Orange-spotted trevally
The orange-spotted trevally, Carangoides bajad (also known as the gold-spotted trevally) is a species of inshore marine fish in the jack family, Carangidae. The species is fairly common in tropical to subtropical waters of the Indo-Pacific, ranging from Madagascar in the west to Japan in the east, typically inhabiting inshore reefs. The species has characteristic orange-yellow spots on its sides, although counts of fin rays and scutes are needed to distinguish it from related species with similar colouring. Orange-spotted trevallies are powerful predators, taking a variety of small fish, nekton, and crustaceans, and reach sexual maturity around 25 cm long. It is a moderately large fish, reaching a maximum known length of 55 cm. The species is occasionally taken by fishermen throughout its range, and is generally considered to be bycatch. The exception to this is in the southern Persian Gulf, where it makes up a large proportion of the fishery. Taxonomy and naming The orange-spotted trevally is classified within the genus Carangoides, a group of fish commonly called jacks and trevallies. Carangoides falls into the jack and horse mackerel family Carangidae, the Carangidae are part of the order Carangiformes. The species was first scientifically described by the Swedish naturalist Peter Forsskål in 1775 based on a specimen taken from the Red Sea which he designated to be the holotype. The specific epithet is an Arabic name of the fish (although it is now usually applied to a catfish, Bagrus bajad, which Forsskål also named), with the letter "j" transcribing a /j/ sound; Forsskål used this technique to name a number of Red Sea fish species. Forsskål at first gave the new taxon subspecies status as Scomber ferdau bajad, relating it to the mackerels, and especially Scomber ferdau, which would later also be transferred to Carangoides. The taxon was later given a species rank, becoming Scomber bajad, then Caranx bajad, before being transferred to its current position as Carangoides bajad. The species was also independently renamed three times after Forsskål's description, the first coming from Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg, who named the species Caranx immaculatus, although he did not accurately publish the name, leading Georges Cuvier to rename the fish as Caranx auroguttatus in 1833, which was later transferred to Carangoides. In 1871, Carl Benjamin Klunzinger once again proposed a new subspecies (or variety) name for the fish, Caranx fulvoguttatus var. flava. All names except Carangoides bajad are considered to be junior synonyms under the ICZN rules, and are rendered invalid and not used. Description The orange-spotted trevally has the typical body profile of its genus, having a moderately deep, compressed oblong shape, with the dorsal profile more convex than the ventral profile. It is a moderately large fish, with adults typically reaching a size of 45–60 cm. The largest fish recorded was 72 cm, but are most common at sizes below 40 cm. The dorsal profile of the head is quite straight from the snout to the nape, with an eye diameter smaller than the snout length. Both jaws contain