The White Trevally

I do not know why this species is called the white trevally. In some of the pictures that I have inspected, it looks white, but it has a greenish appearance in others. According to Fishbase, it is “greenish blue above and silvery white below.”

Taxonomy

The white trevally belongs to the phylum Chordata in the animal kingdom.

Before taxonomy descended to its current chaotic condition, the white trevally belonged to a convenient class called Pisces, which is a Latin word meaning “fish.”

Now some taxonomists assign it to such classes as Actinopterygii or Osteichthyes. Actinopterygii identifies it as a ray-finned fish. Osteichthyes identifies it as a bony fish.

The white trevally belongs to the order Perciformes. This large order contains many different fish families. Perch and bass belong to this order, as do bluegills, cichlids, and wrasse.

The White trevally belongs to the family Carangidae. Jacks, scads, horse mackerels, and pompanos belong to this family.

The scientific name of the white trevally is Pseudocaranx dentex (Bloch & Schneider, 1801).

Marcus Elieser Bloch lived in the eighteenth century. He wrote a massive scholarly work on fish. After his death, Johann Schneider published a revised edition of Bloch’s work. For this reason, both Bloch and Schneider were cited in the scientific name of the white trevally.

Their original name for this species was Scomber dentex. Later, the species was assigned to the genus Pseudocaranx.

Since the current scientific name does not use the genus name suggested by Bloch and Schneider, the names of these two scientists appear in parentheses in the scientific name.

Common Names

Fishbase offers a list of common names that this species received. The following information is derived from this list.

Some Australians call this species the blue trevally. However, most English common names attribute a white or silvery color to this species. In addition to white trevally, this species is called the white kingfish, the silver bream, and the silver fish.

Some common names focus on the teeth of this species. In general, trevallies do not have very good teeth, but this species is an exception. For this reason, its specific name is dentex, which obviously comes from the Latin word dens, which means “tooth.” For the same reason, other English common names for this species are toothed trevally and toothed crevally. Similarly, a French common name is carangue dentue, while the Germans call it Zahn-makrele. Zahn is the German word for “tooth.”

Still other English common names focus on the distinctive shape of the snout. It is called the longsnout trevally, the thicklipped jack, and the bruised-face trevally. These names are appropriate.

Range and Habitat

Like many trevallies, Pseudocaranx dentex frequents coastal waters not far from shore. According to the Encyclopedia of Life, “juveniles usually inhabit estuaries, bays and shallow continental shelf waters, while adults form schools near the sea bed on the continental shelf.” They like to visit coral reefs.

While the range of many trevallies is restricted to the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean, Pseudocaranx dentex can be found in the Mediterranean, the Aegean, and both sides of the Atlantic, as well as many Atlantic islands, such as St. Helena, where Napoleon spent the final years of his life. Sportsmen in North Carolina may also catch this fish in waters near their state.

Pseudocaranx dentex also shares portions of the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean with other trevallies. According to Fishbase, it is present in such ecosystems as the Persian Gulf, the Arabian Sea, the Coral Sea, the Great Barrier Reef, and the South China Sea. It is found near such Pacific islands as New Zealand, Hawaii, and Easter Island.

A Typical Trevally

Besides its unusual snout and more extensive range, Pseudocaranx dentex is a typical trevally. It has a compressed body with two dorsal fins. According to Fishbase, its average length is about 28 to 37 centimeters, but some specimens are 122 centimeters long.

Diet

According to Fishbase, Pseudocaranx dentex feeds on crustaceans, mollusks, and small fish. It receives additional nourishment by ingesting plankton, which they remove from the water with the help of their 35 to 50 gill rakers.

Reproductive Behavior

Fertilization is external. According to Fishbase, “they are partial spawners, releasing eggs in small batches at intervals over a period of several weeks.”