Pomatomus saltatrix
Tailor | Ancho | Bluefish | Choppers | Elf | Fatback | Greenfish | Horse Mackerel | Jumbos | Marine Piranha | Razorbacks | Salmon Bluefish | Shad | Skip Mackerel | Skipjack | Snap Mackerel | Snapping Mackerel | Tailor Run
Pomatomus saltatrix, Photo: RHKDistribution
Mediterranean, Temperate Africa, Temperate Australasia, Temperate South America, Temperate northern Atlantic, Temperate northern Pacific, Tropical Atlantic/Caribbean, Tropical Eastern Pacific, Tropical Indo-Pacific
Description
Elongate silver body with large jaw extending back level with the eye, low dorsal and anal fins commencing two-thirds back along the body. An open-water migratory species, moving south from subtropical areas in spring and northward again in autumn. Its name derives from an ability to cut nets and lines with the sharp teeth.
Information
Max Size: 130 cm
Sea Temperature Range: 0-28.8°C
Depth: 0-200m
Habitat Generalization Index: N/A
Also referred to as the SGI (Species Generalisation Index), this describes the habitat niche breadth of the species. Species with values less than 15 are found in a relatively narrow range of reef habitat types (specialists), while those over 25 may be found on most hard substrates within their range (generalists). Learn more here.
Conservation and Rarity
IUCN Status: Not Evaluated
Occurrence: Infrequent (2.9% of sites)
Occurrence describes how often the species is found on surveys within its distribution. It is calculated as the % of reef sites surveyed by RLS divers across all the ecoregions in which the species has been observed
Abundance: Many (34 per transect)
Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.
Edit by: GJ Edgar. 2008. Australian Marine Life. New Holland, Sydney