African pompano
Encyclopedia
The African pompano, Alectis ciliaris, (also known as the pennant-fish and threadfin trevally) is a widely distributed species of tropical marine
fish
in the Jack family, Carangidae
. The species is found in tropical waters worldwide, with adults often inhabiting coastlines while juveniles are usually pelagic, floating with ocean current
s. The adult African pompano is very similar in appearance to the other members of the genus Alectis
, with close examination needed to separate the three. The juveniles, however, are easily identified due to their long, filamentous dorsal
and anal fin tips which are thought to discourage predators. The species lives in depths less than 100 m, consuming a range of crustacean
s and small fishes. The species is of minor economic importance
, often taken amongst other tropical mid water fishes by hook and line while juveniles are occasionally caught in beach seines. African pompano are also highly rated game fish
, often considered one of the strongest of the Jacks in larger sizes.
Alectis
, which itself is one of 33 genera encapsulated in the jack family
Carangidae
. The Carangidae are perciform fishes in the suborder Percoidei
.
The species was first scientifically described by the German
naturalist
Marcus Elieser Bloch
in 1787 under the name of Zeus ciliaris, described from the type specimen collected from Surat
, India
. Following this description, a number of naturalists tried to reclassify the species as the taxonomic literature of fishes grew in volume. Lacepède was the first to do so, giving it the name Gallus virescens, which although he intended to be a new genus, had been assigned to a group of birds previously. Rafinesque examined Gallus virescens in 1815, subsequently creating a new genus for the species; Alectis, and thus making Gallus virescens the type species, despite it being a junior synonym. A number of biologists also renamed the species completely, with Alectis crinitus and Carangoides ajax applied to the species. All names except Alectis ciliaris are now considered defunct under the ICZN
nomenclature rules. Interestingly enough, the original genus name of Zeus has now also been applied to an ascomycete fungi.
The African pompano is not a true pompano
of the genus Trachinotus, but is more closely allied with the fish commonly called jacks and trevallies. The various common names used for the species generally reflect the juvenile filamentous fins, with a number of variations on 'threadfin trevally' often used.
and anal fins and having the head and tail tapering either side. The dorsal and ventral profiles are equally convex
, with a major distinguishing feature of the adult being its more curved head compared to Alectis indicus more angular head profile. The species has 4 to 7 visible spines in the first dorsal fin followed by a single spine and 18 to 20 soft rays in the second dorsal. The anal fin has two spines followed by 15 or 16 soft rays, while the pectoral fin is long and curved. The skin
of the fish appears scaleless, but has minute, embedded scales
scattered on the body. The lateral line
has a strong and moderately long arch dorsally, with its posterior section having 12 to 30 scute
s.
The juvenile
s are distinctive due to their 'threadfin' appearance of having trailing anal and dorsal fin filaments which recede with age. During maturation, the species also becomes more elongate and more like that of other genera of jacks. The body is a silvery-metallic blue to blue-green colour above, being darkest on the head and upper shoulders while the underside is more silvery. The juveniles have 5 chevron-shaped dark bars on their body, with a black blotch at the base of the third to sixth soft dorsal fin rays. The base of the filaments is a dark blue to black, with all other fins pale to hyaline
in appearance.
The African pompano is known to definitely reach a length of 130 cm, although larger specimens to 150 cm have been reported, but are not considered reliable. The maximum published weight of the species is 22.9 kg.
s and sea
s of the world in a temperature range of 65 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit, although is more often found in coastal waters. The species has been recorded from both the east and west coasts of the USA, South America
and Africa
, throughout the Indian Ocean
and along Asia
and Australia
, as well as many islands in the Pacific. The African pompano does range into more temperate
waters, with juveniles in particular captured off south eastern and western Australia, presumably carried by ocean currents.
The adults of the species prefer coastal waters to depths of 100 m, inhabiting reef
s and wreck
s throughout the water column. Juveniles are pelagic by nature, inhabiting coastal areas as well as open ocean. Their reliance on water currents has seen them appear in estuarine waters in lower Australia, although due to cold winter temperatures, they do not survive the winters.
