TRACHINOTUS BLOCHII - (LACEPEDE, 1801)
Picture courtesy of: Alain Daoulas
Actinopterygii (Gigaclass) > Actinopteri (Class) > Teleostei (Subclass) > Carangiformes (Order) > Carangoidei (Suborder) > Carangidae (Family) > Trachinotinae (Subfamily) > Trachinotus (Genus)
Trachinote de Bloch, Pampre, Carangue à plumes, Pompaneau lune, Asian pompano, Buck-nosed trevally, Golden permit, Goldfin permit, Long dorsal fin pompano, Ovate pompano, Oyster cracker, Oyster eater, Round pompano, Silver pompano, Snub-nosed dart, Snubnose dart, Snub-nosed swallowtail, Snubnose pompano, Spinous dory, Pâmpano lunar, Pámpano ericero, Pámpano lunero, Pámpano palometa, Stompneus-pompano, Marukoban, マルコバン, 布氏鯧鰺, 红沙瓜仔, بومبانو قمريّ,
Synonymes
Caesiomorus blochii (Lacepède, 1801)
Scomber falcatus (Forsskål, 1775)
Trachinotus auratus (Richardson, 1846)
Trachinotus blochi (Lacepède, 1801)
Trachinotus drepanis (Cuvier, 1832)
Trachinotus falcatus (Forsskål, 1775)
Trachinotus falciger (Cuvier, 1832)
Trachynotus blochi (Lacepède, 1801)
Trachynotus falcatus (Forsskål, 1775)
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Description
Dorsal spines (total): 6 + 1, (the anterior spines often becoming completely embedded in large adults) followed by one spine; Dorsal soft rays (total): 18-20; Anal spines: 2 + 1, with first two detached spines (becoming embedded in large adults) followed by one spine; Anal soft rays: 16-18; Gill rakers: 5-8 + 8-10; Vertebrae 10+14. Fusiform body shape, exhibiting a general oval shape, elongated towards the posterior end. Body ovate in young to subovate in large adults and compressed with depth of 5 cm; Profile of snout broadly rounded, in adults becoming nearly straight to interorbital region; Both jaws with bands of small villiform teeth; Tongue toothless (except 2-3 slender teeth rarely on small specimens). Pelvic fins shorter than pectoral fins, lateral line only slightly irregular, weakly convex above pectoral fin, becoming straight posteriorly. No scutes or caudal peduncle grooves. First pre-dorsal lobe shaped like an inverted tear-drop or oval shaped, this character is easily observed by a simple dissection along mid line of nap, supra occipital bone of skull thin and blade like in adults. Max. length: 110 cm FL, common length: 40.0 cm TL. Max. published weight: 3.4 kg. Depth range: 1 - 55 m.
Color
Juveniles are silvery with pale fins, except for brownish to brownish-orange lobes of median fins and anterior half of pelvic fins.
Adults head and body generally silvery, blue grey above, paler below; Large adults occasionally golden yellow especially snout and lower half of body. Second dorsal fin dark, lobe of fin dusky orange; Anal fin dusky dirty orange, lobe with a brownish anterior margin; Caudal fin dark to dirty orange with leading edges of fin darkest. Pelvic fins white to dirty orange, pectoral fins dark.
Juveniles are silvery with pale fins, except for brownish to brownish-orange lobes of median fins and anterior half of pelvic fins.
Adults head and body generally silvery, blue grey above, paler below; Large adults occasionally golden yellow especially snout and lower half of body. Second dorsal fin dark, lobe of fin dusky orange; Anal fin dusky dirty orange, lobe with a brownish anterior margin; Caudal fin dark to dirty orange with leading edges of fin darkest. Pelvic fins white to dirty orange, pectoral fins dark.
Etymology
Trachinotus: from Greek, trachys, -eia, -ys = rough + from Greek, noton = back. Referring to five short spines of first dorsal fin of Trachinotus falcatus (in younger specimens the spines are more prominent; In older adults, they appear small and may even disappear due to encroachment of skin).
blochii: in honnor of Marcus Elieser Bloch (1723–1799) was a German medical doctor and naturalist. He is generally considered one of the most important ichthyologists of the 18th century.
Original description: Caesiomorus blochii Lacepède, 1801 - Type locality: locality not stated (is Fort Dauphin, near Tôlanaro, southeastern Madagascar).
Distribution
Red Sea; Indo-West Pacific: KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa), East Africa, Persian Gulf, Socotra (Yemen), Seychelles, Madagascar and Mascarenes (La Réunion, Mauritius, Rodrigues), east to Marshall Islands, Samoa and Tonga, north to Kagoshima Prefecture (southern Japan), south to Western Australia and New Caledonia.
Biology
Juveniles inhabit sandy shorelines and shallow sandy or muddy bays near river mouths while adults move out in schools to clear seaward coral and rock reefs. Adults are usually solitary. Adults feed primarily on sand mollusks and other hard-shelled invertebrates. Juvenile is apparently an opportunistic feeder. It is observed to be a planktivore, primarily consuming copepods and some benthic organisms including polychaetes. Reports of ciguatera poisoning. Of minor commercial importance, particularly in artisanal fisheries, and aquacultured in some areas. Also a popular sports fish and displayed in public aquaria.
Trachinotus: from Greek, trachys, -eia, -ys = rough + from Greek, noton = back. Referring to five short spines of first dorsal fin of Trachinotus falcatus (in younger specimens the spines are more prominent; In older adults, they appear small and may even disappear due to encroachment of skin).
blochii: in honnor of Marcus Elieser Bloch (1723–1799) was a German medical doctor and naturalist. He is generally considered one of the most important ichthyologists of the 18th century.
Original description: Caesiomorus blochii Lacepède, 1801 - Type locality: locality not stated (is Fort Dauphin, near Tôlanaro, southeastern Madagascar).
Distribution
Red Sea; Indo-West Pacific: KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa), East Africa, Persian Gulf, Socotra (Yemen), Seychelles, Madagascar and Mascarenes (La Réunion, Mauritius, Rodrigues), east to Marshall Islands, Samoa and Tonga, north to Kagoshima Prefecture (southern Japan), south to Western Australia and New Caledonia.
Biology
Juveniles inhabit sandy shorelines and shallow sandy or muddy bays near river mouths while adults move out in schools to clear seaward coral and rock reefs. Adults are usually solitary. Adults feed primarily on sand mollusks and other hard-shelled invertebrates. Juvenile is apparently an opportunistic feeder. It is observed to be a planktivore, primarily consuming copepods and some benthic organisms including polychaetes. Reports of ciguatera poisoning. Of minor commercial importance, particularly in artisanal fisheries, and aquacultured in some areas. Also a popular sports fish and displayed in public aquaria.
Similar species
Trachinotus anak (Ogilby, 1909) - Reported from New Caledonia. Trachinotus blochii has longer dorsal and anal-fin lobes in adults with a black leading edge, and a black margin on the caudal-fin lobes.
Last update: 4, March 2023
Trachinotus anak (Ogilby, 1909) - Reported from New Caledonia. Trachinotus blochii has longer dorsal and anal-fin lobes in adults with a black leading edge, and a black margin on the caudal-fin lobes.
Last update: 4, March 2023