Description:

Dorsal spines: 7–9 (+1); Dorsal rays: 26-36; Anal spines: 2-3; Anal rays: 22-28.

Body elongate, sub-cylindrical, with minute scales. Head broad, depressed, mouth large with bands of fine teeth in jaws, on palate bones and tongue. Dorsal spines low and separate forming finlets. Caudal fin lunate to emarginate in adults, upper lobe longer than lower, rounded in young with prolonged central rays.

Colour. Dark brown dorsolaterally with longitudinal silvery band on flank (2 in juveniles), yellowish ventrally

Maturity: males 60-55cm FL, females at 80cm FL. Max Length: 200cm TL. Commonly to 110cm TL.

Pelagic species but is also found over shallow coral reefs and off rocky shores (depth 0-1200m). Primarily a demersal feeder, preying on on crabs, fishes, and squids. Form spawning aggregations but otherwise typically solitary on in small groups. Eggs planktonic. Very fast growing species. Often caught offshore over the continental shelf and frequently seen swimming with remoras of similar appearance.

This species is not protected or subject to fishery regulations. It is caught in the hand line fishery, but is a rare component of the catch.

Photos courtesy Frank Volcere.

This specimen was caught approximately 21 nautical miles south of Fregate Island.

Collette, B.B. & Abad-Uribarren, A. 2015. Rachycentron canadum. The IUCN Red List 2015: https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/190190/76608788 (26/06/20).

Froese, R. & D. Pauly. Eds. 2020. FishBase. https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Rachycentron-canadum (26/06/20).

Smith, M. & Heemstra, P. Eds. (1999). Smiths’ Sea Fishes Edition 6. Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 10.1007/978-3-642-82858-4

Nevill, J.E.G. (2020) Seychelles Seatizens. Rachycentron canadum. https://seatizens.sc/species/rachycentron-canadum-linnaeus-1766/