Family : Carangidae (Jacks and pompanos)
Order : Perciformes  (perch-likes)
Class : Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes)
Fishbase Name : Pilotfish
Fish Name : Naucrates ductor
Max size : 70.0 cm TL (male/unsexed; Ref. 5288)
Environment : reef-associated ; depth range 0 - 30 m
Climate : subtropical; 62°N - 43°S
Global Importance : fisheries: minor commercial; aquarium: public aquariums
Resilience: High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.)Distribution : 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).
Diagnosis : Dorsal spines (total): 5-6; Dorsal soft rays (total): 25-29; Anal spines: 3-3; 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).
Biology : 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)
Threatened : Dangerous:  
Dangerous : harmless
Coordinator : Smith-Vaniz, William F.
Main Ref : Smith-Vaniz, W.F., J.-C. Quéro and M. Desoutter. 1990. (Ref. 7097)

India country information
Common Names : Pilotfish
Status : native
Salinity : marine
Uses : no uses