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Euthynnus alletteratus

(Little Tunny)

Overview

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Family : Mackerels , tunas , bonitos ; Found in neritic waters close inshore [1]. This schooling species is an opportunistic predator which feeds on virtually everything within its range , i.e. crustaceans, fishes (mainly clupeoid), squids , heteropods and tunicates . Specialized traps (madragues ) are used in Tunisia and Morocco. Diving bird flocks may indicate large schools[2]. Utilized fresh, dried-salted, smoked, canned and frozen[3]. A popular game fish[2].

Interesting Facts

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Common Names

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Click on the language to view common names.

Common Names in Afrikaans:

Atlantiese Kleintuna

Common Names in Aladian:

Bokou-Bokou

Common Names in Albanian:

Trup

Common Names in Arabic:

Balamydah, Lbakoura, R´zem, R'zem, Toun Sghir, Tunna

Common Names in Arabic, Hassaniya:

Labeidna

Common Names in Catalan:

Bacoreta

Common Names in Creole, French:

Gueule Molle

Common Names in Creole, Portuguese:

Cachorra, Cachorreta, Cachorrinha, Fulu Fulu, Judeu, Merma

Common Names in Croatian:

Lic, Mulac, Rudan, Trup Crnopjeg, Tumburel, Zlatoperac

Common Names in Danish:

Almindelig Thunnin, Thunnin

Common Names in English:

Little Tunny, Atlantic Black Skipjack, Atlantic Little Tuna, Atlantic Little Tunny, Bonito, False Albacore, Little Tuna

Common Names in Ewe:

Kpoku

Common Names in Finnish:

Tunniina

Common Names in French:

Bonite, Bonite queue Raide, Ravil, Thonine, Thonine Commune

Common Names in German:

Falscher Bonito, Kleiner Thun, Thonine

Common Names in Greek:

Karvouni, Καρβούνα, Καρβούνι, Λεκατίκι, Τάσκα, Τονίνα, Τοννάκι, Τουνίνα

Common Names in Hebrew:

Tunnit Atlantit

Common Names in Italian:

Alacurza, Aleterato, Alletterato, Allittirato, Allittiratu, Carcana, Cuvarito, Cuvaritu, Leterato, Letterato, Lettirado, Litterato, Littiratu, Nzirru, Palametidd, Pizziteddu, Sanguinaccio, Scamp, Tonnella, Tonnetto, Tonnetto Alletterato, Tonnina, Tunna, Tunnina

Common Names in Japanese:

Taiseiyou-Yaito, Taiwan Yaito

Common Names in Kru:

Klewe

Common Names in Maltese:

Kubrit, Kubrita, Tonina

Common Names in Mandarin Chinese:

小鮪, 小鲔

Common Names in Norwegian:

Tunnin

Common Names in Nzema:

El´la, El'la

Common Names in Other:

Corrinelo, Poponkou

Common Names in Polish:

Tunek Atlantycki

Common Names in Portuguese:

Albacora, Apluro, At, Bacoreta, Barrilete, Bonito, Bonito-Cachorro, Bonito-Pintado, Bonito-Rajado, Curuat, Fule-Fule, Melena, Melva, Merma

Common Names in Rumanian:

Ton Mic

Common Names in Russian:

Atlanticheskyj Malyj Tunets, Pyatnistyi Tunets, Tsyatnystyj Atlanticheskyj Tunets

Common Names in Serbian:

Karvo, Luc

Common Names in Slovenian:

Pegasti Tun

Common Names in Spanish:

Atuncito, Bacor, Bacor?te, Bacoreta, Bonito, Caba, Caba?a Pintada, Carachana, Carachana Pintada, Comev, Comev?veres, Vaca

Common Names in Swedish:

Tunnina

Common Names in Turkish:

Yaziliorkinos

Common Names in Ukrainian:

Malyi Zapadnyi Tunets

Common Names in Wolof:

