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GROUP

INTRODUCTION
“Lagaw”/Bisugo Fish (Ornate Threadfin bream);
An Introduction.

The commonly or the popular name of this fish in our

hometown is “Lagaw” which by research discovered that it
was named as Bisugo in Tagalog or Ornate Threadfin
Bream fish in English. This fish is a popular seafood recipe
of most Filipinos.

Quoted:
“Bisugo fish (Threadfin bream) is one top fish that I love in cooking Paksiw na isda (fish in
vinegar sauce). These fish are found in tropical waters of the Indian and western Pacific Oceans.
The meat of the Bisugo fish (Threadfin bream) is white and they are oily fish. These oily fish is a
vital source of essential fatty acids and contains a wide variety of vitamins and minerals”.
Ref: http://www.esupermommy.com/2012/07/bisugo-fish-threadfin-bream-health-benefits/

Ornate threadfin bream (Nemipterus hexodon) is often eaten deep-fried in Thai cuisine.

Threadfin Breams
The Threadfin Breams consist of the family Nemipteridae within the order Perciformes. They are
also known as whiptail breams and false snappers. They are found in tropical waters of the
Indian and western Pacific Oceans. Most species are benthic carnivores, preying on smaller
fishes, cephalopods, crustaceans and polychaetes; however, a few species eat plankton.

Scientific Classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Nemipteridae, Regan, 1913
Genus: Nemipterus Swainson, 1839
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Ornate threadfin bream (Nemipterus hexodon) inhabits sand and mud bottoms, feeding
primarily on small shrimps, squid, small fishes, and benthic animals (Russell 2001). The
maximum length of this species is 31.8 cm (Kongprom et al. 2003). In the Gulf of Thailand,
spawning occurs between February and March (Russell 2001).

Females predominate at small sizes and males at larger sizes as result of faster growth rates in
males.

This fish is natives from Australia; Brunei Darussalam; Cambodia; China; Disputed Territory
(Paracel Is., Spratly Is.); India (Nicobar Is., Andaman Is.); Indonesia; Malaysia; Myanmar;
Palau; Papua New Guinea; Philippines; Singapore; Solomon Islands; Taiwan, Province of China;
Thailand; Timor-Leste; Viet Nam.

Nemipterus hexodon is found in the Indo-West Pacific, from the Andaman Sea to the Solomon
Islands (Russell 2001). There is also a record from Palau (R. Myers unpublished data 2015). This
species is known at depths of 10 to 80 m but is most common in depths between 20 and 50 m
(Russell 2001).

This is an edible fish and is traded locally or nationally. Although this species sometime appears
in local markets, no major fishery specifically for it exists (Russell 2001). However, this species
is widely used for surimi production in Thailand (Nalinanon et al. 2011). Species-specific
landings for N. hexodon are not reported to the Food and Agriculture Organization; global
landings of Threadfin Breams nei (not elsewhere indicated) peaked in 2002 and declined sharply
through 2011 (FAO 2014). It is taken primarily with handlines and bottom trawls, together with
other demersal fishes throughout the year (Russell 2001).

What is Parasite?

Parasite is defined as an organism that lives in or on another organism (its host) and benefits by
deriving nutrients at the host's expense.

Threadfin bream harbour parasites. A study conducted in New Caledonia has shown that the
fork-tailed threadfin bream (Nemipterus furcosus) harboured 25 species of parasites, including
nematodes, cestodes, digeneans, monogeneans, isopods, and copepods. None of these parasites is
transmitted to humans.

Objective
The objectives of this research is to; a). To be able to determine what species or family this local
fish came from, and b). Whether the stated common parasites in the Threadfin bream fish family
can be found in our local Lagaw/Bisugo fish.
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Vocabulary
Perciformes - also called the Percomorpha or Acanthopteri, is an order or superorder of ray-
finned fish. If considered a single order, they are the most numerous order of vertebrates,
containing about 41% of all bony fish. Perciformes means "perch-like".

benthic - The benthic zone is the ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water such as
an ocean or a lake, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface layers. Organisms living
in this zone are called benthos, e.g., the benthic invertebrate community, including crustaceans
and polychaetes.

cephalopod - is any member of the molluscan class such as a squid, octopus or nautilus.

crustaceans - form a large, diverse arthropod taxon which includes such familiar animals as
crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill, woodlice, and barnacles.

Polychaete - also known as the bristle worms or polychætes, are a paraphyletic class of annelid
worms, generally marine.

Plankton - are the diverse collection of organisms that live in large bodies of water and are
unable to swim against a current.

nematodes - or roundworms constitute the phylum Nematoda (also called Nemathelminthes).

cestoda - is a class of parasitic worms in the flatworm phylum (Platyhelminthes)

digenea - is a class of trematodes in the Platyhelminthes phylum, consisting of parasitic

flatworms (known as flukes) with a syncytial tegument and, usually, two suckers, one ventral
and one oral.

monogeneans - are a group of ectoparasites commonly found on the skin, gills, or fins of fish.

isopoda - is an order of crustaceans that includes woodlice and their relatives. Isopods live in the
sea, in fresh water, or on land.

copepods - are a group of small crustaceans found in nearly every freshwater and saltwater
habitat.

References
https://www.google.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Threadfin_bream
https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/69539271/69539701
https://www.fishbase.de/summary/Nemipterus-hexodon.html