In one unusual case, the abundance in the species off North Carolina
was found to dramatically increase after a hurricane had passed through.
s including decapods
, carids and copepod
s, as well as cephalopod
s and small fish. They themselves are preyed upon by larger fish including mackerel and tunas as well as shark
s. The small pelagic juveniles' filamentous dorsal and anal fins resemble jellyfish
medusae, and this mimicry may gain them some protection from predators. Little is known of their reproductive habits and maturation lengths, although a study in India determined there was a peak in the abundance of A. ciliaris larvae in April. The egg
s were also found to be spherical, pelagic with a yolk and oil globule present, with the larva
e also extensively described in the report. It is thought that in Mexico spawning occurs over sandy substrates in spring.
offered by the African pompano have made the species popular with both recreational
and commercial fishermen, although different sources rate the flesh quality differently. The species has been implicated in a number of ciguatera
cases, suggesting larger fish should probably not be consumed. The attractive appearance of juveniles make them possible aquarium
fish, but they do not survive well in captivity.
to the species in many parts of the world, with easily accessed areas such as Florida
having a strong recreational fishery for the species, as well as more remote areas such as Thailand
and a number of Pacific and Indian Ocean islands.
Tackle for larger fish must be robust, with 50 lb line on a large overhead or threadline type reel
needed to prevent the fish from taking cover in underwater structure on its first run, especially on reefs and wrecks. Smaller fish are often taken on light tackle, often requiring a skilled angler to be able to land the fish in these situations. They can be caught on both bait
and lures
, with small live baitfish or large prawns the choice of baits rigged on strong gauge hooks. Lures are often jigs or streamers worked on deep reefs and wrecks, although they have been known to take a trolled lure or rigged bait. In rare cases, they have even been known to hit saltwater flies
on sinking lines and poppers at the surface.
The recognized record for a recreationally caught African pompano is 18.8 kg. In Florida, the species has a minimum size limit of 24 inches and only two fish are allowed per vessel per day.
Marine (ocean)
Marine is an umbrella term. As an adjective it is usually applicable to things relating to the sea or ocean, such as marine biology, marine ecology and marine geology...
fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
in the Jack family, Carangidae
Carangidae
Carangidae is a family of fish which includes the jacks, pompanos, jack mackerels, and scads.They are marine fish found in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans...
. The species is found in tropical waters worldwide, with adults often inhabiting coastlines while juveniles are usually pelagic, floating with ocean current
Ocean current
An ocean current is a continuous, directed movement of ocean water generated by the forces acting upon this mean flow, such as breaking waves, wind, Coriolis effect, cabbeling, temperature and salinity differences and tides caused by the gravitational pull of the Moon and the Sun...
s. The adult African pompano is very similar in appearance to the other members of the genus Alectis
Alectis
Alectis is a genus of fish in the family Carangidae containing three extant species, all of which are large marine fishes. They are commonly known as threadfish, diamond trevallies and occasionally pompanos, although they have no close affiliation with the true pompano genus.-Taxonomy:Alectis is...
, with close examination needed to separate the three. The juveniles, however, are easily identified due to their long, filamentous dorsal
Dorsal fin
A dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of various unrelated marine and freshwater vertebrates, including most fishes, marine mammals , and the ichthyosaurs...
and anal fin tips which are thought to discourage predators. The species lives in depths less than 100 m, consuming a range of crustacean
Crustacean
Crustaceans form a very large group of arthropods, usually treated as a subphylum, which includes such familiar animals as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles. The 50,000 described species range in size from Stygotantulus stocki at , to the Japanese spider crab with a leg span...
s and small fishes. The species is of minor economic importance
Fishery
Generally, a fishery is an entity engaged in raising or harvesting fish which is determined by some authority to be a fishery. According to the FAO, a fishery is typically defined in terms of the "people involved, species or type of fish, area of water or seabed, method of fishing, class of boats,...
, often taken amongst other tropical mid water fishes by hook and line while juveniles are occasionally caught in beach seines. African pompano are also highly rated game fish
Game fish
Game fish are fish pursued for sport by recreational anglers. They can be freshwater or marine fish. Game fish can be eaten after being caught, though increasingly anglers practise catch and release to improve fish populations. Some game fish are also targeted commercially, particularly...
, often considered one of the strongest of the Jacks in larger sizes.
Taxonomy and naming
The African pompano is one of three members of the diamond trevally genusGenus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Alectis
Alectis
Alectis is a genus of fish in the family Carangidae containing three extant species, all of which are large marine fishes. They are commonly known as threadfish, diamond trevallies and occasionally pompanos, although they have no close affiliation with the true pompano genus.-Taxonomy:Alectis is...
