POMPANOS (TRACHINOTUS SPP.) OF SOUTH ATLANTIC COAST OF THE 



UNITED STATES 



By Hugh M. Fields, Fishery Research Biologist 

 Bureau of Commercial Fisheries 



Three species of the carangid genus Trachinotus 

 Lacep^de (ponipanos), namely, Trachinotus caro- 

 linus (Linnaeus), T. falcatus (Linnaeus), and T. 

 glaucus (Bloch), are recognized as being indigenous 

 to the south Atlantic coast of the United States. 

 It is iny purpose to present the results of a study 

 of the early development of the pompanos, 

 including descriptions and illustrations of the 

 young, discussion of pigmentation, ontogeny and 

 growth, seasonal occurrence of the young on the 

 Georgia coast, and natural history notes. 



The bulk of the T. carolinus and T. falcatus ma- 

 terial used in this study was collected in conjunction 

 with the biweekly seining program of the Bureaii of 

 Commercial Fisheries Biological Laboratory, 

 Brunswick, Georgia. (This material is identified 

 in this paper by the abbreviation BLBG.) This 

 program, initiated in 1953 and still in operation, 

 consists of periodic seining at selected sites with 

 small-mesh (J^-inch bar) seines, 30 to 70 feet in 

 length. Three permanent sites are used — open 

 ocean beach (King and Prince, St. Simons Island), 

 salt marsh (Jekyll Island Causeway, and previ- 

 ously, Sapelo Marsh), and fresh-water river 

 (Altamaha River at the county landing). Supple- 

 mentary seining is done on the open beach at 

 Jekyll Island and at East Beach on St. Simons 

 Island. These seine locations are in Glynn 

 County, Ga., except Sapelo Marsh which is in 

 adjacent Mcintosh County, Ga. Water tempera- 

 ture and salinity data are recorded from these 

 sites. Most of the Trachinotus taken by seine are 

 from the open ocean beach locations. Other 

 inshore specimens were collected in shrimp trawls 

 in the Brunswick area and by the Menhaden 

 Investigations, Biological Laboratory, Beaufort, 

 N.C., (MI). Offshore specimens were taken dur- 

 ing the South Atlantic Fishery Investigations' 



Tho author Is presently Extension Wildlife Specialist, North Carolina 

 State CoUcge, Raleigh, N.C. 

 Approved for publication, July 26, 1961. Fishery Bulletin 207. 



field operations with the Fish and Wildlife Service 

 research vessel Theodore N. Gill; and during opera- 

 tions aboard the Service's exploratory fishing and 

 gear research vessel Combat. Gill specimens were 

 collected in plankton tows using standard half- 

 meter silk nets, high-speed metal nets, and by 

 smaU-mesh dipnets; and the Combai material was 

 collected in tows using a standard meter larvae net. 



Other specimens examined were lent bj^ the 

 following institutions and individuals: 



University of Florida Collections (UF), through 

 John D. Kilby; Charleston Museum (ChM), 

 through E. Milby Burton; United States National 

 Museum (USNM), through Leonard P. Schultz; 

 Institute of Jamaica (Inst. Jam.), through David 

 K. Caldwell; University of Georgia (UG), through 

 Donald C. Scott; Department of Biology, College 

 of Liberal Arts, Boston University (BU), through 

 Robert H. Gibbs; and the personal collection of 

 Mr. and Mrs. Craig Phillips (Phillips). Also 

 examined were fish in the commercial catch at 

 Melbourne and Grant, Fla., on the Indian River, 

 through the courtesy of Floyd Carver and other 

 Indian River fishermen. Appreciation is 

 expressed to the Indian River fishermen and 

 staff' members of the Biological Laboratory, 

 Brunswick, Ga., and others who assisted in 

 various ways. 



Collection data for all specimens examined are 

 given in appendix table 1, page 210. 



METHODS AND DEFINITIONS 



Measurements 



Measurements below about 15 mm. were made 

 with a micrometer eyepiece and dissecting micro- 

 scope. Larger measurements were made with 

 dividers and millimeter rule, dial calipers, or meas- 

 uring board. All measurements below 5 mm. were 

 recorded to the nearest hundredth millimeter; 

 those between 5 and 50 mm. to the nearest tenth; 

 and those abpve 50 mm. to the nearest half-milli- 



189 



