Chanos chanos (Fabricius, 1775) [N]—Milkfish

Taxonomy. Original description: Mugil chanos Fabricius in Niebuhr (ex Forsskål) 1775: 74, xiv [Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Red Sea (not Mediterranean Sea); holotype: ZMUC P17154 (dry skin)].—Iraq synonyms: None.— Revisions: None.—Illustration: Randall (2005: 60, fig.) .

Status in Iraq. First record from Iraq by Qasim et al. (2019).—Iraq materials: None.

Distribution and habitat. Distribution in Iraq: Shatt al-Arab River.—General distribution: Red Sea; Indo-Pacific: KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa), East Africa, Persian Gulf, Seychelles, Madagascar, and Mascarenes (La Réunion, Mauritius, and Rodrigues) east to Hawaiian Islands (U.S.A.), north to southern Japan, south to Western Australia, New South Wales (Australia) and Norfolk Island; eastern Pacific: southern California (U.S.A.) south to northern Peru, including Galapagos Islands (Ecuador); Mediterranean Sea immigrant.— Habitat: This species is a marine species that enters estuaries and rivers. It is a benthopelagic, amphidromous species that occurs in tropical waters between depths of 1 and 30 m. It is found in offshore marine waters and shallow coastal embayments; it also frequently enters estuaries and occasionally penetrates freshwater streams. Freshwater, brackish, marine.

Economic importance. Commercially important.

Conservation. Conservation status in Iraq: Unknown.—IUCN: LC (IUCN 2023).—Threats: COM, FIT.—Low sensitivity to human activities.—Not considered a keystone species.—Decline status: Unknown.—Low priority for conservation action.