Peprilus simillimus, also known as the Pacific Butterfish, Californian Pompano, or Pacific Pompano, is a silvery ray-finned fish in the familyStromateidae (butterfishes) of the order Scombriformes. It is not closely related to true pompanos, in the Carangidae family, however is closely related to the pomfrets.
The species was first described in 1860 by ichthyologistWilliam Ayres. The name comes from the Greek word "pepricos" in reference to local fish, and the Latin word "simillimus," meaning very similar, alluding to its resemblance to the Atlantic butterfish (P. triacanthus.) [2][3]
Description
The Pacific pompano has an elliptical, oval-like body, and is deeply compressed (thin from the front.) The body is a silvery and iridescent, with occasional olive or blue-green coloration on the back, and an olive-yellow on the upper head.
The tail fin is deeply forked, and all fins have a yellow hue, with black around the edges.[4][3] A unique feature of this fish is that it lacks pelvic fins. They have long anal and dorsal fins, with the dorsal having 3 spines and 45-47 soft rays.[3][5]
Most individuals are under 20cm (7.9in) but can reach up to 36.1cm (14.2in) in TL.[2]
Habitat and ecology
Peprilus simillimus is a saltwater fish. It prefers a subtropical climate and lives mainly in the Pacific Ocean, often over sandy bottoms in small but dense schools. It is found at a depth from to 9 to 312m (30 to 1,024ft) below the surface of the water, but is most frequently seen in shallow waters. It lives a benthopelagic lifestyle, being either near the bottom or in the midwater column.
Like other butterfish, young fish tend to feed and take shelter in the tentacles of jellyfish.[2][7][8] They may also school with other fish in the surfzone, like surfperches.
Multiple, recently prepared Pacific Pompano caught at Pacifica Pier in California, August 2023
The Pacific pompano of considerable importance for commercial fisheries. It is rarely caught by shore anglers, but can be a common catch from Southern California piers. It is revered for its taste and flaky white flesh, and has been considered one of the best eating fishes from the California coast.[6]
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
