The Atlantic spadefish (''Chaetodipterus faber'') is a species of marine

ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fish or actinopterygians, is a class of bony fish that comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. They are so called because of their lightly built fins made of webbings of sk ...

belonging to the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Ephippidae Ephippidae is a family of percomorph fishes, the spadefishes, in the order Moroniformes. These fishes are found in the tropical and temperate oceans of the world, except for the central Pacific. Taxonomy Ephippidae was first proposed as a fami ...

, the spadefishes. It is the symbol of the North Carolina Aquariums.

Taxonomy and etymology

The scientific name is derived from the Greek word "chaíti" meaning "mane" and "dipteros" meaning "with two fins." The Atlantic spadefish belongs to the genus ''

Chaetodipterus ''Chaetodipterus'' is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Ephippidae, the spadefishes. These fishes are found in the Atlantic and eastern Pacific Oceans. Taxonomy ''Chaetodipterus'' was first proposed as a monospecific ge ...

'', which includes two other species: the West African spadefish (''Chaetodipterus lippei'') and the Pacific spadefish (''Chaetodipterus zonatus''). The genus ''Chaetodipterus'' belongs to the family

, which includes spadefish and batfish. ''Chaetodipterus faber'' is known by numerous other colloquial names, including angelfish, white angelfish, threetailed porgy, ocean cobbler, and moonfish.

Description

The disk-shaped body is very deep and compressed, and the snout is blunt. There are 9 dorsal spines and 21–24 soft dorsal rays, and there are 3 anal spines and 17–19 anal rays. The second

dorsal Dorsal (from Latin ''dorsum'' ‘back’) may refer to: * Dorsal (anatomy), an anatomical term of location referring to the back or upper side of an organism or parts of an organism * Dorsal, positioned on top of an aircraft's fuselage The fus ...

and

anal fin Fins are moving appendages protruding from the body of fish that interact with water to generate thrust and help the fish swim. Apart from the tail or caudal fin, fish fins have no direct connection with the back bone and are supported o ...

s of adults have long, trailing anterior lobes, giving an "angelfish-like" appearance. The body is silver in color with irregular black vertical bands that fade gradually with age. There are 4–6 black vertical bands on each side, with the first running through the eye and the last running through the caudal peduncle. The mouth is small, with the

maxilla In vertebrates, the maxilla (: maxillae ) is the upper fixed (not fixed in Neopterygii) bone of the jaw formed from the fusion of two maxillary bones. In humans, the upper jaw includes the hard palate in the front of the mouth. The two maxil ...

of adults ending beneath the nostrils. The teeth are small and brushlike, and there are no teeth on the roof of the mouth. The head and fins are covered with

ctenoid scale A fish scale is a small rigid plate that grows out of the skin of a fish. The skin of most jawed fishes is covered with these protective scales, which can also provide effective camouflage through the use of reflection and colouration, as w ...

s. Specimens commonly weigh from , although individuals as large as have been recorded. Their maximum length is about .

Diet

Atlantic Spadefish caught off of the coast of Virginia

Atlantic spadefish feed on small, benthic invertebrates including crustaceans, mollusks, annelids, and cnidarians. They also feed on plankton in the water column.

Distribution and habitat

The species is endemic to the western

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

. They are found off the coast of the southeastern United States as far north as Massachusetts, the Gulf of Mexico, and in the

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

. They are also found in Bermuda and the eastern coast of Brazil. The fish inhabits marine and brackish waters typically in subtropical climates. They are common in shallow waters along coastlines with depths of . Juveniles commonly inhabit estuaries until maturity and adults prefer mangroves, beaches, and harbors.

Reproduction and life cycle

Spawning season occurs from May to September. A female can release up to one million eggs per season. The eggs hatch after 24 hours and the larvae feed on a yolk for two days before actively feeding.

Importance to humans

Atlantic spadefish are not of much commercial value. Due to their reputation as strong fighters, they are popular

game fish Game fish, sport fish or quarry refer to popular fish species pursued by recreational fishing, recreational fishers (typically angling, anglers), and can be freshwater fish, freshwater or saltwater fish. Game fish can be fish as food, eaten aft ...

, especially during the summer months when they are most active. The Atlantic spadefish has become a popular target species for sportfishermen due to their abundance and the strong fight they have for their size. They are good table fare, especially if smoked or grilled. A common method of catching involves using small pieces of clam on a small

circle hook A circle hook is a type of fish hook which is sharply curved back in a circular shape. It has become widely used among anglers in recent years because the hook generally catches more fish and is rarely swallowed. Since the circle hook catches t ...

References

External links

* Photos o
Chaetodipterus faber
in iNaturalist {{Taxonbar, from=Q756961

Atlantic spadefish The Atlantic spadefish (''Chaetodipterus faber'') is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the Family (biology), family Ephippidae, the spadefishes. It is the symbol of the North Carolina Aquariums. Taxonomy and etymology The scien ...

Game fish Fish of the Caribbean Marine fish of Brazil

Fish of Cuba Fish of the Dominican Republic Taxa named by Pierre Marie Auguste Broussonet Fish of Aruba