Naucrates ductor (Linnaeus, 1758)

Pilotfish

Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL

Classification	Actinopterygii \| Perciformes \| Carangidae
Synonyms	Gasterosteus ductor, Hemitripteronotus quinquemaculatus, Nauclerus abreviatus, ... more
Common names	Poisson pilote, Pez piloto, Pilot fish, ... more

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AquaMaps Data sources: GBIF OBIS

Main reference

Smith-Vaniz, W.F., J.-C. Quéro and M. Desoutter. 1990. (Ref. 7097)
Other references | Biblio | Coordinator : Smith-Vaniz, William F. | Collaborators

Size / Weight / Age

Max length : 70.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 5288); common length : 40.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 9626)

Environment

Reef-associated; marine; depth range 0 - 30 m (Ref. 5227)

Climate / Range

Subtropical; 62°N - 43°S, 180°W - 180°E

Circumtropical in tropical seas. Western Atlantic: Nova Scotia, Canada to Argentina (Ref. 7251). Eastern Atlantic: British Isles (rare vagrant) and Bay of Biscay to Angola, including the Mediterranean and Canary Islands. Eastern Pacific: Vancouver Island (British Columbia, Canada) to the Galapagos Islands (Ref. 2850). Common throughout the Indian Ocean (Ref. 3197).
Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions

Short description

Dorsal spines (total): 5 - 6; Dorsal soft rays (total): 25 - 29; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 15 - 17. Body elongate, slender, and not strongly compressed; posterior end of upper jaw located at anterior rim of eye; dorsal fin with 4 or 5 spines followed by another spine and 25 to 29 soft rays (IV-V+I 25-29); lateral line without scutes; caudal peduncle with well developed fleshy keels and with dorsal and ventral peduncular fossae (Ref. 55763). Body dark to pale bluish, with 6-7 broad, dark bars; white tips on caudal lobes and on second dorsal and anal lobes (Ref. 3197).

Oceanic species with a semi-obligate commensal relationship with sharks, rays, other bony fishes and turtles (Ref. 5217). Young are usually associated with jellyfish and drifting seaweed (Ref. 2850, 9563). Feed on scraps of host's left over, parasites and excrement; also on small fishes and invertebrates (Ref. 5288). Eggs are pelagic (Ref. 4233). Marketed fresh and salted or dried (Ref. 9283). Captured at the surface using hand nets (Ref. 26165).


IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 57073)	Threat to humans
Not Evaluated	Harmless

Human uses
Fisheries: minor commercial; gamefish: yes; aquarium: public aquariums


More information
Countries FAO areas Ecosystems Occurrences Introductions Ecology Diet Food items Food consumption Ration	Common names Synonyms Metabolism Predators Ecotoxicology Reproduction Maturity Spawning Eggs Egg development	Age/Size Growth Length-weight Length-length Length-frequencies Morphometrics Morphology Larvae Larval dynamics Recruitment Abundance	Other references Biblio Aquaculture Aquaculture profile Strains Genetics Allele frequencies Heritability Diseases Processing	Collaborators Pictures Stamps Sounds Ciguatera Speed Swim. type Gill area Otoliths Brains Vision

Tools
Biogeographic modelling \| Bio-Quiz \| E-book \| Field guide \| Identification keys \| Length-frequency wizard \| Life-history tool \| Point map

Special reports
Check for Aquarium maintenance \| Check for Species Fact Sheets \| Check for Aquaculture Fact Sheets

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Summary page \| Point data \| Common names \| Photos

Internet sources

Estimation of some characteristics with mathematical models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82805)

PD₅₀ = 1.0000

Resilience (Ref. 69278)

High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.)


Vulnerability (Ref. 59153)	Price category (Ref. 80766)
Low vulnerability (24 of 100)	Medium

Entered by Papasissi, Christine

Modified by Luna, Susan M.

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