The blacktip trevally (''Caranx heberi''), also known as the blacktip kingfish or yellowtail kingfish, is a
species of large
marine
Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean.
Marine or marines may refer to:
Ocean
* Maritime (disambiguation)
* Marine art
* Marine biology
* Marine debris
* Marine habitats
* Marine life
* Marine pollution
Military
* ...
fish classified in the jack
family Carangidae. The blacktip trevally is distributed throughout the
tropical to subtropical
Indian and
West Pacific Oceans, ranging from
South Africa in the west to
Fiji
Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...
,
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
and northern
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
in the east. It inhabits
coastal waters throughout its range, preferring moderately deep clear waters over rocky and
coral reefs. The blacktip trevally is easily distinguished by its yellow fins and a dark upper
caudal fin lobe which gives the species its
common name
In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contrast ...
, as well as a host of other anatomical features. The species is known to reach a maximum size of 1 m. It is a
benthopelagic predator, commonly forming small
shoal
In oceanography, geomorphology, and geoscience, a shoal is a natural submerged ridge, bank, or bar that consists of, or is covered by, sand or other unconsolidated material and rises from the bed of a body of water to near the surface. It ...
s where it takes a variety of fishes,
cephalopod
A cephalopod is any member of the molluscan class Cephalopoda (Greek plural , ; "head-feet") such as a squid, octopus, cuttlefish, or nautilus. These exclusively marine animals are characterized by bilateral body symmetry, a prominent head ...
s and
crustaceans as prey. Little is known of reproduction in the species, and
spawning is assumed to take place in more tropical regions of its range, with juveniles known to inhabit bays and large
estuaries. Blacktip trevally are often caught using hook and line and various nets in commercial
fisheries
Fishery can mean either the enterprise of raising or harvesting fish and other aquatic life; or more commonly, the site where such enterprise takes place ( a.k.a. fishing ground). Commercial fisheries include wild fisheries and fish farms, both ...
although don't make up a large part of the market. They are also popular with
anglers due to their fighting ability and decent
table qualities.
Taxonomy and naming
The blacktip trevally is classified within the genus ''
Caranx
''Caranx'' is a genus of tropical to subtropical marine fishes in the jack family Carangidae, commonly known as jacks, trevallies and kingfishes. They are moderate- to large-sized, deep-bodied fishes which are distinguished from other carangid ge ...
'', one of a number of groups known as the jacks or trevallies. ''Caranx'' itself is part of the larger jack and horse mackerel family
Carangidae, which in turn is part of the
order
Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to:
* Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood
* Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...
Carangiformes.
As currently accepted, the species was first
scientifically described by
John Whitchurch Bennett in 1830 based on the
holotype specimen taken from the south coast of
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
.
He named this new species ''Scomber heberi'', placing it in the
mackerel genus which at that time was a common genus for placing carangid fishes. The origin of the
specific epithet
In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...
is unclear, with it possibly named after someone or relate to the German word ''Heber'', meaning "lob".
With the creation of the genus ''Caranx'', the species was transferred there, where it has remained. There is some confusion over a species described by
Peter Forsskål in 1775 under the name ''Scomber sansun'' and later transferred to ''
Caranx sansun
The blacktip trevally (''Caranx heberi''), also known as the blacktip kingfish or yellowtail kingfish, is a species of large marine fish classified in the jack family Carangidae. The blacktip trevally is distributed throughout the tropical to subt ...
''. This species is still listed as valid by some authorities, although a 1968 review of the
taxon by
J.L.B. Smith
James Leonard Brierley Smith (26 September 1897 – 8 January 1968) was a South African ichthyologist, organic chemist, and university professor. He was the first to identify a taxidermied fish as a coelacanth, at the time thought to be long e ...
failed to find the holotype and suggested a new name with holotype be introduced to replace it; ''Caranx williamsi''. This name was sunk into ''C. heberi'' by William Smith-Vaniz in a major review, indicating ''C. sansun'' also should be sunk. Despite this, the name remains valid amongst some authorities. A second, later independent description of the fish by
Georges Cuvier
Jean Léopold Nicolas Frédéric, Baron Cuvier (; 23 August 1769 – 13 May 1832), known as Georges Cuvier, was a French natural history, naturalist and zoology, zoologist, sometimes referred to as the "founding father of paleontology". Cuvier ...
produced the name ''Caranx sem'', which became common throughout the literature. Probable synonymy with ''C. heberi'' was recognized by Henry Fowler in 1905
and is currently recognized as such due to formal synonymisation by John Randall.
Distribution and habitat
The blacktip trevally is distributed throughout the
tropical and subtropical waters of the
Indian and
West Pacific Oceans.
In the western part of its range, the species ranges from
South Africa and
Madagascar north along the
east Africa
East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territories make up Eastern Africa:
Due to the historical ...
n coast up to the
Persian Gulf and
Red Sea. Its distribution continues eastward through
India,
South East Asia and the
Indonesian Archipelago. Its range extends south to northern
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, north to
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
, and to
Fiji
Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...
in the east.
The blacktip trevally is predominantly an
inshore
A shore or a shoreline is the fringe of land at the edge of a large body of water, such as an ocean, sea, or lake. In physical oceanography, a shore is the wider fringe that is geologically modified by the action of the body of water past a ...
species, frequenting clean open coastal waters as an adult, with juveniles also found in large bays and
estuaries.
Adults are often found over moderately deep rocky
reefs and pinnacles as well as open sandy areas.
Description
The blacktip trevally is a large fish, growing to a maximum recorded size of 1 m in length and 12.5
kg in weight.
It is similar to most other jacks in having a compressed,
oblong body, with the
dorsal profile much more
convex than the
ventral profile, particularly
anteriorly
Standard anatomical terms of location are used to unambiguously describe the anatomy of animals, including humans. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position prov ...
