The head is blunt and the mouth contains many small teeth as well as a small and oval-shaped tooth patch on the tongue. The pelvic fins are located under the pectoral fins and can be compressed into a shallow groove on the body. The anal fin begins approximately in the middle of the body and ends at the same point as the dorsal fin. The single dorsal fin extends the length of the body. Both exhibit the same elongate, fusiform body shape. The two species of dolphinfish are easily distinguishable. The larger adult fish frequently travel alone or in pairs. Small dolphinfish travel together in schools ranging from just a few fish to well over 50 individuals. Dolphinfish are also found near the coast, ranging in depth from shallow to 300 feet. It is sometimes known to follow large ships and to hangout under large floating mats of sargassum. Generally a pelagic fish, the dolphinfish is found offshore under floating objects. World distribution map for the dolphinfish The latter more oceanic and rarely exceeds 8-pounds. The pompano dolphin is widest at the middle. NOTE: A dolphinfish can be identified by the size of the widest point of its body, which is the head. It also occurs in the northern and central Indian Ocean and throughout the Mediterranean Sea. Dolphinfish are found between latitudes 46°N and 38°S in the western Pacific Ocean, reported around the Philippine Islands, Sea of Japan, Taiwan, and the Sea of Okhotsk. Populations in the eastern Pacific Ocean range from the coast of Oregon and California south to the Galapagos Islands and Peru. In the eastern Atlantic Ocean, dolphinfish are found between the Bay of Biscay (France) and the mouth of the Congo and as far south as the southern tip of Africa. It is abundant in the Gulf of Mexico, the Florida Current, and throughout the Caribbean. The dolphinfish is distributed in tropical and subtropical waters throughout the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. Geographical Distribution (dolphinfish and pompano dolphin): Both these species are commonly marketed by their Pacific name, mahi-mahi.Ĭommon English language names include dolphinfish, dolphin, common dolphin, common dolphin fish, common dolphinfish, dolphin fish, green dolphin, mahi mahi, and mahi-mahi. Additionally, two species of dolphinfish exist, the common dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus) and the pompano dolphin (Coryphaena equiselis). The fish known as the “dolphin” is not related to the marine mammal of the same common name (family Delphinidae). The common English name for this fish causes much confusion.
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