Small spotted dart
Trachinotus baillonii
Valid name (FishBase; confirmed in Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes and WoRMS, October 2026).
- English
- Small spotted dart
- Scientific
- Trachinotus baillonii
- Dhivehi
- ގޮރުވާލިGoru vaali
- Group
- Jacks and trevallies
- Maximum size
- Up to about 60 cm (total length); commonly 35 cm; max. published weight 1.5 kg (FishBase); MRS 1997 gives max. 54 cm
- Depth and habitat
- Coral reefs and reef-associated habitats, recorded from 0 to 3 m; also enters brackish water
- IUCN status
- LC · Least ConcernLeast Concern (LC), assessed 2015
Description
A slender, silvery dart with long, dark, sickle-shaped dorsal and anal fins, a deeply forked tail and one to five small black spots along the side. It swims in small groups in the surf zone along sandy beaches and lagoon edges, picking off small fish. Against white sand on a sunny day it is almost invisible.
In the Maldives
Dhivehi name goru vaali (MRS 1997). Commonly seen by snorkellers in Maldivian lagoons, close to the beach.
Sources
- fishbase.se /summary/Trachinotus-baillonii.html
- fao.org /4/AD471E/AD471E00.htm
- fishbase.se /comnames/CommonNamesList.php?ID=1978&GenusName=Trachinotus&SpeciesNam
- dv.wikipedia.org /wiki/ގޮރުވާލި
- commons.wikimedia.org /wiki/File:Carangidae_-_Trachinotus_baillonii.jpg
Dhivehi name source: M.R.S. (1997) Fishes of the Maldives (FAO/BOBP MAG/21) gives 'Goru vaali' (Latin form). FishBase (country: Maldives) agrees: 'Goru vaali'. Thaana from the Dhivehi Wikipedia article 'ގޮރުވާލި' (derived from the MRS 1997 Dhivehi edition); it matches the Latin form. FishBase also lists 'Vali' under India (Minicoy/Lakshadweep Mahl dialect); not used.