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Pennantfish
Alectis ciliaris (Bloch, 1787)
Above and below: Juvenile Pennantfish near the surface, Darling Harbour, Sydney, New South Wales, April 2007. Photo © J. Dumbacher. View larger image.
Juvenile Pennantfish near the surface, Darling Harbour, Sydney, New South Wales, March 2007. Photo © A. Edenhofner. View larger image.
Juvenile Pennantfish have very elongate trailing filaments from the dorsal and anal fins. These are not present in adults.
The species grows to about 1.3 m in length.
It is a pelagic species that lives in inshore and continental shelf waters from the surface to about 100 m.
The Pennantfish occurs circumglobally in tropical and some temperate waters
In Australia it is known from south-western Western Australia, around the tropical north of the country to the southern coast of New South Wales.
Two species of Alectis are known from Australian waters. The Juvenile Diamond Trevally, Alectis indica, can be distinguished from the Pennantfish by the presence of filaments on the pelvic fins. The Adult Pennantfish has a more rounded upper head profile than the angular head of the Diamond Trevally.
Related links
- Diamond Trevally fact sheet
- View the Family Carangidae list
- View the Trevallies, darts, scads, kingfishes list
Further reading
- Allen, G.R. & R. Swainston. 1988. The Marine Fishes of North-Western Australia. A Field Guide for Anglers and Divers. Western Australian Museum. Pp. 201.
- Hoese, D.F., Bray, D.J., Paxton, J.R. & G.R. Allen. 2006. Fishes. In Beesley, P.L. & A. Wells. (eds) Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Volume 35. ABRS & CSIRO Publishing: Australia. parts 1-3, pages 1-2178.
- Sainsbury, K.J., Kailola, P.J., & G.G. Leyland. 1985. Continental Shelf Fishes of northern and north-western Australia. An illustrated Guide. CSIRO Division of Fisheries Research. Pp. 375.
