Galapagos Species Database
The Galapagos Species Database shares the information about the species from our Natural History Collections.
Naucrates ductor
pez piloto, Pilot fish
Silvery white to gray. Long, torpedo-shaped body and forked tail. Up to at least 70 cm TL, common to 35 FL
Habitat: Surface waters of the open sea surrounding the Archipelago; most of our observations have been made on the west side of Isabela. Also known from Punta Cormorant, Floreana, Darwin, Marchena and Pinta.
Domain
Eukaryota
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Teleostei
Order
Carangiformes
Suborder
Percoidei
Family
Carangidae
Genus
Naucrates
Species
ductor
Taxon category: Accepted
Syn.: Gasterosteus ductor Linnaeus, 1758, Hemitripteronotus quinquemaculatus Lacepède, 1801, Nauclerus abreviatus Valenciennes, 1833, Nauclerus annularis Valenciennes, 1833, Nauclerus brachycentrus Valenciennes, 1833, Nauclerus compressus Valenciennes, 1833, Nauclerus leucurus Valenciennes, 1833, Nauclerus triacanthus Valenciennes, 1833, Naucrates angeli Whitley, 1931, Naucrates cyanophrys Swainson, 1839, Naucrates fanfarus Rafinesque, 1810, Naucrates indicus Lesson, 1831, Naucrates noveboracensis Cuvier, 1832, Naucrates polysarcus Fowler, 1905, Naucrates serratus Swainson, 1839, Seriola dussumieri Valenciennes, 1833, Seriola succincta Valenciennes, 1833, Thynnus pompilus Gronow, 1854, fide Appeltans et al. (2010)
Taxon origin: Native
Map of specimen collection localities or observation records for this species in our collections database.
Distribution: circumtropical; in the eastern Pacific from Vancouver Island, Canada to Costa Rica, and Clipperton, Cocos, Revillagigedos and Ecuador in Galapagos Islands
- Grove, J.S. Lavenberg, R.J. (1997) The Fishes of the Galapagos Islands. Stanford University Press, Stanford California. 862 pp.
- Humann, P. Deloach, N. (2003) Reef Fish Identification - Galapagos. New World Publication, Inc. Florida USA & Libri Mundi, Quito, Ecuador, 226 pp.
- Appeltans, W. Bouchet, P., Boxshall, G.A., Fauchald, K., Gordon, D.P., Hoeksema, B.W., Poore, G.C.B., van Soest, R.W.M., Stöhr, S., Walter, T.C., Costello, M.J. (eds.) (2010) World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS). Available online at http://www.marinespecies.org.
- McCosker, J.E. Rosenblatt, R.H. (2010) The fishes of the Galápagos Archipelago: an update. Proc. Calif. Acad. Sc., Ser. 4, vol. 61, Suppl. II, no. 11: 167-195.
- Hickin, N. (1979) Animal life of the Galapagos. Ferundune Books, Faringdon, U.K., 236 pp.
- IUCN (2023) The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2022-2 Https://www.iucnredlist.org