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Coryphaena equiselis

(Cam?l?on)

Overview

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Family : Dolphinfishes; Primarily in oceanic species but may enter coastal waters [1]. Usually forms schools. Follows boats and may be found under floating objects[1]. Feeds on small fishes and squid[1]. Marketed fresh and considered an excellent food fish [2]. An important game fish in northern South America [3].

Interesting Facts

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Common Names

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Click on the language to view common names.

Common Names in Afrikaans:

Dorade, Pompano-dorade

Common Names in Agutaynen:

Dolado

Common Names in Arabic:

Anfalus

Common Names in Bikol:

Dorado, Lamadang babae

Common Names in Catalan:

Llampuga borda

Common Names in Cebuano:

Durado, Lali, Lumod, Pandawan

Common Names in Chavacano:

Lali

Common Names in Creole, French:

Dorade, Ti klik

Common Names in Creole, Portuguese:

Colombeta, Dourado

Common Names in Creoles and Pidgins, French:

Colombeta, Dorade, Dourado, Ti klik

Common Names in Creoles and Pidgins, Portuguese:

Colombeta, Dourado

Common Names in Danish:

Lille guldmakrel

Common Names in Davawenyo:

Pandawan

Common Names in English:

Blue dolphin, Dolphin, Dorado, Lesser Dolphin, Lesser Dolphin-Fish, Little dolphin, Little Mahimahi, Mahi mahi, Mahimahi, Pompano dolfinfish, pompano dolphin, Pompano dolphin fish, Pompano dolphinfish, Pompano Mahi Mahi, Small dolphin

Common Names in Ewe:

Agama

Common Names in Fon:

Kofihantanlin

Common Names in Fon GBE:

Kofihantanlin

Common Names in Fongbe:

Kofihantanlin

Common Names in French:

Cam?l?on, Cam, Caméléon, Coryph, Coryph?ne Dauphin, Coryphène dauphin

Common Names in German:

Pampano-Goldmakrele

Common Names in Greek:

Lagos, Λαγός

Common Names in Greek, Modern:

Lagos, Λαγός

Common Names in Greek, Modern (1453):

Lagos, Λαγός

Common Names in Hausa:

Lali

Common Names in Hawaiian:

Mahimahi

Common Names in Hiligaynon:

Durado

Common Names in Ilokano:

Pantranco

Common Names in Japanese:

Ebisu-shiira

Common Names in Kagayanen:

Morado

Common Names in Korean:

줄만새기

Common Names in Kuyunon:

Dorado

Common Names in Maltese:

Lampuka, Lampuka rara

Common Names in Mandarin Chinese:

棘鯕鰍, 棘鲯鳅

Common Names in Maranao/Samal/Tao Su:

Lalih

Common Names in Maranao/Samal/Tao Sug:

Lalih

Common Names in Polish:

Koryfena mala

Common Names in Portuguese:

Colombeta, Delfim, Doirado, Doirado-amarelo, Doirado-F, Doirado-fêmea, Doirado-fÍmea, Doirado-pampo, Dourado, Dourado-amarelo, Dourado-palombeta, Dourado-pampo, Sapatorra

Common Names in Somali:

Sucbaan

Common Names in Spanish:

Doradito, Dorado, Dorado chato, Dorado enano

Common Names in Swahili:

Falusi, Fulusi, Pomboo

Common Names in Tagalog:

Dolpin, Durado, Pandawan

Common Names in Tahitian:

Mahimahi tari'a

Common Names in Unknown:

Loungonou, Loungonouénia

Common Names in Vietnamese:

Cá N?c heo, Cá Nục heo

Common Names in Waray-waray:

Dorado

Common Names in Wolof:

Dakn sin, Kakatarou guetj, Yiteunte

Description

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Physical Description

Species Coryphaena equiselis

Distinctive Features: The two species of dolphin fish are easily distinguishable. Both exhibit the same elongate , fusiform body shape . The single dorsal fin extends the length of the body. The anal fin begins approximately in the middle of the body and ends at the same point as the dorsal fin. The pelvic fins are inserted under the pectoral fins and can be compressed into a shallow groove on the body. The caudal fin is strongly forked . The head is blunt and the mouth contains many small teeth. The tongue tooth patch is large and square . Cycloid scales cover the body. Mature males develop a prominent bony ridge at the front of the head. The pompano dolphin can be separated from the common dolphin by its body depth, which is greater than 25% of its standard length. This dolphin generally has fewer dorsal fin rays than the common dolphin (52-59) and more vertebrae (33), the difference being in the number of caudal vertebrae. In juveniles , the entire margins of the caudal fins are white and the pelvic fins unpigmented.

