The Palometa,Trachinotus goodei, is an ocean-going game fish of the family Carangidae. In the wild, Palometa eat worms, insect pupae, and smaller fish.^[2]

Description

Palometa are most recognized by their elongated dorsal and anal fins with dark anterior lobes.^[3] The dorsal fin usually has 7-8 spines and 19-20 soft rays, while the anal fin has 2-3 spines and 16-18 soft rays.^[4] They can have colors from gray to blue-green on the tops of their heads, and have silver-colored sides with four narrow, vertical bars. A Palometa's breast usually has an orange tinge, and the tips of their fins are darkened. The tail has no scutes, unlike many members of its family, and has a faint fifth vertical bar near the base.^[5] The largest known Palometa was 50cm long;^[6] The largest known weight of any Palometa is 560g.^[7]

Distribution and habitat

Palometa prefer clear, tropical water of sandy shores and bays. They are also known to swim in small shoals above coral reefs.^[5] Palometa are found only in the western Atlantic ocean from Massachusetts, east to Bermuda, south to Argentina. They are also found in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean sea.^[4]

Reproduction

Little is known about the reproduction of the Palometa. They are thought to spawn far offshore during all seasons, save winter.^[8] Young Palometa have shown high growth rates in maricultural experiments.^[9]

Importance to humans

Though there have been reports of ciguatera poisoning,^[10] the Palometa is considered primarily a game fish. Although it is used in aquaculture^[11] , there are only two known cases of Palometa being traded as aquarium fish between 1995 and 2000. Both reports came from Fortaleza, Ceará (Brazil),^[12] but Palometa are rarely used for any other purpose than as a gamefish.

See also

• Florida pompano
• Permit

References