Deleu Deleu, Oualass, Ouolass, Walas

Description

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Physical Description

Species Euthynnus alletteratus

Distinctive Features: The little tunny has a robust , torpedo-shaped body built for powerful swimming. The mouth is large, slightly curved , and terminal with rigid jaws . The lower jaw slightly protruding past the upper jaw. There are two longitudinal ridges on the tongue. Scales are lacking on the body except for the corselet and the lateral line. The corselet is a band of large, thick scales forming a circle around the body behind the head , extending backwards along the lateral line. The lateral line is slightly undulate with a slight arch below the front of the dorsal fin, then straight to the caudal keel. The caudal fin is deeply lunate , with a slender caudal penduncle including one short keel on each side. The first dorsal fin has high anterior spines giving the fin a concave outline, separated only narrowly from the second dorsal. Pectoral fins are pointed and short, not reaching to the end of the first dorsal; the pelvic fins are inserted just behind the origin of the pectoral fins. Swimbladder is absent.

Dentition: Lower jaw protrudes slightly past the upper jaw; there is a single row of small, inwardly curved teeth with similar teeth on the palatines. Teeth are absent on the vomer and tongue.

Color:

This fish is steel blue with 3-5 broken , dark wavy lines , not extending below the lateral line. The belly is white and lacks stripes . There are 3-7 dark spots between the pelvic and pectoral fins. Spots below the pectoral fin are dusky .

Size/Age/Growth

The average size of the little tunny is up to 32 inches (81 cm) in length , weighing up to 20 lbs (9.1 kg ). The maximum recorded size is 48 inches (122 cm) and 35.3 lbs (16 kg). The little tunny may live to 10 years of age. Females reach maturity at 10.6-14.6 inches (27-37 cm) in length while males mature at approximately 15.7 inches (40 cm).

Habitat

This fish is typically found in neritic waters, inshore over the continental shelf in turbid , brackish waters. Adult little tunny school according to size with other scombrid species at depths ranging from 3-490 feet (1-150m). However, during certain times of the year the schools break apart with individuals scattering throughout the habitat . Juveniles form compact schools offshore.

Ecology: This is a reef-associated and oceanodromous species found in neritic waters close inshore (Cervigón 1994). It is found in surface waters, mainly on the continental shelf. Less migratory than Katsuwonus pelamis or other tunas , it is usually found in coastal areas with swift currents , near shoals and offshore islands. In the Mediterranean it is also found far offshore. This schooling species is an opportunistic predator which feeds on primarily on fishes (mainly clupeoid), but also on crustaceans, squids , hyperiid amphipods , heteropods and tunicates (Bahou et al. 2007, Falautano et al. 2007).  Eggs are shed in several batches when the water is warmest.

Little Tunny spawns extensively, both geographically and temporally, throughout its respective range (Schaefer 2001). Eggs are shed in several batches when the water is warmest. Although spawning distributions of all three Euthynnus species have been reported to be restricted primarily to peripheral areas and around islands within their respective ocean basins (Yoshida 1979, Nishikawa et al. 1985), spawning in the eastern tropical Pacific has been shown to be widely distributed from coastal to oceanic waters (Schaefer 1987).

In Tunisia, the sex ratio is 57.77% females (Hajjej et al. 2011). GSI indicated spawning June–Sept. Size at first maturity 43.13 cm fork length (FL ) for females, 42.12 for males. Length-weight Wt = 0.0329.FL2.8101 for females, 0.0368.FL2.7832 for males.

This species has an estimated longevity of between eight and 10 years (Cayre and Diouf 1983, Landau 1965), with an estimated age of first maturity of two or three years (Landau 1965, Hattour 2000, Kahraman et al. 2008). Generation length is therefore estimated to be approximately four years.

Maximum size is 100 cm FL. The all-tackle gamefish record is a 16.32 kg fish taken in Washington Canyon , New Jersey in 2006 (IGFA 2011).[4].

List of Habitats :

Biology

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Diet

Little tunny is an opportunistic predator , feeding on crustaceans, clupeid fishes , squids , and tunicates . It often feeds on herring and sardines at the surface of the water.

