Pomfrets are scombriform fish belonging to the family Bramidae. The family currently includes 20 species across seven genera. Several species are important food sources for humans, especially Brama brama in South Asia. The earlier form of the pomfret's name was "pamflet", a word which probably ultimately comes from Portuguese pampo, referring to various fish such as the blue butterfish (Stromateus fiatola). The fish meat is white in color.
Distribution
They are found globally in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans, as well as numerous seas including the Norwegian, Mediterranean, and Sea of Japan.2 Nearly all species can be found in the high seas. However, fish in the genera Pterycombus and Pteraclis tend to be found off continental shelves. Further, fishes in the genus Eumegistus are hypothesized to be largely benthic and found to occupy deep water shelves.3
Some species of pomfrets are also known as monchong, specifically in Hawaiian cuisine.4
Genera
The following genera are placed within the family Bramidae:56
- Brama Bloch & Schneider, 1801
- Eumegistus Jordan & Jordan, 1922
- Pteraclis Gronow, 1772
- Pterycombus Fries, 1837
- Taractes Lowe, 1843
- Taractichthys Mead & Maul, 1958
- Xenobrama Yatsu & Nakamura, 1989
The following fossil genera are also known:7
- ?†Bramoides Casier, 1966
- ?†Goniocranion Casier, 1966 (possibly a lampriform)
- †Paucaichthys Baciu & Bannikov, 2003
The fossil genus Digoria was also previously placed with the Bramidae, but is now known to be a beardfish.
See also
- Several species of butterfishes in the genus Pampus are also known as "pomfrets".
- List of fish families
References
Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Family Bramidae". FishBase. February 2013 version. /wiki/Rainer_Froese ↩
G. W. Mead (1972). "Bramidae". Dana Report. 81: 1–166. ↩
G. W. Mead (1972). "Bramidae". Dana Report. 81: 1–166. ↩
"Sickle Pomfret (Monchong)". www.hawaii-seafood.org. Archived from the original on 10 July 2015. Retrieved 10 April 2016. http://www.hawaii-seafood.org/sickle-pomfret-monchong/ ↩
Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Family Bramidae". FishBase. February 2013 version. /wiki/Rainer_Froese ↩
Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Bramidae". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 8 November 2020. /wiki/William_N._Eschmeyer ↩
"PBDB Taxon". paleobiodb.org. Retrieved 2024-04-16. https://paleobiodb.org/classic/basicTaxonInfo?taxon_no=133669 ↩