Coloration : Pompano dolphins are among the most colorful pelagic gamefish. The dorsal surface is bright blue and green, the sides are yellow and gold with blue-green overtones, and the ventral surface is white or yellow. Many small black dots are present over the head and body. Juveniles have distinct bars on the sides.

Dentition: Dentition helps to distinguish the pompano dolphin (C. equiselis) from the common dolphin (C. hippurus. The pompano dolphin has a squarish tooth patch on the tongue in contrast to the common dolphin that has a oval tooth patch.

Size, Age, and Growth: Males and females are approximately equal in weight up to a length of 37 inches (95 cm), at which point the males are heavier than the females. Unlike most pelagic species, pompano dolphin grows very rapidly throughout their lifespan. Their maximum lifespan is estimated at less than four years.

Males are commonly 50 cm (Total Length) in length when caught/marketed, but may be as large as 127 cm (Total Length).

Habitat

The pompano dolphin is oceanic , distributed worldwide in tropical and subtropical waters. Unlike the common dolphin, it is rarely caught in coastal waters . It is also rarely found in water less than 24°C at the surface.

Dolphins school at all sizes. They are commonly observed schooling under drift lines of seaweed, or under floating debris and boats . Dolphins may separate into schools based upon size and/or sex. Common and pompano dolphins have been observed in the same school. Little is known of migratory patterns . It is not uncommon for dolphin schools to follow drifting debris or vessels for many days, indicating that these chance encounters may dictate their movements.

Typically found in water with a depth of 0 to -7,883 meters (0 to -25,863 feet).[4]

Ecology: This pelagic, oceanodromous species is primarily oceanic but may enter coastal waters . It usually forms schools. It follows boats and may be found under floating objects. It feeds on small fishes and squid.

This species is fast-growing and short-lived. Maximum size is 75 cm, but more commonly is found to 50 cm. The all-tackle gamefish record is of a 3.86 kg fish taken in Baltimore Canyon , Maryland in 2008 (IGFA 2011). This species is much smaller and less important to fisheries than C. hippurus. Age at first maturity is 3–4 months. Spawning is probably year-round at water temperatures greater than 21°C (Gibbs and Collette 1959, Ditty 2005, Collette 2010).[5].

List of Habitats :

Biology

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Diet

Many observations have been made on the feeding habits of dolphins . Dolphins are swift moving, agile predators and are able to overcome most prey items. They are not selective in their feeding habits, although diet changes with growth. Larvae and juveniles feed primarily upon crustaceans, especially copepods . Adults feed mostly upon bony fishes , with flying fish (Exocoetidae) constituting approximately 25% of the food by weight . Other common food items include crabs, shrimp, and cephalopods . Sargassum is frequently found in the stomachs, but this is probably an incidental intake associated with foraging in the sargassum communities. Dolphins feed primarily during the day, as they rely upon the vision (as well as their lateral line system ) to detect prey. There is evidence that they may also feed at night when the moon provides ample light. Males are apparently more active feeders than females, evidenced by the larger amounts of food found in their stomachs. Males tend to be larger than females of the same age, and thus probably need more energy to support their metabolism .

