pilotfish

Scientific name Naucrates ductor
Descriptor Linnaeus
Year of description 1758
IUCN category LC
Family Carangidae
Genus Naucrates
Naucrates ductor Naucrates ductor

Introduction

Naucrates ductor, commonly known as pilotfish, is a salt water fish.

Who is it?

Morphology

  • Average size
    40 cm
  • Maximum size
    70 cm
  • Pattern
    vertical stripes
  • Average size
    40 cm
  • Maximum size
    70 cm
  • Pattern
    vertical stripes

How to recognize the pilotfish ?

The pilotfish measures between 40 and 70 cm. This fish is bicolore with a predominantly noir and blanc body. The also has noir vertical stripes.

Behaviour & Life cycle

  • diet
    omnivorous with carnivorous tendency
  • Sociability
    gregarious
  • territorial
    No
  • Way of living
    diurnal

The pilotfish is a fish gregarious naturally found mid-depth and near surface. This species is omnivorous with carnivorous tendency .

Although the pilotfish is non-territorial, it is sometimes aggressive towards other species.

Reproduction

  • Reproduction
    ovipare qui pond en eau libre

The pilotfish is a fish ovipare qui pond en eau libre.

Harmless species

This species does not represent any particular threats to humans when encountered in its natural environment.

Where to find it?

What is its habitat?

Natural environment characteristics

  • Temperature
    18 - 30 °C
  • Depth
    0 - 300 m
  • Environment
    Active pelagic

Biotope presentation

The pilotfish is most often found at a depth between 0m and 300m. However, it is not impossible to find this species at other depths.

Species of the same biotope

To go further

Species of the same family

To read on the web

Sources & Contributions

Participation & Validation

The Fishipedia team and specialist contributors are committed to providing high-quality content. However, although the information comes from scientific sources or testimonials from specialists, the cards may contain inaccuracies.

Benoit Chartrer

Benoit Chartrer

Adrien Falzon

Adrien Falzon

Translation

Translation done with the valuable contribution of our translators, who make this information available to a wider audience. We sincerely thank them for their commitment.

Bibliographic references

The biology and ecology of juvenile pilotfish (Naucrates ductor) associated with Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) in eastern Mediterranean waters - V. VASSILOPOULOU - A. SIAPATIS - G. CHRISTIDES - P. BEKAS - Mediterranean Marine Science - 2005.

Color Patterns of Pilotfish (Naucrates ductor) and Their Possible Significance - John J. Magnuson - Reginald M. Gooding - American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists - 1971.

BULLETIN OF MARINE SCIENCE, 63(1): 249–256, 1998 249 BIOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF PILOTFISH (NAUCRATES DUCTOR) FROM THE FADS FISHERY OF THE ISLAND OF MALLORCA (WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN) - Olga Reñones - Enric Massutí - Salud Deudero - Beatriz Morales-Nin - BULLETIN OF MARINE SCIENCE, - 1998.

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Species of the same family

Species of the same biotope

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