Naucrates ductor
Pilotfish
FR: poisson pilote · ES: pez piloto, piloto
Collection Details
Specimens
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Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Carangidae (Jacks)
Naucrates
Naucrates ductor (Pilotfish)
Description
This species account was compiled from
Composite (multiple sources) (McEachran, J.D. and J.D. Fechhelm. Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. University of Texas Press, Austin.)
and processed using AI-assisted text extraction.
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Characters
Fusiform and slightly compressed body; first dorsal fin greatly reduced; fleshy keel on lateral aspect of caudal peduncle; moderately convex dorsal profile of head; moderately long and blunt snout; maxilla extends to anterior margin of eye; minute jaw teeth in bands; well-developed adipose eyelid; smooth preopercular margin; lathlike gill rakers on first arch (6 or 7 on upper limb, 15 to 20 on lower limb); falcate pectoral fin with 19 rays; first dorsal fin with four or five very short, free spines; second dorsal fin with one spine and 25 to 29 rays; anal fin with two free spines followed by one spine and 15 to 17 rays; very small ctenoid scales; moderately arched lateral line; caudal peduncle with dorsal and ventral grooves; 25 vertebrae (10 precaudal, 15 caudal)
Silvery with dark head and five to seven black bars on body extending to dorsal and ventral midlines; pectoral, pelvic, and caudal fins blackish with white tips on caudal fin lobes
Distribution
Western Atlantic from Nova Scotia and Bermuda to Argentina, including the Gulf of Mexico, the Bahamas, and the Greater and Lesser Antilles
Gulf of Mexico
Habitat Associations
Pelagic in oceanic waters; associated with large fishes (sharks and rays), sea turtles, and driftwood; juveniles associated with seaweeds and jellyfishes
Biology
Feeds on pieces of large prey captured by host species, ectoparasites on hosts, small ray-finned fishes, and invertebrates
Maximum known size about 630 mm FL
Maturity reached at about 230 mm FL
Oceanic species with a semi-obligate commensal relationship with sharks, rays, other bony fishes and turtles (Ref. 5217). Young are usually associated with jellyfish and drifting seaweed (Ref. 2850, 9563). Feed on scraps of host's left over, parasites and excrement; also on small fishes and invertebrates (Ref. 5288). Eggs are pelagic (Ref. 4233). Marketed fresh and salted or dried (Ref. 9283). Captured at the surface using hand nets (Ref. 26165).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2013-11-07. Resilience: Medium (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: minor commercial; gamefish; aquarium: public aquariums.
References
Robins and Ray 1986
Smith-Vaniz 1986a
Smith-Vaniz 2001b
Smith-Vaniz 2002c
Cervigón 1993b
Schaldach et al. 1997
Smith-Vaniz et al. 1999
Smith-Vaniz, W.F. (1986) Carangidae. p. 815-844. In P.J.P. Whitehead, M.-L. Bauchot, J.-C. Hureau, J. Nielsen and E. Tortonese (eds.) Fishes of the north-eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean. UNESCO, Paris. vol. 2.
Bagnis, R., P. Mazellier, J. Bennett and E. Christian (1984) Poissons de Polynésie, 5th Edition. Société Nouvelle des Editions du Pacifique, Elysées, France.
Edwards, A. (1990) Fish and fisheries of Saint Helena Island. Centre for Tropical Coastal Management Studies, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, England.
Smith-Vaniz, W.F., J.-C. Quéro and M. Desoutter (1990) Carangidae. p. 729-755. In J.C. Quero, J.C. Hureau, C. Karrer, A. Post and L. Saldanha (eds.) Check-list of the fishes of the eastern tropical Atlantic (CLOFETA). JNICT, Lisbon; SEI, Paris; and UNESCO, Paris. Vol. 2.
Fricke, R., M. Kulbicki and L. Wantiez (2011) Checklist of the fishes of New Caledonia, and their distribution in the Southwest Pacific Ocean (Pisces). Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Naturkunde A, Neue Serie 4:341-463.
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