Family CORYPHAENIDAE

Coryphaenidae

© Copyright Ros Poole.

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Introduction

The Coryphaenidae comprise a single genus and two worldwide species. The family was reviewed by Gibbs & Collette (1959) and species are treated in Collette (1999). Two recent studies by O'Tool (2002) and Gray et al. (2009) have shown that the family along with the Rachycentridae and Echeneidae form a monophyletic group, the superfamily Echeneoidea.

Dolphinfishes occur in tropical and subtropical offshore and oceanic environments. They are pelagic, often schooling near the surface in association with floating objects. Coryphaenids are distinctive in having a strongly compressed body and a very long-based dorsal fin beginning on the head. One species reaches a length of 1.5 m. They are important commercial and recreational fishes. The international game fishing record is 39.91 kg for a fish caught in the Bahamas. Palko et al. (1982) and Pepperell (2010) discussed the biology of the species.

General References

Collette, B.B. 1999. Family Coryphaenidae. pp. 2656-2658 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, T.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 4 pp. 2069-2790.

Gibbs, R.H. & Collette, B.B. 1959. On the identification, distribution and biology of the dolphins, Coryphaena hippurus and C. equiselis. Bulletin of Marine Science of the Gulf and Caribbean 9(2): 117-152 figs 1-18

Gray, K.N., McDowell, J.R., Collette, B.B. & Graves, J.E. 2009. A molecular phylogeny of the remoras and their relatives. Bulletin of Marine Science 84(2): 183-198

Hoese, D.F., Bray, D.J., Paxton, J.R. & Allen, G.R. 2006. Fishes. In, Beesley, P.L. & Wells, A. (eds) Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Vol. 35. Volume 35 Australia : ABRS & CSIRO Publishing Parts 1-3, 2178 pp. [1146]

O'Toole, B. 2002. Phylogeny of the species of the superfamily Echeneoidea (Perciformes: Carangoidei: Echeneidae, Rachycentridae, and Coryphaenidae), with an interpretation of echeneid hitchhiking behaviour. Canadian Journal of Zoology 80(4): 596-623

Palko, B.J., Beardsley, G.L. & Richards, W.J. 1982. Synopsis of the biological data on dolphin fishes, Coryphaena hippurus Linnaeus and Coryphaena equiselis Linnaeus. NOAA Tech. Rep. NMFD circular 443,. 28 pp.

Pepperell, J. 2010. Fishes of the Open Ocean a Natural History & Illustrated Guide. Sydney : University of New South Wales Press Ltd 266 pp.

Common Name References

Gomon, M.F., Glover, C.J.M. & Kuiter, R.H. (eds) 1994. The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. Adelaide : State Printer 992 pp. 810 figs. [590] (Dolphinfishes)

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