Scatophagus argus ( Linnaeus, 1766 )

Çiçek, Erdoğan, Jawad, Laith, Eagderi, Soheil, Esmaeili, Hamid Reza, Mouludi-Saleh, Atta, Sungur, Sevil & Fricke, Ronald, 2023, Freshwater fishes of Iraq: a revised and updated annotated checklist- 2023, Zootaxa 5357 (1), pp. 1-49 : 34-35

Scatophagus argus ( Linnaeus, 1766) [N]—Spotted scat

Taxonomy. Original description: Chaetodon argus Linnaeus, 1766: 464 [ India; holotype: MJAS (whereabouts unknown)].—Iraq synonyms: None.—Revisions: None.—Illustration: Randall (1995: 383, fig.) .

Status in Iraq. First record from Iraq by Al-Nasiri & Shamsul Hoda (1975).; confirmed by Jawad et al. (2021).— Iraq materials:

Distribution and habitat. Distribution in Iraq: Persian Gulf.—General distribution: Indo-West Pacific: Persian Gulf east to Society Islands ( French Polynesia), north to Korea and central Japan, south to northern Australia and New Caledonia.—Habitat: This species is usually found in estuaries, harbors, mangrove sloughs, and the lower reaches of freshwater streams, especially those with high mineral concentrations. This species feeds on benthic algae, plant matter, and small benthic invertebrates. Freshwater, brackish, marine.

Economic importance. Locally consumed, but of no commercial importance. Has the potential to be used as aquarium fish.

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