Ken Schultz's Field Guide to Saltwater Fish - Macaw Pets store

Dolphin, Pompano
Coryphaena equiselis
OTHER NAMES
mahimahi, blue dolphin,
small dolphin, dolphinfish,
pompano dolphinfish;
French: coryphéne dauphin;
Japanese: ebisu-shiira;
Portuguese: dourado;
Spanish: dorado.
Distribution/Habitat.
The pompano dolphin is
found worldwide in tropical
seas; in the United States it
is most commonly encountered
in Hawaii. The pompano
dolphin reportedly
prefers surface temperatures
above 75°F. It is considered
more oceanic than the common
dolphin is but may
enter coastal waters.
68 Dolphin, Pompano
The pompano dolphin is the smaller of the two Coryphaenidae
family species and is often confused with the
females and the young of its larger relative the common
dolphin (C. hippurus). Like its relative, it is caught commercially
and by anglers, and it is an excellent food fish. The
pompano dolphin is usually presented in fish markets
and restaurants under its Hawaiian name, mahimahi. This
species, and its relative, are often referred to as “dolphinfish”
to distinguish them from the so-called dolphin of the
porpoise family, which is an unrelated mammal and not
sought by anglers.
Identification. This species is almost identical to the common
dolphin in coloring and general shape, although it has
greater body depth behind the head than the common
dolphin has and a squarish, rather than rounded, tooth
patch on the tongue. There are fewer dorsal rays on the
pompano dolphin—48 to 55, versus the common dolphin’s
55 to 65.
Size. The average size is 20 to 24 inches and 4 to 5 pounds,
although it reportedly grows to 50 inches.
Life history/Behavior. Little is known of the life history of
the pompano dolphin, other than that it is a schooling tropical
water species, prone to near-surface feeding and
attracted to objects. This fish is similar to the common dolphin
in most behavioral respects.
Food. The pompano dolphin’s diet consists of small fish
and squid.