Reproduction

Spawning occurs in April through November in the eastern and western Atlantic Ocean while in the Mediterranean Sea spawning takes place from late spring through summer. Little tunny spawn outside the continental shelf region in water of at least 77°F (25°C), where females release as many as 1,750,000 eggs in multiple batches. The males release sperm, fertilizing the eggs in the water column . These fertilized eggs are pelagic, spherical , and transparent, with a diameter of 0.8-1.1 mm. The yolk is rich in black pigment and the egg is a light amber color overall. There is a single droplet of oil within the egg, adding to its buoyancy . Larvae, approximately 3 mm in size, are released 24 hours after fertilization, with the yolk being completely absorbed within the first 48-66 hours of life. The eyes are unpigmented at hatching , with pigmentation appearing 48 hours later. A small caudal spot is present. At sizes of 3.7-14mm, the teeth develop, the head becomes large, the snout long, and the fins develop. Juveniles from 14mm-174mm in length take on the adult appearance with the body becoming more fusiform and elongate .

Behavior

Predators:

Other tunas , including conspecifics and yellowfin tuna (Thynnus albacares). Fishes such as dolphin fish (Coryphaena hippurus), wahoo (Acanthocybium solandri), atlantic sailfish (Istiophorus albicans), swordfish (Xiphias gladius), and various sharks as well as other large carnivorous fish all prey on the little tunny. Seabirds also prey on small little tunny.

Parasites:

Parasites of the little tunny include the copepods Caligus bonito, Caligus coryphaenae, and Caligus productus, all found on the body surface as well as on the wall of the branchial cavities. Another copepod, Pseudocycnoides appendiculatus, has been documented as parasitic on the gill filaments. Other parasites include digenea (flukes ), monogenea (gillworms), cestoda (tapeworms ), and isopods .

Taxonomy

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Synonyms

Euthinnus alletteratus • Euthinnus alletteratus (Rafinesque • Euthynnus alleteratus • Euthynnus alleteratus (Rafinesque • Euthynnus alletteratus alletteratus • Euthynnus alletteratus alletteratus (Rafinesque • Euthynnus alletteratus aurolitoralis • Euthynnus alletteratus aurolitoralis Fraser-Brunner • Euthynnus alliteratus • Euthynnus alliteratus (Rafinesque • Euthynnus allitteratus • Euthynnus allitteratus (Rafinesque • Euthynnus quadripunctatus • Euthynnus quadripunctatus (Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire • Euthynnus thunina • Euthynnus thunina (Cuvier • Gymnosarda alleterata • Gymnosarda alleterata (Rafinesque • Gymnosarda alletterata (Rafinesque • Gymnosarda alliterata (Rafinesque • Orcynus thunnina (Cuvier • Pelamys alleterata (Rafinesque • Scomber alletteratus Rafinesque • Scomber quadripunctatus Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire • Thynnichthys brevipinnis (Cuvier • Thynnichthys thunnina (Cuvier • Thynnus brasiliensis Cuvier • Thynnus brevipinnis Cuvier • Thynnus leachianus Risso

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name .

Last scrutiny: Data last modified by FishBase 01-Sep-1998

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Euthynnus

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 10 species and subspecies in this genus:

E. affinis (Black Skipjack Tuna) · E. affinis affinis (Eastern Little Tuna) · E. alleteratus (Atlantic Black Skipjack) · E. alletteratus (Little Tunny) · E. alliteratus (Atlantic Black Skipjack) · E. allitteratus (Atlantic Black Skipjack) · E. lineatus (African Glass Catfish) · E. lineatus kishinouye (Black Skipjack) · E. pelamis (Bonito) · E. pelamys (Bonito)

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 December 12, 2007:

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. Cervigón, F. (1994). Los peces marinos de Venezuela. Volume 3. Fundación Científica Los Roques, Caracas,Venezuela. 295 p. [back]
  2. Lieske, E. and R. Myers (1994). Collins Pocket Guide. Coral reef fishes. Indo-Pacific & Caribbean including the Red Sea. Haper Collins Publishers, 400 p. [back]
  3. Frimodt, C. (1995). Multilingual illustrated guide to the world's commercial warmwater fish. Fishing News Books, Osney Mead, Oxford, England. 215 p. [back]
  4. Collette, B., Amorim, A.F., Boustany, A., 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., Kada, O., Minte Vera, C., Miyabe, N., Nelson, R., Oxenford, H., Teixeira Lessa, R.P. & Pires Ferreira Travassos, P.E. 2011. Euthynnus alletteratus. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 01&n [back]
Last Revised: 7/15/2012