Alectis

{{short description|Genus of fish}} {{Automatic_taxobox | fossil_range = {{fossilrange|55|0}} [[Eocene]] to Present<ref>{{cite journal|last=Sepkoski |first=Jack |title=A compendium of fossil marine animal genera |journal=Bulletins of American Paleontology |volume=363 |pages=1–560 |year=2002 |url=http://strata.ummp.lsa.umich.edu/jack/showgenera.php?taxon=611&rank=class |access-date=2007-12-31 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723131237/http://strata.ummp.lsa.umich.edu/jack/showgenera.php?taxon=611&rank=class |archive-date=2011-07-23 }}</ref> | image = Alectis ciliaris.jpg | image_caption = [[Juvenile (organism)|juvenile]] ''[[Alectis ciliaris]]'' | taxon = Alectis | authority = [[Constantine Samuel Rafinesque|Rafinesque]], 1815 | type_species = ''[[Alectis ciliaris]]'' (Bloch, 1787) | synonyms = *''Gallus'' ([[Bernard Germain Étienne de la Ville, Comte de Lacépède|Lacépède]], 1802) *''Scyris'' ([[Georges Cuvier|Cuvier]], 1829) | subdivision_ranks = [[Species]] | subdivision = See Text }}

'''''Alectis''''' is a [[genus]] of [[fish]] in the [[Family (taxonomy)|family]] [[Carangidae]] containing three [[Extant taxon|extant]] [[species]], all of which are large [[Marine (ocean)|marine]] fishes. They are commonly known as '''threadfish''', '''diamond trevallies''' or '''pompanos''', although they have no close affiliation with the true [[pompano]] genus.

==Taxonomy== ''Alectis'' is one of 33 genera in the jack and horse mackerel family [[Carangidae]]. The Carangidae are [[ray-finned fish]]es in the [[Order (biology)|order]] [[Carangiformes]].<ref name = Nelson5>{{cite book |title=Fishes of the World |edition=5th |author1=J. S. Nelson |author2=T. C. Grande |author3=M. V. H. Wilson |year=2016 |pages=380–387 |publisher=Wiley |isbn=978-1-118-34233-6 |url=https://sites.google.com/site/fotw5th/ |access-date=2019-11-23 |archive-date=2019-04-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190408194051/https://sites.google.com/site/fotw5th/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The first fish in the genus to be described was ''[[Alectis ciliaris]]'' under the genus name of ''Zeus'', part of the [[List of fishes known as dory|dory]] family. [[Bernard Germain Étienne de la Ville, Comte de Lacépède|Lacépède]] recognized the species was not a dory and assigned it to a new genus, ''[[Gallus (bird)|Gallus]]'', however this was preoccupied by a [[bird]].<ref name = "Zoocat" >{{cite book | last1 = Hosese | first1 = D.F. | last2 = Bray |first2=D.J. |last3=Paxton |first3=J.R. |last4=Alen |first4=G.R. | title = Zoological Catalogue of Australia Vol. 35 (2) Fishes | publisher = CSIRO | year = 2007 | location = Sydney |page=1150 | isbn =978-0-643-09334-8 }}</ref> In 1815, [[Constantine Samuel Rafinesque|Rafinesque]] proposed the name ''Alectis'' in an obscure publication. [[Georges Cuvier]] used another generic name, ''Scyris'', for the genus in 1829, but the name ''Alectis'' was rediscovered by [[James Douglas Ogilby]] in 1913{{cn|date=January 2020}} and had [[Priority (biology)|priority]].<ref name = FAO>{{cite book | editor-last = Carpenter | editor-first = Kent E. | editor2-first = Volker H. |editor2-last=Niem | title = FAO species identification guide for fishery purposes. The living marine resources of the Western Central Pacific. Volume 5. Bony fishes part 3 (Menidae to Pomacentridae) | publisher = FAO | year = 2001 | location = Rome |page=2684 | url = ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/009/y4160e/y4160e00.pdf | isbn = 92-5-104587-9 }}</ref> The name ''Alectis'' is derived from one of three [[Erinyes]] in the [[Greek mythology]]; daughter of [[Acheronte]] with a terrible rage.<ref name=FishBase>{{FishBase genus | genus = Alectis | year = 2021 | month = February}}</ref>

A single species has been identified the [[fossil record]], ''[[Alectis simus]]'' (Stinton, 1979), from the [[Eocene]] period of England. It was found alongside a number of extinct and extant carangid genera including ''Caranx'' and ''Usacaranx'' (extinct).<ref>{{cite journal | last = Stinton | first = F.C. | title = Fish Otoliths from the English UK Eocene | journal = Palaeontographical Society Monographs | volume = 133 | issue = 558 | pages = 191–258 | location = London | year = 1979 | doi = 10.1080/25761900.2022.12131743 | bibcode = 1979MPalS.133..191S | s2cid = 88762143 }}</ref>