. The
dorsal fin is in two distinct sections; the first consisting of 8
spine
Spine or spinal may refer to:
Science Biology
* Vertebral column, also known as the backbone
* Dendritic spine, a small membranous protrusion from a neuron's dendrite
* Thorns, spines, and prickles, needle-like structures in plants
* Spine (zoolog ...
and the second of 1 spine and 19 to 21
soft rays. The
anal fin
Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as se ...
consists of 2 anteriorly detached spines followed by 1 spine and 15 to 17 soft rays.
The
ventral fin consists of 1 spine and 5 soft rays, while the
caudal fin is strongly forked.
The species
lateral line
The lateral line, also called the lateral line organ (LLO), is a system of sensory organs found in fish, used to detect movement, vibration, and pressure gradients in the surrounding water. The sensory ability is achieved via modified epithelial ...
is moderately arched anteriorly, with 50 to 60 scales in this section, while the straight section contains 0 to 4
scales and 30 to 40 strong
scutes.
The pattern of breast scales is variable, ranging from fully scaled to naked ventrally. The species has moderately well developed
adipose eyelids, while its dentition consists of an outer row of widely spaced
canine
Canine may refer to:
Zoology and anatomy
* a dog-like Canid animal in the subfamily Caninae
** '' Canis'', a genus including dogs, wolves, coyotes, and jackals
** Dog, the domestic dog
* Canine tooth, in mammalian oral anatomy
People with the ...
s and an inner band of
villiform teeth in the upper
jaw and a row of widely spaced conical teeth on the lower jaw. The blacktip trevally has 24 to 27
gill rakers and 24
vertebrae.
The blacktip trevally's colouration is distinctive, with the upper body being dark bronze to yellow green while the lower body fades to silvery white below. The caudal fin is bright to olive yellow, with the top half normally black to dark, giving the species its common name. Other fins range from bright yellow to dusky with little yellow at all. The species also lacks the dark spot on the
opercular margin that many related species possess.
Habitat and behavior
The blacktip trevally travels in both small
shoal
In oceanography, geomorphology, and geoscience, a shoal is a natural submerged ridge, bank, or bar that consists of, or is covered by, sand or other unconsolidated material and rises from the bed of a body of water to near the surface. It ...
s and individually throughout its habitat, with juveniles more commonly found in shoals. They appear to be
migratory, with South Africa recording influxes of the species in summer,
while in India they arrive after the
monsoons and continue their inhabitance through the cold months.
The species is a benthopelagic
predator, taking its prey from the
sea floor
The seabed (also known as the seafloor, sea floor, ocean floor, and ocean bottom) is the bottom of the ocean. All floors of the ocean are known as 'seabeds'.
The structure of the seabed of the global ocean is governed by plate tectonics. Most of ...
and higher in the water column. Prey items include a variety of fish,
cephalopod
A cephalopod is any member of the molluscan class Cephalopoda (Greek plural , ; "head-feet") such as a squid, octopus, cuttlefish, or nautilus. These exclusively marine animals are characterized by bilateral body symmetry, a prominent head ...
s, and crustaceans including
shrimp
Shrimp are crustaceans (a form of shellfish) with elongated bodies and a primarily swimming mode of locomotion – most commonly Caridea and Dendrobranchiata of the decapod order, although some crustaceans outside of this order are refer ...
s,
mantis shrimp
Mantis shrimp, or stomatopods, are carnivorous marine crustaceans of the order Stomatopoda (). Stomatopods branched off from other members of the class Malacostraca around 340 million years ago. Mantis shrimp typically grow to around in lengt ...
s,
crab
Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" (abdomen) ( el, βραχύς , translit=brachys = short, / = tail), usually hidden entirely under the thorax. They live in all the ...
s and
crayfish
Crayfish are freshwater crustaceans belonging to the clade Astacidea, which also contains lobsters. In some locations, they are also known as crawfish, craydids, crawdaddies, crawdads, freshwater lobsters, mountain lobsters, rock lobsters, mu ...
.
Reproduction in the species is poorly understood, although observations indicate it
spawns in the more tropical regions of its range,
with
sexual maturity reached at 50 cm.
Relationship with humans
The blacktip trevally is of minor importance to commercial
fisheries
Fishery can mean either the enterprise of raising or harvesting fish and other aquatic life; or more commonly, the site where such enterprise takes place ( a.k.a. fishing ground). Commercial fisheries include wild fisheries and fish farms, both ...
throughout its range, taken by hook and line and various
netting methods, from where it is sold fresh, salted or dried at
market.
The species is considered a good
gamefish and can be taken by fish or squid baits as well as various patterns of lure and fly.
When taken from the water, the fish often 'grunt' in similar manner to a young pig.
They are considered an excellent
table fish despite being known to be a host to
parasitic infection in some regions.
The
IGFA all tackle world record for the species stands at 8.20 kg (18 lb 1oz) caught off
Bazaruto Island,
Mozambique in 2008.
References
External links
Blacktip trevally at FishbaseEncyclopedia of Life page
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2215203
blacktip trevally
The blacktip trevally (''Caranx heberi''), also known as the blacktip kingfish or yellowtail kingfish, is a species of large marine (ocean), marine fish classified in the jack Family (biology), family Carangidae. The blacktip trevally is distribut ...
Fish of the Indian Ocean
Marine fauna of East Africa
Marine fauna of South Asia
Marine fauna of Southeast Asia
Marine fish of Northern Australia
Taxa named by John Whitchurch Bennett
blacktip trevally
The blacktip trevally (''Caranx heberi''), also known as the blacktip kingfish or yellowtail kingfish, is a species of large marine (ocean), marine fish classified in the jack Family (biology), family Carangidae. The blacktip trevally is distribut ...