vertebrae.[2] The family currently encompasses 9 recognized genera and around 40 species, reflecting recent taxonomic revisions based on integrated morphological and molecular data.Genera and species
The family Polynemidae encompasses nine recognized genera and approximately 42 species, primarily inhabiting tropical and subtropical marine, brackish, and occasionally freshwater environments worldwide. Taxonomic understanding has advanced through morphological analyses and molecular phylogenies, revealing polyphyly in some groups and prompting revisions such as the erection of new genera.[8] The genera vary in size and distribution, with Polydactylus being the most speciose. Etymologies often derive from Greek or Latin roots referencing the characteristic thread-like pectoral-fin rays, while distinguishing features include the number and configuration of these free rays (typically 3–7, but up to 10 in some), body scalation, and fin morphology. For instance, Eleutheronema features four pectoral rays and is noted for its large size, up to 2 m in length. Synonymies are common due to historical misidentifications, such as multiple names applied to Polynemus species before revisions. Post-2000 genetic and morphological studies, including those by Motomura et al., have described new species within Polydactylus and highlighted its non-monophyly, leading to taxonomic splits; a 2022 ultraconserved elements phylogeny confirmed this polyphyly across multiple lineages.[12][12] In 2025, the genus Filistriatus was established for small- to moderate-sized threadfins previously placed in other genera, based on genomic data from museum specimens, with its type species exhibiting grooved pectoral rays and distinct scalation patterns. Other revisions include the validation of Parapolynemus with additional species from Indo-Pacific waters. The table below summarizes the genera, approximate species counts (based on current catalogs), and type species.| Genus | Approximate Number of Species | Type Species |
|---|---|---|
| Eleutheronema | 3 | Eleutheronema tetradactylum (Shaw, 1804) |
| Filimanus | 6 | Filimanus heptadactylus (Cuvier, 1829) |
| Filistriatus | 1 | Filistriatus sexfilis (Valenciennes, 1831) |
| Galeoides | 1 | Galeoides decadactylus (Günther, 1860) |
| Leptomelanosoma | 1 | Leptomelanosoma indicum (Shaw, 1804) |
| Parapolynemus | 2 | Parapolynemus verekeri (Playfair, 1867) |
| Pentanemus | 1 | Pentanemus quinquarius (Linnaeus, 1758) |
| Polydactylus | 15 | Polydactylus virginicus (Linnaeus, 1758) |
| Polynemus | 12 | Polynemus paradiseus (Linnaeus, 1758) |