Bluefin trevally: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the bluefin trevally lives – recorded in 30 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Caranx melampygus
Group	Bony fish
Status	Least concern (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	30 countries
Continents	Africa, Asia, North America, Oceania, South America
Class	Ray-finned fish
Order	Carangiformes
Family	Carangidae

Where does the bluefin trevally live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the bluefin trevally in 30 countries and territories across Africa, Asia, North America, Oceania and South America. Wikidata gives its range as: South China Sea.

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

Is the bluefin trevally endangered?

The bluefin trevally’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Least concern” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the bluefin trevally?

The bluefin trevally (Caranx melampygus) is a ray-finned fish in the order Carangiformes and the family Carangidae, genus Caranx. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the bluefin trevally

The bluefin trevally (Caranx melampygus), also known as the bluefin jack, bluefin kingfish, bluefinned crevalle, blue ulua, omilu, and spotted trevally, is a species of large, widely distributed marine fish classified in the jack family, Carangidae. The bluefin trevally is distributed throughout the tropical waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans, ranging from Eastern Africa in the west to Central America in the east, including Japan in the north and Australia in the south. The species grows to a maximum known length of 117 centimetres (46 in) and a weight of 43.5 kilograms (96 lb), however is rare above 80 centimetres (31 in). Bluefin trevally are easily recognised by their electric blue fins, tapered snout and numerous blue and black spots on their sides. Juveniles lack these obvious colours, and must be identified by more detailed anatomical features such as fin ray and scute counts. The bluefin trevally inhabits both inshore environments such as bays, lagoons and shallow reefs, as well as deeper offshore reefs, atolls and bomboras. Juveniles prefer shallower, protected waters, even entering estuaries for short periods in some locations.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Bluefin trevally (revision 1358400184), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q2282919 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).