Trachinotus goodei

Trachinotus goodei
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Carangidae
Genus: Trachinotus
Species: T. goodei
Binomial name
Trachinotus goodei
D. S. Jordan & Evermann, 1896

The Palometa, Trachinotus goodei, is an ocean-going game fish of the family Carangidae. Other common names include banner pompano, camade fish, cobbler, gafftopsail, great pompano, joefish, longfin pompano, old wife, sand mackerel, streamers jack, wireback, and zelwan.[1] This fish is native to the western Atlantic Ocean from Massachusetts to Bermuda to Argentina. It can be found in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.[2]

Description

An early anatomical drawing of a Palometa.

The palometa is best recognized by its elongated dorsal and anal fins with dark anterior lobes.[3] The dorsal fin usually has seven or eight spines and 19-20 soft rays, while the anal fin has two or three spines and 16-18 soft rays.[2]

Its coloration varies from gray to blue-green on the top of its head, and the sides are silver with four narrow, vertical bars. A faint fifth bar shows near the base of the tail. The breast usually has an orange tinge. The tail has no scutes, unlike many members of its family.[4]

The largest known palometa was 50 cm long.[5] The heaviest was 560 g.[6]

Biology

The palometa prefers clear, tropical water in sandy shores and bays. It may school above coral reefs.[4]

Little is known about the reproduction of the palometa. It is thought to spawn far offshore during all seasons except winter.[4] Juveniles have shown high growth rates in maricultural experiments.[7]

In the wild, the palometa eats worms, insect pupae, and smaller fish.[2]

Relationship with humans

Though there have been reports of ciguatera poisoning,[8] the palometa is considered primarily a game fish. Although it is used in aquaculture,[2] there are only two known cases of the palometa being traded as aquarium fish between 1995 and 2000, both in Fortaleza, Ceará (Brazil).[9] It is rarely used for any other purpose than as a gamefish.

Bathers cooling off in the Parana River in Rosario, 300 kilometres (190 mi) north of Buenos Aires, Argentina on Christmas Day 2013 were attacked by a fish they called 'Palometa'. Up to 70 people were bitten, some lost toes and fingers.[10] The actual species responsible for the attack was a type of pirana, Pygocentrus palometa.[11]

Palometa have been farm raised from eggs by Proaquatix,[12] a fish farm in Florida. They are of commercial interest as an ornamental species for large displays and public aquariums.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Collen, B., et al. (Sampled Red List Index Coordinating Team) 2010. Trachinotus goodei. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. Downloaded on 02 June 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Froese, R. and D. Pauly, Eds. Trachinotus goodei. FishBase. 2011.
  3. ↑ Smith, C.L., 1997. National Audubon Society Field Guide to Tropical Marine Fishes of the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, Florida, the Bahamas, and Bermuda. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York. 720 p.
  4. 1 2 3 Trachinotus goodei. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
  5. ↑ Robins, C. R. and G. C. Ray. 1986. A Field Guide to Atlantic Coast Fishes of North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. 354 p.
  6. ↑ IGFA, 2001. Database of IGFA Angling Records until 2001. IGFA, Fort Lauderdale, USA.
  7. ↑ Cole, W. M., et al. (1997). Effects of feeding four formulated diets on growth of juvenile palometa, Trachinotus goodei. Journal of Applied Aquaculture 7(2) 51-60.
  8. ↑ Dammann, A.E., 1969. Study of the fisheries potential of the Virgin Islands. Special Report. Contribution No. 1. Virgin Islands Ecological Research Station.
  9. ↑ Monteiro-Neto, C., et al. 2003. Analysis of the marine ornamental fish trade at Ceará State, northeast Brazil. Biodivers. Conserv. 12:1287-1295.
  10. ↑ "Carnivorous fish attack bathers in Argentina". BBC NEWS. 26 December 2013.
  11. ↑ "Argentina: 70 injured in bizarre carnivorous fish attack". komonews.com. Associated Press. 26 Dec 2013. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
  12. ↑ http://www.proaquatix.com/portfolio/palometa/
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