Author: (Linnaeus, 1758)
Trachinotus ovatus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Status in World Register of Marine Species:
Accepted name: Trachinotus ovatus (Linnaeus, 1758) (updated 2009-06-25)
Diagnosis: teeth in both jaws small, consisting of a narrow band anteriorly, tapering posteriorly. Gillrakers (including rudiments) 10-19 upper, 22-32 lower on first gill arch. Dorsal fin Vl + I + 23-27; anal fin II + I + 22-25; bases of soft dorsal and anal fins approximately equal in length; pectoral fins longer than pelvic fins. No caudal peduncle grooves. Lateral line slightly arched above pectoral fins and straight thereafter; no scutes. Colour: dark green above, silvery below; 3-5 dark vertically elongate blotches on sides; distal half of dorsal and anal fin lobes and tips of caudal fin black. Size: to about 70 cm total length, common to 35 cm.
Habitat: adults and juveniles usually occur in schools in the surf zone and clear water along sandy beaches. Food: invertebrates, primarily small crustaceans and molluscs, and small fishes. Reproduction: see family.
Distribution: eastern Atlantic northward to Gulf of Biscay and as a rare vagrant in British and Scandinavian waters; Mediterranean. Elsewhere. common along African coast, including offshore islands, to southern Angola.