The scientific name of the chitinous fish is Pelteobagrus fulvidraco, a fish of the genus Pelteobagrus in the family Luridae.

It can grow up to 20 centimeters in length, with a large and flattened head, a laterally deviated posterior half of the body, and a slender caudal peduncle. It is widely distributed in China and is found as far north as Heilongjiang and as far south as the Pearl River. It has a good flavor and is also rich in trace elements and has a high food value.

Distributed in Laos, Vietnam, China, North Korea, Russia, southeast Siberia. In China, it is distributed in the Pearl River, Min River, Xiang River, Yangtze River, Yellow River, Hai River, Songhua River and Heilongjiang River.

Breeding

The Pelteobagrus fulvidraco is a one-time annual spawning fish, and it has the habit of cluster breeding under natural conditions. The breeding season is from mid-May to mid-July, and the water temperature varies from 25 to 30.5℃.

Pelteobagrus fulvidraco is generally sexually mature at the age of 2, and Pelteobagrus fulvidraco in Chenghu reaches sexual maturity at the age of 1 winter. In the measured specimens, the length of the smallest mature individual female is 11.5 centimeters, and the length of the male is 13.5 centimeters, and the sexual maturity of female is earlier than that of the male.

The absolute egg carrying capacity of Pelteobagrus fulvidraco ranged from 2500 to 16,500 eggs, with an average of 4,000 eggs, and the relative egg carrying capacity ranged from 58.33 to 77.77 eggs per gram, with an average of 65.71 eggs per gram. The main breeding area of Pelteobagrus fulvidraco is in the waters with shallow water level, hard bottom, certain foot of the beach, high transparency, slow current, rich bait resources and suitable for nesting and hatching.