Butterfly kingfish

Taxobox
name = Butterfly kingfish

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regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Actinopterygii
ordo = Perciformes
familia = Scombridae
genus = "Gasterochisma"
genus_authority = Richardson, 1845
species = "G. melampus"
binomial = "Gasterochisma melampus"
binomial_authority = Richardson, 1845

The butterfly kingfish, bigscale mackerel, or butterfly mackerel, "Gasterochisma melampus", the only species in the genus "Gasterochisma", is found around the world in southern temperate waters, down to 200 m (656 ft) in open water. Its length is up to 2 m (6.5 ft).

The butterfly kingfish changes its appearance as it grows. Young fish are elongate with a pointed snout, no lateral keels on the caudal peduncle, and have large fan-like pectoral fins that fold into a deep groove along the mid-line of the belly. In large adults the head becomes larger and blunter, the first dorsal fin becomes lower and widely separate from the second dorsal, a pair of lateral keels develop on each side of the caudal peduncle, and the pelvic fins shrink to more normal size.

The body is completely covered in large rough scales. Butterfly kingfish are metallic blue-black on the back, with silver flanks and belly, silver pectoral fins, the other fins being black.

References

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* 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