Family RACHYCENTRIDAE

Rachycentridae

© Copyright Ros Poole.

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Introduction

The cobia, also known in Australia as the black kingfish, is the only member of the family Rachycentridae. It lives in tropical and subtropical waters of all oceans except the eastern Pacific (Smith 1986). The cobia is related to the dolphinfishes of the family Coryphaenidae and remoras of the family Echeneidae (Johnson 1984). Two recent studies (O'Tool 2002; Gray et al. 2009) have shown that the family along with the Echeneidae and Coryphaenidae form a monophyletic group, the superfamily Echeneoidea.

Cobia is a pelagic fish that occurs both inshore and over the continental shelf, where it is prized as a gamefish. The species attains at least 1.7 m in length (Hutchins & Swainston 1986). The international game fishing record is a 61.5 kg fish caught in Western Australia. Shaffer & Nakamura (1989) discussed the biology of the species.

General References

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. [1144]

Hutchins, J.B. & Swainston, R. 1986. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. Complete field guide for anglers and divers. Perth : Swainston Publishing 180 pp.

Johnson, G.D. 1984. Percoidei: development and relationships. pp. 464-498 figs 254-264 in Moser, H.G. et al. (eds). Ontogeny and Systematics of Fishes. American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists. Special Publication 1: 1-760

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

Shaffer, R.V. & Nakamura, E.L. 1989. Synopsis of biological data on the cobia Rachycentron canadum (Pisces: Rachycentridae). NOAA Tech. Rep. NMFS 82. 21 pp.

Smith, M.M. 1986. Family No. 212: Rachycentridae. pp. 661-662, 1 fig. in Smith, M.M. & Heemstra, P.C. (eds). Smith's Sea Fishes. Johannesburg : Macmillan South Africa xx + 1047 pp. 144 pls.

Common Name References

Paxton, J.R., Hoese, D.F., Allen, G.R. & Hanley, J.E. (eds) 1989. Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Pisces: Petromyzontidae to Carangidae. Canberra : Australian Government Publishing Service Vol. 7 665 pp. (Cobia)

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