==Species== There are currently three recognized species in this genus:<ref name=FishBase/> {| class="wikitable" |- ! Image !! Scientific name !! Common name !! Distribution |- |[[File:Alectis-alexandrina.JPG|120px]] ||''[[Alectis alexandrina]]'' ([[Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire|É. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire]], 1817)|| Alexandria pompano || tropical eastern Atlantic Ocean, inhabiting the waters of West Africa from Morocco around to Angola |- |[[File:Alectis ciliaris.jpg|120px]] || ''[[Alectis ciliaris]]'' ([[Marcus Elieser Bloch|Bloch]], 1787)|| African pompano || east and west coasts of the US, South America and Africa, throughout the Indian Ocean and along Asia and Australia, as well as many islands in the Pacific. |- |[[File:Diamond trevally juvenile.jpg|120px]] || ''[[Alectis indica]]'' ([[Eduard Rüppell|Ruppell]], 1830)|| Indian threadfish || the tropical regions of the Indian and Western Pacific Oceans, ranging from Madagascar, east Africa and the Red Sea to India, China, South East Asia, north to Japan and south to Indonesia and northern Australia |- |}

==Biology== The fish of the genus are large, powerful fishes that look very similar to a number of other large [[Carangidae|jack]]s, with the main difference being the profile of the head and the characteristic long filamentous [[anal fin|anal]] and [[dorsal fins]] displayed by [[juvenile (organism)|juvenile]]s of these species. They are generally a silver colour, with pale green to [[hyaline]] fins. ''A. indica'' is the largest of the genus, growing to a reported 165 cm and 25 kg in weight.<ref name = "Gunn">{{cite journal | last = Gunn | first = John S. | title = A revision of selected genera of the family Carangidae (Pisces) from Australian waters | journal = Records of the Australian Museum | volume = Supplement 12 | pages =1–78 | year = 1990 | doi=10.3853/j.0812-7387.12.1990.92| doi-access = free }}</ref>

The genus has a [[tropics|circum-tropical]] distribution, with adults generally restricted to [[reef]]s in [[coastal]] areas down to 100 m, while juveniles are often [[pelagic]].<ref name = FAO/> All three are [[predator]]s of small fishes, [[cephalopod]]s and [[crustacean]]s. A little is known of their reproductive habits and larval phases, with [[Spawn (biology)|spawning]] occurring during [[daylight]] between pairs.<ref>{{cite journal | last = von Westernhagen | first = H. | title = Observations on the natural spawning of ''Alectis indicus'' (Rüppell) and ''Caranx ignobilis'' (Forsk.) (Carangidae) | journal = Journal of Fish Biology | volume = 6 | issue = 4 | pages = 513–516 | year = 1974 | doi = 10.1111/j.1095-8649.1974.tb04567.x | bibcode = 1974JFBio...6..513W }}</ref>

==Relationship to humans== The genus is of minor importance to both [[fishery|commercial]] and [[subsistence economy|subsistence]] fisheries, with the species generally not numerous enough to warrant a specific fishery.<ref name = FAO/> All species are considered fine [[game fish]], attaining large sizes and capable of blistering runs. The [[fish (food)|flesh]] of the genus is generally considered very good for [[culinary]] purposes, although at least one species has been implicated in a case of [[Ciguatera]] poisoning.<ref>{{cite journal | last = Bourdeau | first = P. |author2=Bagnis, R. |title=Facteurs de risque ciguatérique aux Antilles dans la région de Saint-Barthélémy, Saint-Martin et Anguilla | trans-title = Risk factors of ciguatera in the French West Indies in Saint-Barthelemy, Saint-Martin and Anguilla |language=French | journal = Revue d'élevage et de médecine vétérinaire des pays tropicaux | volume = 42 | issue = 3 | pages = 393–410 | year = 1989 |doi=10.19182/remvt.8799 | pmid = 2485547 |doi-access=free}}</ref> In [[Singapore]], ''A. indica'' has successfully been bred in [[aquaculture]] for food production in relatively low numbers. Juveniles are occasionally used in [[saltwater aquarium]]s, noted for their filamentous anal and dorsal fins.<ref>{{cite web|last=Pet education |title=Indian threadfin |work=Fish |publisher=Foster & Smith, Inc |url=http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=16&cat=1883&articleid=1944 |access-date=2007-10-23 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060304165820/http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=16&cat=1883&articleid=1944 |archive-date=2006-03-04 }}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist|2}}

==External links== *[http://www.fishbase.org/Eschmeyer/GeneraSummary.cfm?ID=Alectis ''Alectis'' at Fishbase]

[[Category:Alectis| ]] [[Category:Caranginae]] [[Category:Extant Eocene first appearances]] [[Category:Marine fish genera]] [[Category:Actinopterygii genera]] [[Category:Taxa named by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque]]