Yellowtail Leatherjack, Oligopiltes inornatus
Yellowtail Leatherjack, Oligoplites inornatus. Fish caught in coastal waters within Bahía Concepción, Baja California Sur, October 2024. Length: 10 cm (3.9 inches).
Yellowtail Leatherjack, Oligoplites inornatus. Fish provided by the commercial bait salesmen of Puerto Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, October 2009. Length: 15 cm (3.9 inches).
Yellowtail Leatherjack, Oligopiltes inornatus. Fish caught off the beach Agua Verde, Baja California Sur, March 2019. Length: 20 cm (7.9 inches). Photograph courtesy of Barry Mastro, Escondido, California.
Yellowtail Leatherjack, Oligoplites inornatus. Fish caught in coastal waters off the New Mazatlán Marina, Sinaloa, April 2015. Length: 27 cm (11 inches). Catch and photograph courtesy of George Brinkman, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
The Yellowtail Leatherjack, Oligoplites refulgens, is a member of the Jack or Carangidae Family, and is known in Mexico as cuero coliamariilla and zapatero siete cueros. There are six global members of the genus Oligoplites, of which four are found in Mexican waters, one in the Atlantic and three in the Pacific Ocean. Some scientists believe there are two subspecies of the Leatherjack, the Atlantic Leatherjack, Oligoplites saurus inornatus in the Atlantic and the Pacific Leatherjack, Oligoplites saurus saurus in the Pacific, while others believe they are individual species – the Leatherjack, Oligoplites saurus in the Atlantic and the Yellowtail Leatherjack, Oligoplites inornatus, from the Pacific Ocean, which is my treatment.
The Yellowtail Leatherjack has a very compressed elongated oval body with a depth that is 21% to 25% of standard length. The are silvery in color with a bluish upper back, yellow caudal fin and transparent anal and dorsal fins. Their head has a pointed snout with an upper jaw that has two distinct rows of teeth and extends beyond the rear margin of the pupil. Their anal fin has 2 standalone spines followed by 1 spine and 19 to 21 rays and is equal in length to the second dorsal fin; their caudal fin is deeply forked with a slender base; their dorsal fin has 4 or 5 standalone spines followed by 1 spine and 19 to 21 rays and, their pectoral fins are short. The last four anal and dorsal rays form semi-detached finlets. They have 5 to 7 gill rakers on their upper arch and 14 to 18 on their lower arch. Their body is covered with needle-shaped scales and have no scutes. Their lateral line is arched over the pectoral fins but generally straight.
The Yellowtail Leatherjack is a demersal species that is found in schools along sandy beaches at depths up to 50 m (165 feet). They reach a maximum of 45 cm (18 inches) in length. The Yellowtail Leatherjack is poorly studied with very limited information available about their lifestyle and behavioral patterns including specific details on age, growth, longevity, movement patterns, diet, habitat use, and reproduction.
The Yellowtail Leatherjack is a resident of all Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean.
The Yellowtail Leatherjack is virtually identical to the Leatherjack, Oligopilites saurus, form the Atlantic Ocean and can also be confused with the Shortjaw Leatherjack, Oligopilites refugens (slender; 19 – 22 gill rakers).
From a conservation perspective the Yellowtail Leatherjack has not been formally evaluated. They are poorly documented and are not of significant interest to most. Their dorsal and anal spines may be venomous, and should be avoided.