Round scad explained

The round scad (Decapterus punctatus) (or cigar minnow)[1] is a species of fish in the Carangidae. It was described in 1829 by the French naturalist and zoologist, Georges Cuvier. Although the round scad is considered a good food fish,[2] it is mostly caught for use as bait.

Description

The round scad is a cigar-shaped fish, with greenish coloration on top and white below. Their opercles usually have a small, black spot.[3] The round scad has nine spines on its dorsal fin and 30 to 34 soft rays. Their anal fins have only three spines and 26–29 soft rays. Round scad often have a yellow stripe running from the head to the caudal peduncle.[4] The longest round scad recorded was 30 centimeters long,[5] which is not far from the average estimated adult length of 12 inches (30.48 cm).[4] It is claimed that the heaviest recorded specimen weighed 300 grams.[6]

Distribution and habitat

Known only from the Atlantic Ocean, the round scad is known from Nova Scotia in the north[7] to Rio de Janeiro in the south, including the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico on the western side. On the eastern side, they are known from Morocco in the north to South Africa in the south, including the islands of Madeira, the Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Ascension Island and St. Helena.[8]

Round scad make their home in the ocean's Neritic zone and are also common near beaches.[9] They are also known to gather near the bottom in large shoals.[10] Round scad mostly eat copepods, but have also been known to eat pteropods, ostracods, and gastropod larvae.[5]

Reproduction

Round scad spawn year-round in waters well offshore.[11] Their eggs float in pelagic waters before hatching.[12]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Horst . Jerald . Lane . Mike . Angler's guide to fishes of the Gulf of Mexico . 2006 . Pelican . Gretna, LA. . 978-1-58980-388-6 . 204.
  2. Cervigón, F., 1993. Los peces marinos de Venezuela. Volume 2. Fundación Científica Los Roques, Caracas,Venezuela. 497 p.
  3. Smith-Vaniz, W.F., 1986. Carangidae. p. 638-661. In M.M. Smith and P.C. Heemstra (eds.) Smiths' sea fishes. Springer-Verlag, Berlin.
  4. Web site: FloridaFishing.com entry on Round scad. 2008-10-07.
  5. Berry, F.H. and W.F. Smith-Vaniz, 1978. Carangidae. In W. Fischer (ed.) FAO species identification sheets for fishery purposes. West Atlantic (Fishing Area 31). volume 1. FAO, Rome. [var. pag.]
  6. Claro, R., 1994. Características generales de la ictiofauna. p. 55-70. In R. Claro (ed.) Ecología de los peces marinos de Cuba. Instituto de Oceanología Academia de Ciencias de Cuba and Centro de Investigaciones de Quintana Roo.
  7. Robins, C.R. and G.C. Ray, 1986. A field guide to Atlantic coast fishes of North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, U.S.A. 354 p.
  8. 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.
  9. Cervigón, F., R. Cipriani, W. Fischer, L. Garibaldi, M. Hendrickx, A.J. Lemus, R. Márquez, J.M. Poutiers, G. Robaina and B. Rodriguez, 1992. Fichas FAO de identificación de especies para los fines de la pesca. Guía de campo de las especies comerciales marinas y de aquas salobres de la costa septentrional de Sur América. FAO, Rome. 513 p. Preparado con el financiamento de la Comisión de Comunidades Europeas y de NORAD.
  10. Bianchi, G., K.E. Carpenter, J.-P. Roux, F.J. Molloy, D. Boyer and H.J. Boyer, 1993. FAO species identification field guide for fishery purposes. The living marine resources of Namibia. FAO, Rome. 250 p.
  11. Smith, C.L., 1997. National Audubon Society field guide to tropical marine fishes of the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, Florida, the Bahamas, and Bermuda. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York. 720 p.
  12. 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.

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