Coryphaena equiselis
Pompano Dolphinfish
Collection Details
Specimens
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Coryphaenidae (Dolphinfishes)
Coryphaena
Coryphaena equiselis (Pompano Dolphinfish)
Description
This species account was compiled from
Composite (multiple sources) (McEachran, J.D. and J.D. Fechhelm. Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. University of Texas Press, Austin.)
and processed using AI-assisted text extraction.
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Characters
Elongate, compressed, and relatively deep bodied, with relatively small pectoral fins and a convex anal fin. Head profile is slightly convex in young specimens, strongly convex in adults, and slightly more convex in males than in females. Tooth patch on tongue is trapezoid shaped, wider anteriorly than posteriorly, and covers most of tongue. Gill rakers on first arch number 1 or 2 on upper limb and 10 or 11 on lower limb in juveniles, and none on upper limb and 8 to 10 on lower limb in adults. Pectoral fin is acute, is about half of head length, and has 18 to 21 rays. Dorsal fin has 52 to 59 rays, and anal fin has 23 to 29 rays. Lateral line scales number 160 to 200. Vertebrae number 33 or (rarely) 34: 13 or 14 precaudal and 19 or 20 caudal.
Color is brilliant metallic bluish green dorsally and silvery with golden sheen and small black spots laterally and ventrally, with indistinct darker bars that do not extend onto fins. Shortly after death, color changes to gray with a green tinge. Juveniles are uniformly colored, and dorsal and anal fins are weakly barred.
Distribution
Gulf of Mexico
Habitat Associations
Tropical and warm temperate seas in both oceanic and coastal waters
Biology
Crustaceans, squids, and small ray-finned fishes
75 cm TL
Primarily an oceanic species but may enter coastal waters (Ref. 9293). Usually forms schools. Follows boats and may be found under floating objects (Ref. 9293). Feeds on small fishes and squid (Ref. 9293). Eggs and larvae are pelagic (Ref. 6755). Marketed fresh and considered an excellent food fish (Ref. 5288). An important game fish in northern South America (Ref. 5217).
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; nonguarders (open water/substratum egg scatterers); parental care: none.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2010-09-16. Resilience: Medium (tmax=4).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: minor commercial; gamefish.
References
Gibbs and Collette 1959
Böhlke and Chaplin 1968
Collette et al. 1969
Hoese and Moore 1977, 1998
Palko et al. 1982
Collette 1986a, 2001d, 2002a,b
Robins and Ray 1986
Smith 1986b
Boschung 1992
Schaldach et al. 1997
Smith 1997
Smith-Vaniz et al. 1999
Palko, B.J., G.L. Beardsley and W.J. Richards (1982) Synopsis of the biological data on dolphin-fishes, Coryphaena hippurus Linnaeus and Coryphaena equiselis Linnaeus. FAO Fish. Synop. (130); NOAA Tech. Rep. NMFS Circ. (443).
Breder, C.M. and D.E. Rosen (1966) Modes of reproduction in fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey. 941 p.
Masuda, H., K. Amaoka, C. Araga, T. Uyeno and T. Yoshino (1984) The fishes of the Japanese Archipelago. Vol. 1. Tokai University Press, Tokyo, Japan. 437 p. (text).
Collette, B.B. (1984) Coryphaenidae. In W. Fischer and G. Bianchi (eds.) FAO species identification sheets for fishery purposes. Western Indian Ocean (Fishing Area 51), Volume 2. FAO, Rome.
Jiménez Prado, P. and P. Béarez (2004) Peces Marinos del Ecuador continental. Tomo 2: Guía de Especies / Marine fishes of continental Ecuador. Volume 2: Species Guide. SIMBIOE/NAZCA/IFEA.
Fricke, R., M. Kulbicki and L. Wantiez (2011) Checklist of the fishes of New Caledonia, and their distribution in the Southwest Pacific Ocean (Pisces). Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Naturkunde A, Neue Serie 4:341-463.
Pan, M., R. Ouréns, L. Dione, I. Samba, N. Sánchez-Carnero and J. Freire (2015) Length-weight relationships for 13 fish species from a coastal artisanal fishery at Cape Verde peninsula (Senegal). J. Appl. Ichthyol. 31:1177-1179. DOI: 10.1111/jai.12890
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