Round scad (Decapterus punctatus)

Scientific name: Decapterus punctatus Cuvier, 1829

Round scad (Decapterus punctatus)

The Round scad (Decapterus punctatus) is a marine fish of the family Carangidae.

Biology

Inhabits neritic waters, often near sandy beaches. A shoaling species, generally near the bottom. Feeds on planktonic invertebrates, primarily copepods, but also on gastropod larvae, ostracods and pteropods. Spawns well offshore year-round. Eggs are pelagic. A good food fish. Caught commercially and used mainly for bait.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Decapterus punctatus
Family
Carangidae (Jacks and pompanos)
Order
Perciformes (Perch-like fish)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
30.0
Common length
18.0
Depth range
0–100 m (0–328 ft)
Environment
Marine; reef-associated; depth range 0 - 100 m
Climate
Subtropical
Distribution
Western Atlantic: Nova Scotia, Canada southward through the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Eastern Atlantic: Morocco to South Africa, including the Madeira, Canary, Cape Verde, Ascension and St. Helena islands.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: minor commercial; bait: usually
Resilience
High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (K=0.32; tm

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

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