Bonefishes
Encyclopedia
The bonefishes are a family
(Albulidae) of ray-finned fish that are popular as game fish
in Florida
, select locations in the South Pacific, and the Bahamas (where two bonefish are featured on the 10 cent coin) and elsewhere. The family is small, with twelve species in two genera.
Presently the bonefishes are in their own order
: Albuliformes . The spiny eel
s (Notacanthidae) and halosaur
s (Halosauridae) were previously classified in this order, but are now, according to FishBase
given their own order, Notacanthiformes
.
The largest bonefish caught in the Western Hemisphere is a 16 pound, 3 ounce example caught off Islamorada, Florida
, on March 19, 2007.
s and ladyfishes in the order Elopiformes
. Bonefishes are unlike tarpons in that their mouth is under the snout rather than the end of it, and bonefishes lack the tarpons' protruding snout. Like tarpons and ladyfishes, bonefishes can breathe air via a modified swim-bladder and are found in brackish waters. Bonefish larva
e are leptocephalic
.
The slender body of the bonefish is silver, with a blue to green tinted back. On the upper half of the body there are dark streaks with cross bands connecting to the lateral line
. Also, the body of a bonefish is rounded with a long downward aiming snout. The dorsal and caudal fins are black. Bonefish vary in adult length from 40–100 cm depending on species. The average size of a bonefish is from 3 to 5 pounds (1–2 kg) with the Florida record being 16 pounds 3 oz (7.34 kg).
The bonefishes are brackish or saltwater fish typically living in estuaries
and travelling out to sea to spawn on a lunar cycle. They feed in the shallow sand and mud flats, on benthic organisms Benthos
like worm
s, mollusks, shrimp
, and crab
s. They use their conical shaped snouts to root out their prey and can often be seen with their tail out of the water. Bonefishes possess crushing teeth in the palate.
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
(Albulidae) of ray-finned fish that are popular as game fish
Game fish
Game fish are fish pursued for sport by recreational anglers. They can be freshwater or marine fish. Game fish can be eaten after being caught, though increasingly anglers practise catch and release to improve fish populations. Some game fish are also targeted commercially, particularly...
in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, select locations in the South Pacific, and the Bahamas (where two bonefish are featured on the 10 cent coin) and elsewhere. The family is small, with twelve species in two genera.
Presently the bonefishes are in their own order
Order (biology)
In scientific classification used in biology, the order is# a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, family, genus, and species, with order fitting in between class and family...
: Albuliformes . The spiny eel
Spiny eel
The name spiny eel is used to describe members of two different families of fish: the freshwater Mastacembelidae of Asia and Africa, and the marine Notacanthidae. Both are so-named because of their eel-like shape and sturdy fin spines....
s (Notacanthidae) and halosaur
Halosaur
Halosaurs are eel-shaped fishes found only at great ocean depths. As the family Halosauridae, halosaurs are one of two families within the order Notacanthiformes; the other being the deep-sea spiny eels. Halosaurs are thought to have a worldwide distribution, with some seventeen species in three...
s (Halosauridae) were previously classified in this order, but are now, according to FishBase
FishBase
FishBase is a comprehensive database of information about fish species . It is the largest and most extensively accessed online database on adult finfish on the web...
given their own order, Notacanthiformes
Notacanthiformes
Notacanthiformes is an order of deep-sea ray-finned fishes, consisting of the families Halosauridae and Notacanthidae The order is of relatively recent vintage; Fishes of the World lists it as a suborder Notacanthoidei of Albuliformes...
.
The largest bonefish caught in the Western Hemisphere is a 16 pound, 3 ounce example caught off Islamorada, Florida
Islamorada, Florida
Islamorada, a "Village of Islands," is an incorporated village in Monroe County, Florida, United States. It is located on the islands of Tea Table Key, Lower Matecumbe Key, Upper Matecumbe Key, Windley Key and Plantation Key in the Florida Keys....
, on March 19, 2007.
Albula
The bonefishes' closest relatives are the tarponTarpon
Tarpons are large fish of the genus Megalops. There are two species of Megalops, one native to the Atlantic, and the other to the Indo-Pacific oceans.They are the only members of the family Megalopidae.- Species and habitats :...
s and ladyfishes in the order Elopiformes
Elopiformes
Elopiformes is the order of ray-finned fish that includes the tarpons, tenpounders, and ladyfish, as well as a number of extinct types. They have a long fossil record, easily distinguished from other fishes by the presence of an additional set of bones in the throat.They are related to the order...
. Bonefishes are unlike tarpons in that their mouth is under the snout rather than the end of it, and bonefishes lack the tarpons' protruding snout. Like tarpons and ladyfishes, bonefishes can breathe air via a modified swim-bladder and are found in brackish waters. Bonefish larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e are leptocephalic
Leptocephalus
A leptocephalus is the flat and transparent larva of the eel, marine eels, and other members of the Superorder Elopomorpha. Fishes with a leptocephalus larva stage include the most familiar eels such as the conger, moray eel, and garden eel, and the freshwater eels of the family Anguillidae, plus...
.
The slender body of the bonefish is silver, with a blue to green tinted back. On the upper half of the body there are dark streaks with cross bands connecting to the lateral line
Lateral line
The lateral line is a sense organ in aquatic organisms , used to detect movement and vibration in the surrounding water. Lateral lines are usually visible as faint lines running lengthwise down each side, from the vicinity of the gill covers to the base of the tail...
. Also, the body of a bonefish is rounded with a long downward aiming snout. The dorsal and caudal fins are black. Bonefish vary in adult length from 40–100 cm depending on species. The average size of a bonefish is from 3 to 5 pounds (1–2 kg) with the Florida record being 16 pounds 3 oz (7.34 kg).
The bonefishes are brackish or saltwater fish typically living in estuaries
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
and travelling out to sea to spawn on a lunar cycle. They feed in the shallow sand and mud flats, on benthic organisms Benthos
Benthos
Benthos is the community of organisms which live on, in, or near the seabed, also known as the benthic zone. This community lives in or near marine sedimentary environments, from tidal pools along the foreshore, out to the continental shelf, and then down to the abyssal depths.Many organisms...
like worm
Worm
The term worm refers to an obsolete taxon used by Carolus Linnaeus and Jean-Baptiste Lamarck for all non-arthropod invertebrate animals, and stems from the Old English word wyrm. Currently it is used to describe many different distantly-related animals that typically have a long cylindrical...
s, mollusks, shrimp
Shrimp
Shrimp are swimming, decapod crustaceans classified in the infraorder Caridea, found widely around the world in both fresh and salt water. Adult shrimp are filter feeding benthic animals living close to the bottom. They can live in schools and can swim rapidly backwards. Shrimp are an important...
, and crab
Crab
True crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" , or where the reduced abdomen is entirely hidden under the thorax...
s. They use their conical shaped snouts to root out their prey and can often be seen with their tail out of the water. Bonefishes possess crushing teeth in the palate.
External links
- The inshore grand slam Article about bonefish, permit and tarpon.
- Bone fishing in Los Roques general Info.