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The yellowfin whiting, ''Sillago schomburgkii'', (also known as the western sand whiting and fine-scaled whiting) is a species of inshore marine fish in the smelt-whiting family Sillaginidae. The species is endemic to the eastern Indian Ocean, ranging from Dampier, Western Australia to Gulf St Vincent in South Australia, with an apparent division in the populations of the two states. Yellowfin whiting inhabit relatively shallow waters for their entire life, often found on tidal flats and creeks, as well as large estuaries. It is one of the largest members of the smelt-whiting family, growing to 42 cm, and can be distinguished by a number of anatomical and colour related features. Yellowfin whiting are benthic carnivores, preying predominantly on polychaete worms, with minor amounts of copepods, amphipods and bivalves also commonly taken. The species shows a change in diet with age, and also dietary differences with other sillaginids presumably to minimize competition. Reproduction occurs at different times throughout its range, generally focused around summer, with up to 217,000 eggs produced per season. Yellowfin whiting reach sexual maturity at around 20 cm, with each individual spawning more than once. The species forms the basis of major fisheries in both Shark Bay, Western Australia and the two Gulfs of South Australia, with around 260 tonnes of fish taken each year. They are also a popular target for shore based anglers, with a reputation as a very good table fish. ==Taxonomy and naming== The yellowfin whiting is one of 29 species in the genus ''Sillago'', which is one of three divisions of the smelt whiting family Sillaginidae. The smelt-whitings are Perciformes in the suborder Percoidei. The species was first recognised and scientifically described by the German naturalist Wilhelm Peters in 1864 based on the holotype collected from the waters near Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia. Peters assigned the species name ''schomburgkii'' in honor of the German explorer and botanist Moritz Richard Schomburgk, who became the second Director of the Adelaide Botanic Gardens. Schomburgk collected the specimen and sent it to Peters, who was by then the curator of the Berlin Zoological Museum, an institution for which Schomburgk had collected extensively before in the past during expeditions to British Guiana. Prior to Peter's description, the yellowfin whiting was at first confused with the similar ''Sillago bassensis'', which also occurs within the same range. The species was also independently renamed twice after the initial naming, first by Francis de Castelnau in 1873 as ''Sillago bostockii'', and then Gilbert Percy Whitley in 1944 who named the species ''Sillago frazeri'' (or ''S. fraseri''). These two names are considered to be junior synonyms under the ICZN naming rules, and are considered invalid. The species is known primarily as the 'yellowfin whiting' or 'yellow-finned whiting' in reference to the yellow pectoral, anal and caudal fins, and is recognised as such by the Australian Government. In Western Australia, the species is usually referred to as the 'western sand whiting' due to its close similarity with the sand whiting (''Sillago ciliata'') of Eastern Australia, with the name 'fine-scaled whiting' rarely used.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Yellowfin whiting」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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