One of the 2 pompanos on WAnimals
Bony fish · Perciformes · Stromateidae
Butterfish
Peprilus triacanthus
It has not yet been assessed against the IUCN criteria. See full glossary
The Atlantic butterfish, with a very deep, compressed, almost oval silvery body and no pelvic fins. It forms shoals in the water column over the North American continental shelf and feeds on jellyfish, salps, small crustaceans and fish.
Size
15 cm – 30 cm
Diet
Carnivore
Feeds mainly on other animals.
Social structure
School
Gathers in coordinated schools, typical of fish.
Sighting difficulty
Unknown
Fun facts
- The juveniles live beneath the umbrella of large jellyfish, sheltered among their stinging tentacles, and feed in part on the very jellyfish that shelters them.
- It has no pelvic fins whatsoever, an uncommon trait that gives it its silhouette of a silver disc.
- The juveniles shelter beneath the bells of jellyfish, which serve them as a mobile hiding place from predators.
- It does not occur in Bermuda or the Caribbean, despite the extent of its range along the North American coast.
Life cycle & biology
- Habitat & environment
- Coastal and shelf waters of the north-western Atlantic, from 0 to 200 m
- Sexual maturity
- Length at first maturity 12 cm
Sources consulted: FishBase (Froese & Pauly, eds.)
Where to watch it
Parques y spots de buceo donde se ha documentado esta especie — se muestran 10 de 13 documentados.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Butterfish — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Tropical Two-wing Flyingfish
Exocoetus volitans
Red Snapper
Lutjanus campechanus
Bluefish
Pomatomus saltatrix
Near ThreatenedBull Shark
Carcharhinus leucas
Near ThreatenedTiger Shark
Galeocerdo cuvier
Critically EndangeredGreat Hammerhead
Sphyrna mokarran
Keep exploring
Based on what we already know about butterfish.
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