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Pompano dolphinfish
Coryphaena equiselis
Valid name (FishBase; confirmed in Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes and WoRMS, October 2026).
- English
- Pompano dolphinfish
- Scientific
- Coryphaena equiselis
- Dhivehi
- Aila
- Maximum size
- Up to about 1.5 m (total length); commonly 50 cm (FishBase); MRS 1997 gives common to 50 cm; max. 75 cm
- Depth and habitat
- Open ocean, near the surface and in mid-water, recorded from 0 to 400 m
- IUCN status
- LC · Least ConcernLeast Concern (LC), assessed 2010
Description
A smaller, deeper-bodied relative of the common dolphinfish, metallic blue-green with golden highlights and dark spots, reaching about 1.5 m. It schools in the open ocean, often under floating objects, and feeds on small fish and squid.
In the Maldives
Dhivehi name aila (MRS 1997). MRS notes it is much rarer than the common dolphinfish and probably often confused with it.
Sources
- fishbase.se /summary/Coryphaena-equiselis.html
- fao.org /4/AD471E/AD471E00.htm
- commons.wikimedia.org /wiki/File:Coryphaena_equiselis.jpg
Dhivehi name source: M.R.S. (1997) Fishes of the Maldives (FAO/BOBP MAG/21) gives 'Aila' (Latin form).