Frigate tuna
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 Drawing by Dr Tony Ayling
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| Auxis thazard thazard (Lacepède, 1800) |
The frigate tuna or frigate mackerel, Auxis thazard thazard, is a species of tuna, in the family Scombridae, found circumglobally in tropical oceans in open surface waters to depths of 50 m. Its length is between 30 and 65 cm.
The frigate tuna is a comparatively small and slender tuna. It has a triangular first dorsal fin, widely separated from the second dorsal fin, which, like the anal and pectoral fins, is relatively small. There are the usual finlets of the tuna. There is a small corselet of small scales around the pectoral region of the body.
Frigate tunas are blue-black on the back with a pattern of zig-zag dark markings on the upper hind body, and silver-white below. The fins are dark grey.
They feed on small fish, squid, planktonic crustaceans, and stomatopod larvae.
[edit] References
- "Auxis thazard". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. February 2006 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2006.
- Tony Ayling & Geoffrey Cox, Collins Guide to the Sea Fishes of New Zealand, (William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1982) ISBN 0-00-216987-8
