Tripletail
From Freepedia
The Tripletail, Lobotes surinamesi, is a warm water marine fish that can grow to 90cm long and weigh 18kg. Young tripletails can turn on their side and mimic leaves as a means of camouflage.
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Geographical Distribution
The Tripletail is found from Massachusetts and Bermuda to Argentina, the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea, from Madeira Island to the Gulf of Guinea, the eastern Pacific from Costa Rica to Peru, and the western Pacific from Japan to Fiji and Tuvalu. However it is rarely found north of the Chesapeake Bay. They are found on the Gulf Coast from April to October and then migrate to warmer waters during winter.
Habitat
The tripletail is found coastally in most, but not all, tropical and subtropical seas. The fish is semi-migratorial and pelagic. Normally solitary, it has been known to form schools. They can be found in bays, sounds, and estuaries during the summer. Juveniles are usually found swimming under patches of Sargassum algae. Adults are usually found in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico but can also be found in passes, inlets, and bays near river mouths. The fishes are also often found in or near shipwrecks, beams or supports, jetties, and sea bouys. Larvae of the fish are usually found in waters that exceed temperatures of 84˙F, greater than 30.3 ppt salinity, and more than 230 feet deep. The tripletail is the only fish in the "Lobotidae" family that can be found in the Atlantic Ocean.
Biology
Distinctive Features
Tripletails have scales that extend onto the dorsal, anal, and caudal fins and a head profile that concaves as the fish ages. It has a compressed but deep body with a triangle-shaped head. The eyes are small but the mouth is large. The bases of the dorsal and anal fins are scaled and the pectoral fins are shorter than the pelvic fins. The name 'tripletail' was given because of the fish's three rounded fins - dorsal, caudal, and anal.
Coloration
The juvenile tripletails are colored a mottled yellow, brown, and black. Adults are jet black. When it lies on its side at the surface, the tripletail is sometimes confused for a floating mangrove leaf. The juveniles have white pectoral fins and a white margin on the caudal fin. Adult tripletails have varied mottled color patterns which range from dark brown to reddish brown, often with a tint of gray.
Size, Age, and Growth
The tripletail grows to 35 inches in length and weighs up to 41 pounds. The average weight is between 2.2 to 15.4 pounds, however. The tripletail grows fastest in its first year. Some think that this may be an adaption because of its predatorial habitat in the epipelagic zone.
Diet
The tripletail is an opportunistic eater. This means that it feeds on a variety of things, mostly small finfish like gulf menhaden, Atlantic bumper, and anchovies. It also feeds on invertebrates like blue crabs and brown shrimp, as well as other benthic crustaceans.
Reproduction
Spawning primarily occurs in the summer along both the Atlantic and the U.S. Gulf of Mexico coasts, with peaks during the months of July and August. Larval tripletails go though four levels of development; preflexion, flexion, postflexion, and transformation. By the time the larva reach 0.16 inches (4.0 mm), they have large eyes and a concave head. The larval forms of tripletail resemble those of boar fishes, some jacks, spade fishes and bigeyes.
Predators
The tripletail does not have many predators, but the main ones are sharks and larger teleosts.
Parasites
Parasites that affect the tripletail are the copepods "Anuretes heckelii" which affect the branchial cavities, "Lernanthropus pupa" which affect the gill filaments, and the "Scianophilus tenius".
Importance to Humans
A few tons of tripletails are fished commercially on the east and west coasts of Florida, and marketed fresh, frozen, or salted. They are mainly caught using haul seines, gill nets and line gear. They are common in driftnet catches of tuna along the edge of the continental shelf. This fish is infrequently targeted by recreational fishers.
Conservation
The tripletail is not listed as endangered or vulnerable with the World Conservation Union (IUCN). The IUCN is a global union of states, governmental agencies, and non-governmental organizations in a partnership that assesses the conservation status of species.
Credits
"Most of the information in this article was written by Tina Perrotta in an article for the Icthyology branch of the Florida Museum of National History.