Reproduction

Pompano dolphins begin to spawn at a size of approximately 20 cm standard length. They are pair spawners , opposed to communal or mass spawners. The spawning season for dolphins is long, and multiple spawnings per year are common in both males and females. In the tropics, they spawn year round . Young dolphins have been found year round in the Straits of Florida, supporting this assumption. In the northern and southern extremes of the range , they apparently spawn only in the warmer months. In laboratory conditions, dolphins have spawned both during the day and night. Larvae are found in tropical waters worldwide. Young dolphins are found in the Florida Current year round, but peak abundance occurs in the summer. Larvae hatch at approximately 4 mm in length ; within four days, they reach a length of 5.7 mm. At 15 days, the larvae are approximately 15 mm long. Vague adult characteristics are visible at this size, and the eyes and mouth are fully developed. Juvenile pompano dolphins tend to be solidly colored at very small sizes, developing light barring between lengths of 25-90 mm.

Migration

Oceanodromous .

Behavior

There are reports of young dolphin following a Sargassum line for 230 miles (370 km ), of dolphin schooling under a raft as it was towed 30 miles (48 km), and of pompano dolphin following a sailboat for 19 days. The crew of the Kon-Tiki ate dolphin throughout the voyage from Peru to the Indo-Pacific that took approximately 150 days. It is recognized that dolphins generally migrate northward during the spring and summer. This may represent a response to movements of food items, the expansion of their range due to warmer water temperatures , or prespawning activity.

Predators : Large piscivorouse fishes feed on the pompano dolphin including tuna , marlin, and sharks . Seabirds are also known predators of this fish.

Taxonomy

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Synonyms

Coryphaena aurata • Coryphaena aurata Rafinesque • Coryphaena azorica • Coryphaena azorica Valenciennes • Coryphaena equiselis Linnaeus • Coryphaena equisetis • Coryphaena equisetis Linnaeus • Coryphaena equisetis Linnaeus, 1758 • Coryphaena equisetis Osbeck • Coryphaena lessonii • Coryphaena lessonii Valenciennes • Coryphaena socialis • Lampugus neapolitanus • Lampugus neapolitanus Valenciennes • Lampugus punctulatus • Lampugus punctulatus Valenciennes

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name .

Last scrutiny: Data last modified by FishBase 05-Oct-1995

This species is frequently misidentified as juvenile or female of Coryphaena hippurus. (Ref. 265337).

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Coryphaena

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 7 species and subspecies in this genus:

C. coerulea (Blue Parrotfish) · C. equiselis (Pompano Dolphin Fish) · C. hippurus (Common Dolphin Fish) · C. novacula (Pearly Razorfish) · C. perciformis (Barrelfish) · C. plumieri (Sand Tilefish) · C. velifera (Spotted Fanfish)

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 14, 2007:

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. Collette, B.B. (1995). Coryphaenidae. Dorados. p. 1036-1038. In W. Fischer, F. Krupp, W. Schneider, C. Sommer, K.E. Carpenter and V. Niem (eds.) Guia FAO para Identification de Especies para lo Fines de la Pesca. Pacifico Centro-Oriental. 3 Vols. FAO, ... [back]
  2. Edwards, A. (1990). Fish and fisheries of Saint Helena Island. Centre for Tropical Coastal Management Studies, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. [back]
  3. Cervigón, F., R. Cipriani, W. Fischer, L. Garibaldi, M. Hendrickx, A.J. Lemus, R. Márquez, J.M. Poutiers, G. Robaina and B. Rodriguez (1992). Fichas FAO de identificación de especies para los fines de la pesca. Guía de campo de las especies comerciales ma ... [back]
  4. Mean = -1,886.330 meters (-6,188.747 feet), Standard Deviation = 1,810.290 based on 375 observations. Ocean depth information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]
  5. Collette, B., Acero, A., Amorim, A.F., Boustany, A., Canales Ramirez, C., Cardenas, G., Carpenter, K.E., de Oliveira Leite Jr., N., Di Natale, A., Fox, W., Fredou, F.L., Graves, J., Viera Hazin, F.H., Juan Jorda, M., Minte Vera, C., Miyabe, N., Montano Cruz, R., Nelson, R., Oxenford, H., Schaefer, K., Serra, R., Sun, C., Teixeira Lessa, R.P., Pires Ferreira Travassos, P.E., Uozumi, Y. & Yanez, E. 2011. Coryphaena equiselis. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. [back]
Last Revised: 7/15/2012