Smallspotted Dart

The Smallspotted Pompano (Trachinotus baillonii), commonly known as the Smallspotted Dart, is a species of fish belonging to the Carangidae family, prevalent in the Indo-Pacific region.

Trachinotus baillonii exhibits a maximum length of 60 cm (24 inches) and an average length of 35 cm, with a maximum recorded weight of 1.5 kg (3.3 pounds). The coloration of its body ranges from silvery blue to grey on the dorsal side, adorned with small black spots on the flanks that increase in number as the fish matures. The ventral side is typically silvery white. This species is characterized by its large and robust fins, a forked tail, and a narrow base, and it primarily feeds on smaller fish.

Geographically, the Smallspotted Pompano is distributed across the Indo-Pacific region, from the 🌊 Red Sea and the eastern African coastline to the Gambier Islands and southern 🇯🇵 Japan. In the Marquesas Islands (🇵🇫 French Polynesia), it is supplanted by the similar Marquesas dart (T. macrospilus). This species is associated with reef environments and is commonly found in lagoons and seaward reefs, usually in schools near the water's surface at depths ranging from 1 to 3 meters.

The species was first described scientifically in 1801 by the French naturalist Bernard Germain de Lacépède (1726-1825) under the name Caesiomorus bailloni, based on an unpublished manuscript by Philibert Commerson. The specific name honors an individual named Baillon, though it remains uncertain whether it pertains to the French naturalist Louis Antoine François Baillon (1778-1851) or his father, Jean François Emmanuel Baillon (1742-1801), both of whom were naturalists.