Fish profile · Carangidae

Black pomfret

Parastromateus niger

FoodSaltwaterNative to MalaysiaLeast Concern (IUCN)

A deep-bodied food fish belonging to the jack family rather than the true pomfrets. Adults are dark above and silver-grey below; juveniles have strong bands and pelvic fins that adults lack.

Last reviewed 26 October 2026 · 6 sources

Photo of Black pomfret — (c) Ong Jyh Seng, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY

Max length: 75 cm
IUCN: LC; Least Concern
In Malaysia: Native
Family: Carangidae; order Perciformes

Category from the IUCN Red List, via GBIF (CC BY 4.0); it may lag the latest Red List assessment.

How big?

Linear scale · person 170 cm

Up to 75 cm.

The person is 170 cm tall.

Where in Malaysia

73 open-licence records · GBIF

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Recorded (open records)

Recorded in Sabah, Sarawak, Terengganu, Pahang, Kelantan, Perlis, Negeri Sembilan, Selangor, Perak, Johor, Kedah, and Melaka. Based on 73 open-licence records on GBIF. Few records can mean few surveys, not few fish.

How to identify

Deep, flattened body
Adult pelvic fins absent
Juveniles marked with dark bands

Habitat

Coastal waters

Tropical Indo-West Pacific waters over muddy bottoms; juveniles may accompany jellyfish.

Diet: Mostly tiny algae, fish eggs and young fish, and small shrimp-like animals.
Native range: Tropical Indo-Pacific.

Eating

A food fish listed in the Malaysian Ministry of Health food-composition database.

More photos

Black pomfret, photo 2 — (c) Ong Jyh Seng, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA

Black pomfret, photo 3 — (c) Ong Jyh Seng, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA

Sources

Last reviewed 26 October 2026