Alectes cilliaris (Bloch, 1788)

Yennawar, Prasanna, Mohapatra, Anil & Tudu, Prasad Chandra, 2017, An account of Ichthyofauna of Digha coast, West Bengal, Records of the Zoological Survey of India 117 (1), pp. 4-4 : 4-

14. Alectes cilliaris (Bloch, 1788)

African pompano (Figure 15)

Material examined: 1ex, Mohana, Digha; 13.10.11., Reg. No. MARC /ZSI/ F1949.

Description: Body deep, becoming more elongate with growth, and very compressed. Profile of nape and head broadly rounded; anterior soft rays of dorsal and anal fins extremely long and filamentous in young; pectoral fins falcate, longer than head; pelvic fins elongate in young. Lateral line standard length anteriorly with a strong and moderately long arch, its posterior (straight) part with 12 to 30 scutes. Colour mostly silvery with a light metallic bluish tinge on upper third of body and head; juveniles with 5 chevron-shaped dark bars on body, and a black blotch at base of 3rd to 6th soft dorsal fin rays, filaments black distally.

Distribution: Worldwide in tropical seas. Western Atlantic, Eastern Atlantic, Western Indian Ocean, Eastern Pacific.

IUCN Status (2012): Least Concern ( LC).

Remarks: The fish has minor commercial value, ornamental & gamefish. There is also reports of ciguatera poisoning. Size: 130 cm.