Chicken Grunt

Oviparous, distinct pairing during breeding (Ref. 205). A couple ascends quickly to the surface and spawns (Ref. 34104).

Oceanodromous. Migrating within oceans typically between spawning and different feeding areas, as tunas do. Migrations should be cyclical and predictable and cover more than 100 km.

Livsin schools in rocky reefs (Ref. 9137).

Cultured and released for fishery in Japan. The species prefers relative warm water, high salinity, and rocky shores. The species does seasonal offshore-inshore migrations in limited areas (Ref. 34104).

fisheries: commercial

分布於西北太平洋區，由日本中部以南、東海至台灣。台灣四周海域之礁岩區及人工魚礁區皆可常見。

漁期全年皆有，以夏季較多，以流刺網或手釣皆可捕獲，亦是休閒船釣經常上鉤的魚種。煮薑絲、味噌湯或炭烤皆不錯。水族館亦常飼養以讓人觀看其群游習性。在日本有養殖及人工放流，台灣則無。

體延長，側扁，背緣弧形隆起，腹緣略呈弧形。頭中大。吻鈍尖。口中大，端位；上下頜約等長，上下頜齒細小，絨毛狀，外列齒大；鋤骨、腭骨及舌面皆無齒。頦部具無中央溝；頦孔1對。體被薄櫛鱗，背鰭及臀鰭基部均具鱗鞘，胸鰭及腹鰭外側具腋鱗；側線完整，側線鱗數54-57。背鰭單一，硬棘部及軟條部間無明顯缺刻，硬棘數XIII-XIV，第IV棘最長，軟條數17；臀鰭小，與背鰭鰭條部同形，硬棘數III，第II棘強大，軟條數8；胸鰭中長，長於腹鰭；尾鰭叉形。體背暗綠褐色，體腹白色；體側有三條暗色縱帶，但僅在幼時明顯，成魚則不顯著。各鰭灰褐色而帶黃色光澤。

主要棲息於暖水、高鹽度之岩礁或人工魚礁的外圍寬闊水域。通常成群優游，數量眾多，具有近海-外海洄游之習性。以水層中的浮游生物為主食。