Bonefish
Encyclopedia
The bonefish is the type species
of the Albulidae family
, or bonefishes
in order
Albuliformes
. It is amphidromous, living in inshore tropical waters, moving onto shallow mudflat
s to feed with the incoming tide
, and retreating to deeper water as the tide ebbs. Juvenile bonefish may be observed in large shoals of like-sized individuals with large mature fish
swimming in smaller groups or in pairs. Bonefish are considered to be among the world's premier fly
game fish
and are highly sought after by anglers. Bonefish are primarily caught for sport. They are not commonly eaten. Bonefish are eaten in Hawaii
, where they are known as ōio.
The bonefish, also known as "phantom" or "gray ghost", is probably pound for pound the strongest and fastest moving animal of any salt-water fish. Bonefishing is a shallow-water pursuit done in depths ranging from 8 inches to several feet of water.
This fish may improve its tolerance to oxygen-poor water by inhaling air into a lung-like airbladder.
Live shrimp and crabs are some of the most effective baits for this species.
s, fry
, crustacean
s, and mollusks. Ledge sporting currents; drop-offs along the edge and clean, healthy seagrass
beds produce abundant small crab
s and shrimp
to nourish the bonefish. Bonefish may follow stingray
s, looking for small prey items disturbed by the rooting rays.
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
of the Albulidae family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
, or bonefishes
Bonefishes
The bonefishes are a family of ray-finned fish that are popular as game fish in Florida, select locations in the South Pacific, and the Bahamas and elsewhere. The family is small, with twelve species in two genera.Presently the bonefishes are in their own order: Albuliformes...
in order
Order (biology)
In scientific classification used in biology, the order is# a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, family, genus, and species, with order fitting in between class and family...
Albuliformes
Bonefishes
The bonefishes are a family of ray-finned fish that are popular as game fish in Florida, select locations in the South Pacific, and the Bahamas and elsewhere. The family is small, with twelve species in two genera.Presently the bonefishes are in their own order: Albuliformes...
. It is amphidromous, living in inshore tropical waters, moving onto shallow mudflat
Mudflat
Mudflats or mud flats, also known as tidal flats, are coastal wetlands that form when mud is deposited by tides or rivers. They are found in sheltered areas such as bays, bayous, lagoons, and estuaries. Mudflats may be viewed geologically as exposed layers of bay mud, resulting from deposition of...
s to feed with the incoming tide
Tide
Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the moon and the sun and the rotation of the Earth....
, and retreating to deeper water as the tide ebbs. Juvenile bonefish may be observed in large shoals of like-sized individuals with large mature fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
swimming in smaller groups or in pairs. Bonefish are considered to be among the world's premier fly
Fly fishing
Fly fishing is an angling method in which an artificial 'fly' is used to catch fish. The fly is cast using a fly rod, reel, and specialized weighted line. Casting a nearly weightless fly or 'lure' requires casting techniques significantly different from other forms of casting...
game fish
Game fish
Game fish are fish pursued for sport by recreational anglers. They can be freshwater or marine fish. Game fish can be eaten after being caught, though increasingly anglers practise catch and release to improve fish populations. Some game fish are also targeted commercially, particularly...
and are highly sought after by anglers. Bonefish are primarily caught for sport. They are not commonly eaten. Bonefish are eaten in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, where they are known as ōio.
Description
Weight up to 2 kilograms (4.4 lb), length to 60 centimetres (23.6 in). Silvery in color with dusky fins—the bases of the pectoral fins are yellow. They primarily form schools, although some of the larger individuals travel singly or in schools.The bonefish, also known as "phantom" or "gray ghost", is probably pound for pound the strongest and fastest moving animal of any salt-water fish. Bonefishing is a shallow-water pursuit done in depths ranging from 8 inches to several feet of water.
This fish may improve its tolerance to oxygen-poor water by inhaling air into a lung-like airbladder.
Live shrimp and crabs are some of the most effective baits for this species.
Feeding
Bonefish feed on benthic wormWorm
The term worm refers to an obsolete taxon used by Carolus Linnaeus and Jean-Baptiste Lamarck for all non-arthropod invertebrate animals, and stems from the Old English word wyrm. Currently it is used to describe many different distantly-related animals that typically have a long cylindrical...
s, fry
Fry
-Food and cooking:* Frying, the act of cooking food in oil or fat** Pan frying, frying food in a flat pan** Stir frying, frying food in a wok and stirring it while it cooks* Full breakfast, a traditional cooked meal, also called a fry-up or Ulster fry...
, crustacean
Crustacean
Crustaceans form a very large group of arthropods, usually treated as a subphylum, which includes such familiar animals as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles. The 50,000 described species range in size from Stygotantulus stocki at , to the Japanese spider crab with a leg span...
s, and mollusks. Ledge sporting currents; drop-offs along the edge and clean, healthy seagrass
Seagrass
Seagrasses are flowering plants from one of four plant families , all in the order Alismatales , which grow in marine, fully saline environments.-Ecology:...
beds produce abundant small crab
Crab
True crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" , or where the reduced abdomen is entirely hidden under the thorax...
s and shrimp
Shrimp
Shrimp are swimming, decapod crustaceans classified in the infraorder Caridea, found widely around the world in both fresh and salt water. Adult shrimp are filter feeding benthic animals living close to the bottom. They can live in schools and can swim rapidly backwards. Shrimp are an important...
to nourish the bonefish. Bonefish may follow stingray
Stingray
The stingrays are a group of rays, which are cartilaginous fishes related to sharks. They are classified in the suborder Myliobatoidei of the order Myliobatiformes, and consist of eight families: Hexatrygonidae , Plesiobatidae , Urolophidae , Urotrygonidae , Dasyatidae , Potamotrygonidae The...
s, looking for small prey items disturbed by the rooting rays.