Rainbow runner: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the rainbow runner lives – recorded in 31 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Elagatis bipinnulata
Group	Bony fish
Status	Least concern (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	31 countries
Continents	Africa, Asia, North America, Oceania, South America
Class	Ray-finned fish
Order	Carangiformes
Family	Carangidae

Where does the rainbow runner live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the rainbow runner in 31 countries and territories across Africa, Asia, North America, Oceania and South America. Wikidata gives its range as: Brazil, 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 rainbow runner endangered?

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

What kind of animal is the rainbow runner?

The rainbow runner (Elagatis bipinnulata) is a ray-finned fish in the order Carangiformes and the family Carangidae, genus Elagatis. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the rainbow runner

The rainbow runner (Elagatis bipinnulata), also known as the rainbow yellowtail, Spanish jack and Hawaiian salmon, is a common species of pelagic marine fish of the jack family, Carangidae. The species is widespread throughout the tropical and subtropical waters of the world, inhabiting both coastal and offshore areas. The species is the only member of the genus Elagatis, which was created 15 years after its initial description, and is closely related to the amberjacks. The rainbow runner is easily distinguished by its body shape, and the brilliant colouration which gives the fish its name. It is a fast-swimming predator, taking small fish, cephalopods, and a wide variety of planktonic crustaceans. The species reaches sexual maturity around 60 cm (24 in), and spawning takes place at different times, with some populations spawning year round, while others only spawn at certain times of the year. The species is a well known game fish, taken by a variety of fishing methods, and is a well-regarded table fish. Large numbers of the species are taken as bycatch in tuna- and shark-fishing operations and marketed.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Rainbow runner (revision 1365304422), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q1807925 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).