The Bonefish Family – Albulidae

There are currently FOUR members of the Bonefish or Albulidae Family, one from the Atlantic Ocean and three from the Pacific Ocean,  presented in this website:

FROM THE ATLANTIC (1):

FROM THE PACIFIC (3):

The fish of the Bonefish or Albulidae Family are known in Mexico’s fishing areas as macabíes and in the greater Los Cabos area as chilies (as they resemble the corresponding vegetable in size and shape). There are a total of nine global family members in two genera of which four species are found in Mexican waters, one in the Atlantic and three in the Pacific Ocean. However, two (the Cortez Bonefish and the Pacific Bonefish) of the three Pacific species can only be differentiated by mitochondrial DNA gene sequences (cytochrome b) as no diagnostic external morphological characteristics have been found to differentiate the two.  I utilize their catch locations to differentiate the two as they have different ranges.

The Bonefish are of keen scientific interest because like tarpons, ladyfish, and true eels, they are primitive and thus linked to the evolution of fishes. They are small to medium-sized fish that are up to 80 cm (2 feet 7 inches) in length with slender, silvery, and slightly compressed bodies. They are bottom dwelling schooling fish that are found in coastal waters worldwide. They have a conical head with a small inferior mouth that does not reach past their eyes, pointed overhanging snouts, and sloping foreheads. Bonefish have anal fins that are set under the rear of their dorsal fins; their caudal fin is deeply forked; their 1 short dorsal fin is located mid-body; their pectoral fins that are low on the body; and, their short pelvic fins that are low on the body and well behind the pectoral fins. They have a straight lateral line that runs the entire length of the body and their fins are without spines. The Bonefish have the ability to breathe air in water with low oxygen by using a modified swim bladder. They are covered with modest-sized smooth scales. The Bonefish get their name from the numerous fine bones found in their flesh.

The Bonefish are found in intertidal flats, mangrove areas, river mouths, and deeper adjacent waters. The Bonefish found in Mexican waters reach a maximum length of 77 cm (2 feet 6 inches) and 6.4 kg (14 lbs 0 oz) in weight. They move in schools into shallow waters at high tide and root in these waters in groups of up to 100 individuals, their conical snouts seeking small clams, crustaceans, and worms. They retreat at low tide. They are in turn preyed upon by barracuda and sharks. Bonefish are alert and wary; whole schools can be easily spooked, making them difficult, at times, for fishermen to catch. They are built for speed and utilize fleeing as their primary defense mechanism against their large predators. They have lifespans of approximately nineteen years. The Bonefish, in general,  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.

In Mexican waters Bonefish are residents of both the Atlantic and the Pacific and in the Atlantic are found from the Yucatán Peninsula south along the coast to Belize and in all waters of the Pacific Ocean.

Bonefish Larvae. Provided by a Bighead Sand Perch, Diplectrum euryplectrum, caught from 91 m (300 feet water off Point Palmilla, Baja California Sur, January 2015. Length: 6.7 cm (2.6 inches). Identification courtesy of H.J. Walker, Jr., Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, California. Interestingly, these larvae are actually about two times longer than the juveniles they become.

Note: THE Bonefish, Albula vulpes, found exclusively in the Caribbean, are a world-renowned hard-fighting game fish and a major target of fly-fishermen. They are heavily regulated with size and bag limits but their populations continue to decrease. The Bonefishes are deemed to be a poor food fish, having an overabundance of bones and also known to contain ciguatoxin, and are normally a “catch and release.”