Atlantic spadefish

Atlantic spade fish ( Chaetodipterus faber )

The Atlantic spade fish ( Chaetodipterus faber ) lives in the western tropical Atlantic Ocean from the coast of New England, the Bahamas, the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico to the southern coast of Brazil.

Features

The high-backed, discus-shaped fish are a maximum of 90 inches long and can reach a weight of 9 kg. Your muzzle is blunt, the mouth small and terminal. The upper jaw of adult specimens ends below the nostrils. The palate is toothless. The sides are patterned by broad, blackish, vertical stripes that fade with age. The scales are ctenoid. Also, head and fins are scaly.

• Fins formula: Dorsal IX/21-24, Anal III/17-18.

Way of life

Atlantic spade fish live in flocks of up to 500 individuals, coastal, shallow waters and in the open water on coral reefs. Often the type to hold on even with drilling rigs, wrecks or piers.

They feed mainly on hard-shelled invertebrates, such as crustaceans, mussels and snails, but also segmented worms, jellyfish, salps and algae. About the reproduction is not known. They probably spawn in swarms.