Black Scraper (Thamnaconus modestus) is a saltwater species recorded in Taiwan. It is mainly found over reef, at depths of 50–110 m. The main season in Taiwan runs autumn, winter.
Scientific name: Thamnaconus modestus · Water: Saltwater · Season: Autumn, Winter
Size: 20–32 cm
Weight: 0.2–0.8 kg
The black scraper is a winter star around northern Taiwan's harbours and rocky shores, named for the skin that must be peeled off before cooking. Its range is the north-west Pacific, from Hokkaido in Japan south to the Ryukyu Islands, and it is also known from the East and South China seas. Feeding on algae and small bottom organisms, it schools inshore and bites heavily around Keelung as the water cools in November–December. Its sweet, clean-tasting flesh makes it a favourite cold-season target.
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