, which itself is one of 33 genera encapsulated in the jack family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Carangidae
Carangidae
Carangidae is a family of fish which includes the jacks, pompanos, jack mackerels, and scads.They are marine fish found in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans...
. The Carangidae are perciform fishes in the suborder Percoidei
Percoidei
Percoidei is one of eighteen suborders of bony fish in the order Perciformes. Many commercially harvested fish species are contained in this suborder, including the snappers, jacks, whitings, groupers, bass, perches and porgies.-Divisions:...
.
The species was first scientifically described by the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
naturalist
Naturalist
Naturalist may refer to:* Practitioner of natural history* Conservationist* Advocate of naturalism * Naturalist , autobiography-See also:* The American Naturalist, periodical* Naturalism...
Marcus Elieser Bloch
Marcus Elieser Bloch
Marcus Elieser Bloch was a German medical doctor and naturalist. He is generally considered one of the most important ichthyologists of the 18th century.- Life :...
in 1787 under the name of Zeus ciliaris, described from the type specimen collected from Surat
Surat
Surat , also known as Suryapur, is the commercial capital city of the Indian state of Gujarat. Surat is India's Eighth most populous city and Ninth-most populous urban agglomeration. It is also administrative capital of Surat district and one of the fastest growing cities in India. The city proper...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Following this description, a number of naturalists tried to reclassify the species as the taxonomic literature of fishes grew in volume. Lacepède was the first to do so, giving it the name Gallus virescens, which although he intended to be a new genus, had been assigned to a group of birds previously. Rafinesque examined Gallus virescens in 1815, subsequently creating a new genus for the species; Alectis, and thus making Gallus virescens the type species, despite it being a junior synonym. A number of biologists also renamed the species completely, with Alectis crinitus and Carangoides ajax applied to the species. All names except Alectis ciliaris are now considered defunct under the ICZN
International Code of Zoological Nomenclature
The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature is a widely accepted convention in zoology that rules the formal scientific naming of organisms treated as animals...
nomenclature rules. Interestingly enough, the original genus name of Zeus has now also been applied to an ascomycete fungi.
The African pompano is not a true pompano
Pompano
Pompanos are marine fishes in the Trachinotus genus of the Carangidae family . Pompano may also refer to various other, similarly shaped members of Carangidae, or the order Perciformes. Their appearance is deep bodied and mackerel-like, typically silver and toothless with a forked tail and...
of the genus Trachinotus, but is more closely allied with the fish commonly called jacks and trevallies. The various common names used for the species generally reflect the juvenile filamentous fins, with a number of variations on 'threadfin trevally' often used.
Description
Like many of the Carangidae, the African pompano is a deep and laterally compressed fish, with the deepest point of the body located between the origin of the dorsalDorsal fin
A dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of various unrelated marine and freshwater vertebrates, including most fishes, marine mammals , and the ichthyosaurs...
and anal fins and having the head and tail tapering either side. The dorsal and ventral profiles are equally convex
Convex set
In Euclidean space, an object is convex if for every pair of points within the object, every point on the straight line segment that joins them is also within the object...
, with a major distinguishing feature of the adult being its more curved head compared to Alectis indicus more angular head profile. The species has 4 to 7 visible spines in the first dorsal fin followed by a single spine and 18 to 20 soft rays in the second dorsal. The anal fin has two spines followed by 15 or 16 soft rays, while the pectoral fin is long and curved. The skin
Skin
-Dermis:The dermis is the layer of skin beneath the epidermis that consists of connective tissue and cushions the body from stress and strain. The dermis is tightly connected to the epidermis by a basement membrane. It also harbors many Mechanoreceptors that provide the sense of touch and heat...
of the fish appears scaleless, but has minute, embedded scales
Scale (zoology)
In most biological nomenclature, a scale is a small rigid plate that grows out of an animal's skin to provide protection. In lepidopteran species, scales are plates on the surface of the insect wing, and provide coloration...
scattered on the body. The lateral line
Lateral line
The lateral line is a sense organ in aquatic organisms , used to detect movement and vibration in the surrounding water. Lateral lines are usually visible as faint lines running lengthwise down each side, from the vicinity of the gill covers to the base of the tail...
has a strong and moderately long arch dorsally, with its posterior section having 12 to 30 scute
Scute
A scute or scutum is a bony external plate or scale, as on the shell of a turtle, the skin of crocodilians, the feet of some birds or the anterior portion of the mesonotum in insects.-Properties:...
s.
