Golden mackerel

Golden mackerel
Coryphaena equiselis
Systematics
Perch relatives (Percomorphaceae) Carangaria Order : Carangiformes Subordination : Mackerel relatives (Carangoidei) Family : Coryphaenidae Genre : Golden mackerel
Scientific name of the  family
Coryphaenidae
Rafinesque , 1810
Scientific name of the  genus
Coryphaena
Linnaeus , 1758

The golden mackerel ( Coryphaena ) are a genus from the family of the same name of the golden mackerel (Coryphaenidae) within the order of the mackerel relatives (Carangiformes). It is the only genus in the family and includes only two species . The fish live in the Mediterranean , Atlantic , Pacific and Indian Oceans . The fish are also known colloquially under the name Mahi mahi .

features

A large golden mackerel, caught off the coast of Puerto Rico

Golden mackerel are large fish 1.00 to 1.50 meters long with an elongated body that is compressed at the sides and has small round scales . Coryphaena hippurus has a maximum length of 2.10 meters and a maximum weight of 40 kg. Their color, which also gave them their German name, is an iridescent, shiny silver gold. The skull is blunt and rounded, in the males the blunt head profile is reinforced by a bone keel.

The long dorsal fin begins on the head and extends the entire length of the back. It is supported by 48 to 65 soft rays. The dorsal and anal fins have no hard rays. When swimming fast, the ventral fins can be put back in pits. The caudal fin is sickle-shaped.

Way of life

Golden mackerel are predatory fish of the Epipelagial and eat fish and other pelagic animals and are among the fastest swimming fish.

Systematics

The Coryphaena are the only genus in the Coryphaenidae family . The golden mackerel are the sister group of a clade formed from the ship keepers and the cobias and, like them, belong to the order of the mackerel relatives (Carangiformes).

	Mackerel relatives    Jackfish (Carangidae)      Roosterfish (Nematistiidae)      Golden mackerel (Coryphaenidae)      Cobia (Rachycentridae)      Ship keeper (Echeneidae)

The two types of Coryphaena are:

• Coryphaena equiselis Linnaeus , 1758
• Coryphaena hippurus Linnaeus , 1758

literature

• Joseph S. Nelson , Fishes of the World , John Wiley & Sons, 2006, ISBN 0-471-25031-7 .
• Kurt Fiedler, Textbook of Special Zoology, Volume II, Part 2: Fish , Gustav Fischer Verlag Jena, 1991, ISBN 3-334-00339-6 .

Web links

Commons : Golden Mackerel (Coryphaenidae)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Commons : Golden Mackerel (Coryphaena)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Golden mackerel on Fishbase.org (English)