Species: Coryphaena equiselis, Pompano Dolphinfish

Coryphaena equiselis Linnaeus, 1758

Pompano Dolphinfish

Elongate compressed body; maximum height > ¼ of SL; adult males with a bony crest on the forehead, and a near-vertical front snout profile; mouth large; numerous small teeth in bands on jaws; patch of teeth on tongue wide and square; dorsal and anal fins without spines; a long-based dorsal fin 48-55 rays extending from the nape almost to the tail fin; a long-based anal fin with convex anterior border, extending nearly to the tail fin; no isolated finlets behind the dorsal or anal fins; pectoral fins ~ ½ head length; pelvics short, fitting into groove on the belly; a large, deeply forked tail fin; small smooth scales; no hard spiny scales (scutes) on lateral line; lateral line with a sharp curve over pectorals.

Upper body bright metallic blue-green in life, grey with green reflections in death; flanks with golden reflections and numerous black spots; in juveniles juveniles tail has entire border white; pelvics unpigmented.

Size: reaches 86 cm.

Habitat: an oceanic pelagic species.

Depth: 0-119 m.

A circumtropical species; Nova Scotia to Brazil.