The juvenile
Juvenile (organism)
A juvenile is an individual organism that has not yet reached its adult form, sexual maturity or size. Juveniles sometimes look very different from the adult form, particularly in terms of their colour...
s are distinctive due to their 'threadfin' appearance of having trailing anal and dorsal fin filaments which recede with age. During maturation, the species also becomes more elongate and more like that of other genera of jacks. The body is a silvery-metallic blue to blue-green colour above, being darkest on the head and upper shoulders while the underside is more silvery. The juveniles have 5 chevron-shaped dark bars on their body, with a black blotch at the base of the third to sixth soft dorsal fin rays. The base of the filaments is a dark blue to black, with all other fins pale to hyaline
Hyaline
The term hyaline denotes a substance with a glass-like appearance.-Histopathology:In histopathological medical usage, a hyaline substance appears glassy and pink after being stained with haematoxylin and eosin — usually it is an acellular, proteinaceous material...
in appearance.
The African pompano is known to definitely reach a length of 130 cm, although larger specimens to 150 cm have been reported, but are not considered reliable. The maximum published weight of the species is 22.9 kg.
Distribution and habitat
The African pompano is distributed throughout the tropical oceanOcean
An ocean is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the hydrosphere. Approximately 71% of the Earth's surface is covered by ocean, a continuous body of water that is customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller seas.More than half of this area is over 3,000...
s and sea
Sea
A sea generally refers to a large body of salt water, but the term is used in other contexts as well. Most commonly, it means a large expanse of saline water connected with an ocean, and is commonly used as a synonym for ocean...
s of the world in a temperature range of 65 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit, although is more often found in coastal waters. The species has been recorded from both the east and west coasts of the USA, South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
and Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, throughout the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
and along Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, as well as many islands in the Pacific. The African pompano does range into more temperate
Temperate
In geography, temperate or tepid latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. The changes in these regions between summer and winter are generally relatively moderate, rather than extreme hot or cold...
waters, with juveniles in particular captured off south eastern and western Australia, presumably carried by ocean currents.
The adults of the species prefer coastal waters to depths of 100 m, inhabiting reef
Reef
In nautical terminology, a reef is a rock, sandbar, or other feature lying beneath the surface of the water ....
s and wreck
Shipwreck
A shipwreck is what remains of a ship that has wrecked, either sunk or beached. Whatever the cause, a sunken ship or a wrecked ship is a physical example of the event: this explains why the two concepts are often overlapping in English....
s throughout the water column. Juveniles are pelagic by nature, inhabiting coastal areas as well as open ocean. Their reliance on water currents has seen them appear in estuarine waters in lower Australia, although due to cold winter temperatures, they do not survive the winters.
In one unusual case, the abundance in the species off North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
was found to dramatically increase after a hurricane had passed through.
Biology
The African pompano is a schooling predatory fish which takes predominantly a variety of crustaceanCrustacean
Crustaceans form a very large group of arthropods, usually treated as a subphylum, which includes such familiar animals as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles. The 50,000 described species range in size from Stygotantulus stocki at , to the Japanese spider crab with a leg span...
s including decapods
Decapoda
The decapods or Decapoda are an order of crustaceans within the class Malacostraca, including many familiar groups, such as crayfish, crabs, lobsters, prawns and shrimp. Most decapods are scavengers. It is estimated that the order contains nearly 15,000 species in around 2,700 genera, with...
