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Species: Trachinotus falcatus, Permit pompano, the Permit

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body short, deep
D VI, 18-20
A 17-18
D lobe moderatly long
fins black
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This Species (15) This Genus (4) Similar Species (4)

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Trachinotus falcatus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Permit

Body short, deep, compressed; upper and lower profiles similar; snout blunt; mouth reaches under eye; top jaw extendible; jaw teeth small, conical, curved, absent in juveniles >20 cm FL; gill rakers 5-7 + 11-14; dorsal fin with VI short, stout spines, 1st resorbed in adults, 18-20 (17-21) rays; anal fin II + I, 17-18 (16-19) rays; dorsal & anal fin front lobes moderately long; base of anal about same length as that of soft dorsal; no finlets after 2nd dorsal and anal fins; pectoral fin < head length; tail base slender, without notches above & below; tail strongly forked; no scutes (hard, spiny scales) on lateral line; body scales oval.

Silvery, bluish grey to iridescent blue above; sometimes a dark oval blotch on mid side; large fish with pectorals, anal and tail fins blackish. Juveniles: changeable, black to silver with orange blotch at base of anal fin, lobe of that fin black.

Reaches 149 cm; 36 kg.

Pelagic and near bottom in shallow sandy and muddy bottoms, and around reefs.

Depth range 0-80 m.

Massachusetts to southern Brazil; the entire Greater Caribbean.

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Salinity
  • Marine Only
  • Marine
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore Only
  • Inshore
Water Column Position
  • Near Bottom
  • Near Surface
  • Mid Water
  • Bottom
  • Bottom + water column
Habitat
  • Mud
  • Submerged vegetation
  • Water column
  • Reef and soft bottom
  • Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
  • Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
  • Sand & gravel
  • Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
FishBase Habitat
  • Reef Associated
  • Bentho-Pelagic
Feeding Group
  • Carnivore
  • Data
Diet
  • Bony fishes
  • Data
  • Sea-stars/cucumbers/urchins
  • Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
  • Mobile benthic gastropods/bivalves
Egg Type
  • Data
  • Pelagic
  • Pelagic larva
Global Endemism
  • West Atlantic Endemic
  • All species.
  • Greater Caribbean non-endemic
Regional Endemism
  • Also in Brazil
  • Continent
  • Extends North of GC
  • GC non-endemic
  • Extends South of GC
  • Extends N + S of GC
  • Island (s)
  • All species..
  • Continent + Island (s)
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
  • Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
  • Temperate (>35N)
  • Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
IUCN Red List
  • Least concern
  • Listed
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 149
Depth Range Min
  • 0
Depth Range Max
  • 80