Pilotfish

Naucrates ductor

Fish
IUCN: Least concern

Usual depth0–473 m
Water temperature7–29 °C
Best monthsSeptember, October, and November
How commonOccasional

About this species

The pilot fish is a carnivorous fish of the trevally, or jackfish family, Carangidae. It is widely distributed and lives in warm or tropical open seas.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Pilot fish”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

Loading the map

Best months

Worldwide (open data)

January: 8 records
February: 7 records
March: 13 records
April: 3 records
May: 21 records
June: 4 records
July: 10 records
August: 24 records
September: 25 records
October: 35 records
November: 33 records
December: 9 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 0–473 m · Deepest record: 2,824 m

0–10 m: 28 records
10–20 m: 13 records
20–30 m: 2 records
30–40 m: 0 records
40–50 m: 1 records
50–60 m: 3 records
60–70 m: 0 records
70–80 m: 0 records
80–90 m: 0 records
90–100 m: 2 records
100–110 m: 6 records
110+ m: 22 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 7–29 °C

6–8 °C: 3 records
8–10 °C: 2 records
10–12 °C: 13 records
12–14 °C: 23 records
14–16 °C: 10 records
16–18 °C: 10 records
18–20 °C: 16 records
20–22 °C: 30 records
22–24 °C: 27 records
24–26 °C: 19 records
26–28 °C: 103 records
28–30 °C: 28 records

Names and classification

English: Pilotfish, Pilot-fish, Rudderfish, Pilot, pilot-fish, pilotfish, Pilot Fish, Sucker

Names in 6 more languages

German: Lotsenfisch
Spanish: pez piloto, Pez piloto, Pez Simón, Pilotfish, piloto, Romero
Filipino: Talakitok
French: fanfre, Pilote, poisson pilote, Poisson pilote, Poisson-pilote
Japanese: Burimodoki, ブリモドキ
Simplified Chinese: 舟鰤

Other scientific names: Gasterosteus ductor, Hemitripteronotus quinquemaculatus, Hemitripteronotus quinque-maculatus, Nauclerus abreviatus, Nauclerus annularis, Nauclerus brachycentrus, Nauclerus compressus, Nauclerus leucurus, Nauclerus triacanthus, Naucrates angeli, Naucrates cyanophrys, Naucrates fanfarus, Naucrates indicus, Naucrates noveboracensis, Naucrates polysarcus, Naucrates serratus, Scomber ductor, Seriola dussumieri, Seriola succincta, Seriola succinta, Thynnus pompilus

Similar species

Giant trevally
Caranx ignobilis
Bluefin trevally
Caranx melampygus
Bigeye trevally
Caranx sexfasciatus
Mackerel scad
Decapterus macarellus
Indian scad
Decapterus russelli
Rainbow runner
Elagatis bipinnulata

Sources and credits

Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).

Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
791 open-data records from 1841 to 2024.

Log what you see on your next dive

The free DiveHive diver app keeps your logbook with every sighting and shows what lives at the site you dive next.

Join the waitlist