, carids and copepod
Copepod
Copepods are a group of small crustaceans found in the sea and nearly every freshwater habitat. Some species are planktonic , some are benthic , and some continental species may live in limno-terrestrial habitats and other wet terrestrial places, such as swamps, under leaf fall in wet forests,...
s, as well as cephalopod
Cephalopod
A cephalopod is any member of the molluscan class Cephalopoda . These exclusively marine animals are characterized by bilateral body symmetry, a prominent head, and a set of arms or tentacles modified from the primitive molluscan foot...
s and small fish. They themselves are preyed upon by larger fish including mackerel and tunas as well as shark
Shark
Sharks are a type of fish with a full cartilaginous skeleton and a highly streamlined body. The earliest known sharks date from more than 420 million years ago....
s. The small pelagic juveniles' filamentous dorsal and anal fins resemble jellyfish
Jellyfish
Jellyfish are free-swimming members of the phylum Cnidaria. Medusa is another word for jellyfish, and refers to any free-swimming jellyfish stages in the phylum Cnidaria...
medusae, and this mimicry may gain them some protection from predators. Little is known of their reproductive habits and maturation lengths, although a study in India determined there was a peak in the abundance of A. ciliaris larvae in April. The egg
Egg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
s were also found to be spherical, pelagic with a yolk and oil globule present, with the larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e also extensively described in the report. It is thought that in Mexico spawning occurs over sandy substrates in spring.
Relationship to humans
The large size and good table fairFish (food)
Fish is a food consumed by many species, including humans. The word "fish" refers to both the animal and to the food prepared from it. Fish has been an important source of protein for humans throughout recorded history.-Terminology:...
offered by the African pompano have made the species popular with both recreational
Angling
Angling is a method of fishing by means of an "angle" . The hook is usually attached to a fishing line and the line is often attached to a fishing rod. Fishing rods are usually fitted with a fishing reel that functions as a mechanism for storing, retrieving and paying out the line. The hook itself...
and commercial fishermen, although different sources rate the flesh quality differently. The species has been implicated in a number of ciguatera
Ciguatera
Ciguatera is a foodborne illness caused by eating certain reef fishes whose flesh is contaminated with toxins originally produced by dinoflagellates such as Gambierdiscus toxicus which lives in tropical and subtropical waters. These dinoflagellates adhere to coral, algae and seaweed, where they are...
cases, suggesting larger fish should probably not be consumed. The attractive appearance of juveniles make them possible aquarium
Aquarium
An aquarium is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, turtles, and aquatic plants...
fish, but they do not survive well in captivity.
Commercial fishery
Adult African pompano are most often taken by hook and line methods, such as trolling although don't often make up a high percentage of catches. Juveniles are occasionally taken by beach seines. The species is marketed both fresh as well as dried or salted.Recreational fishery
The fighting prowess and good table fare attract anglersAngling
Angling is a method of fishing by means of an "angle" . The hook is usually attached to a fishing line and the line is often attached to a fishing rod. Fishing rods are usually fitted with a fishing reel that functions as a mechanism for storing, retrieving and paying out the line. The hook itself...
to the species in many parts of the world, with easily accessed areas such as Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
having a strong recreational fishery for the species, as well as more remote areas such as Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
and a number of Pacific and Indian Ocean islands.
Tackle for larger fish must be robust, with 50 lb line on a large overhead or threadline type reel
Reel
A reel is an object around which lengths of another material are wound for storage. Generally a reel has a cylindrical core and walls on the sides to retain the material wound around the core...
needed to prevent the fish from taking cover in underwater structure on its first run, especially on reefs and wrecks. Smaller fish are often taken on light tackle, often requiring a skilled angler to be able to land the fish in these situations. They can be caught on both bait
Bait (luring substance)
Bait is any substance used to attract prey, e.g. in a mousetrap.-In Australia:Baiting in Australia refers to specific campaigns to control foxes, wild dogs and dingos by poisoning in areas where they are a problem...
and lures
Fishing lure
A fishing lure is an object attached to the end of a fishing line which is designed to resemble and move like the prey of a fish. The purpose of the lure is to use movement, vibration, and colour to catch the fish's attention so it bites the hook...
, with small live baitfish or large prawns the choice of baits rigged on strong gauge hooks. Lures are often jigs or streamers worked on deep reefs and wrecks, although they have been known to take a trolled lure or rigged bait. In rare cases, they have even been known to hit saltwater flies
Fly fishing
Fly fishing is an angling method in which an artificial 'fly' is used to catch fish. The fly is cast using a fly rod, reel, and specialized weighted line. Casting a nearly weightless fly or 'lure' requires casting techniques significantly different from other forms of casting...
on sinking lines and poppers at the surface.
The recognized record for a recreationally caught African pompano is 18.8 kg. In Florida, the species has a minimum size limit of 24 inches and only two fish are allowed per vessel per day.