Species: Decapterus tabl, Redtail scad
tip top jaw hooked
LL branch - nape only
1 finlet after D & A
edge operculum fine serrations
Decapterus tabl Berry, 1968
Redtail scad
Elongate, slender, cylindrical; eye covered with adipose eyelid except for central slit; front tip of top jaw hooked; rear edge of upper jaw straight to (rarely) slightly concave above, with angular top corner, rounded bottom corner; front of shoulder that meets gill chamber with 2 moderate sized papillae; top and bottom of opercular edge finely serrated in large fish; gill rakers (including rudiments) 10-13+28-33; dorsal rays VIII+I, 31-37 (including detached rear finlet); anal rays II+I, 27-31 (including detached rear finlet); pectoral fin 58-72% of head length; tail base slender; tail strongly forked; lateral line with long, low arch anteriorly; 61-72 scales on curved part of lateral line then straight part with 0-8 scales followed by 31-39 scutes, total scales and scutes in lateral line (excluding caudal scales) 103-115; scales on top of head usually extend forward to level of at least anterior margin of pupil; branches of lateral line extending onto nape only.
Greenish brown on back, silvery white below; a bright blue stripe along mid-side; snout and top jaw tinted with red; a small black spot at top corner of operculum; edges of tail fin, dorsal fins, dorsal finlets, and pectorals red; anal fin and pelvics white; membrane inside at front of roof of mouth dusky to clear.
Size: grows to 51 cm.
Habitat: pelagic, schooling, inshore, midwater to bottom.
Depth: 0-233 m.
Indo-West Pacific, west and south Atlantic; N Carolina to Uruguary.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Marine
- Marine Only
- Inshore/Offshore
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- Inshore
- Inshore Only
- Water Column Position
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- Mid Water
- Water column only
- Near Bottom
- Surface
- Near Surface
- Habitat
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- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- Water column
- FishBase Habitat
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- Reef Associated
- Pelagic
- Feeding Group
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- Planktivore
- Data
- Diet
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- Data
- Zooplankton
- Egg Type
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- Data
- Pelagic
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
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- All species.
- Greater Caribbean non-endemic
- Circumtropical ( Indian + Pacific + Atlantic Oceans)
- Regional Endemism
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- Continent + Island (s)
- GC non-endemic
- Extends North of GC
- Island (s)
- All species..
- Continent
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
- Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
- Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
- IUCN Red List
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- Listed
- Least concern
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 51
- Depth Range Min
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- 0
- Depth Range Max
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- 233
