Trachinotus goodei

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Trachinotus goodei
Palometa.jpg

Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Carangiformes
Family: Carangidae
Genus: Trachinotus
Species:
T. goodei
Binomial name
Trachinotus goodei

Trachinotus goodei, the palometa, 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.[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 (1 ft 8 in) long.[5] The heaviest was 560 g (1 lb 4 oz).[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]

  • A palometa seen off the coast of Bonaire

  • Another palometa, swimming with a sergeant major (Abudefduf saxatilis)

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] few are captured for the aquarium trade. In a review of aquarium fish from Ceará in Brazil, only two palometa were exported between 1995 and 2000, both from Fortaleza.[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 claimed to be responsible for the attack was a type of piranha,[11] as 'palometa' is a general common name used for many species of serrasalmids (including several piranhas) in South America.[12][13]

Palometa, Trachinotus goodei, have been farm raised from eggs by Proaquatix,[14] a fish farm in Florida. They are of commercial interest as an ornamental species for large displays and public aquariums.

Etymology[]

The specific name of this fish honors the American ichthyologist George Brown Goode (1851-1896), who was assistant secretary of the Smithsonian Institution and who was the first to note the presence of this species in the waters of the United States.[15]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b Collen, B.; Richman, N.; Beresford, A.; Chenery, A.; Ram, M.; et al. (Sampled Red List Index Coordinating Team) (2010). "Trachinotus goodei". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2010: e.T154970A4679678. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-4.RLTS.T154970A4679678.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d 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. ^ a b c 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. ^ Olimpiadas Nacionales de Contenidos Educativos en Internet (2002). Fauna Ictícola del Río Uruguay. Ministry of Education, Argentina. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
  13. ^ Machado-Allison, Antonio (2005). Los Peces de los Llanos de Venezuela. Pp. 196-198. Third edition. Central University of Venezuela. ISBN 980-00-2235-X
  14. ^ "Palometa".
  15. ^ Christopher Scharpf; Kenneth J. Lazara (10 August 2019). "Order CARANGIFORMES (Jacks)". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 18 November 2019.

External links[]

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