NEMIPTERIDAE Nemipterus bathybius, 7.4 cm SL (photo by Seishi Kimura) Nemipterus bathybius, 15.0 cm SL (from Iriomote I., Japan; photo by Seishi Kimura) Nemipterus bathybius Snyder, 1911 Yellowbelly Threadfin Bream D X, 9; A III, 7; P1 15-17; P2 I, 5; LLp 46-47; GR 13-16. Body moderately elongate, compressed; body depth 2.9-3.6 in SL. Posterior margin of suborbital and lower preopercular margin not serrated; suborbital spine absent. Ventral margin of orbit just reaching or not reaching a horizontal line through snout tip and upper base of pectoral fin. First 2 dorsal-fin spine separated by a membrane; membranes between dorsal-fin spines not strongly incised. Upper lobe of caudal fin falcate or ribbon-like extension. Pectoral fin not reaching a vertical through anal fin origin. Three transverse scale rows on preopercle. Color: body pinkish dorsally, silvery ventrally. Two yellow stripes, first below lateral line from behind opercle to upper caudal-fin base; second from behind upper of pectoralfin base to middle of caudal-fin base. Caudal fin pink, upper lobe and filament yellow. Size: maximum length 20 cm SL. Distribution: distributed in the western Pacific, including southern Japan, South China Sea, Southeast Asian countries and northwestern Australia. Remarks: usually occurs on sandy or muddy bottoms at depths of 35 to 300 m, but most common between 45 and 90 m. Feeds mainly on crustaceans, small fishes, and cephalopods in adults and copepods, ostracods, and amphipods in young. (Hiroyuki Motomura)