Blackspotted croaker
species of fish
The blackspotted croaker (Protonibea diacanthus), also known in Australia as the black jewfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Sciaenidae, the drums and croakers. This fish is found in the Indo-Pacific region. It is the only species in the monospecific genus Protonibea.
Taxonomy
The blackspotted croaker was first formally described in 1802 as Lutjanus diacanthus by the French naturalist Bernard Germain de Lacépède without its type locality being given. In 1971 Ethelwynn Trewavas classified this species in the monospecific genus Protonibea. This taxon has been placed in the subfamily Otolithinae by some workers, but the 5th edition of Fishes of the World does not recognise subfamilies within the Sciaenidae which it places in the order Acanthuriformes.
Catalog of Fishes mentions that the monspecific genus Megalonibea may be a synonym of Protonibea, however, as Protonibea was proposed as a genus by Ethelwynn Trewavas in 1973 that name would be a junior synonym of Megalonibea, and it is treated as such by other authors. If that is the case then the binomial for this species should be Megalonibea diacantha, with Megalonibea fusca being a synonym of M. diacantha.
Etymology
The blackspotted croaker's genus name. Protonibea prefixes protos, meaning "first", with Nibea as its wide range and characteristics suggest that it may be close to the ancestral form of Nibea and related genera.
The public source identifies “Blackspotted croaker” as species of fish. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Blackspotted, croaker and species.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Blackspotted croaker”, the useful work is to connect “species of fish” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Stable identifiers, scientific names and standards terminology offer the best bridge between this overview and specialist evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 18, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2639323. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1802, 1971 and 1973.
A general summary may omit uncertainty, sample limits or methodological disagreement that is explicit in the technical record. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.
- Current terminology
- Classification context
- Finding cited technical literature
Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Blackspotted croaker”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Blackspotted croaker primary sources, Blackspotted croaker archive and Blackspotted research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Blackspotted croaker”?
- Has classification or technical consensus changed since the cited source?
- Which observation, specimen, dataset or publication supports the account?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Blackspotted croaker” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.