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Gasterochisma melampus

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family
ANIMALIA CHORDATA ACTINOPTERYGII PERCIFORMES SCOMBRIDAE

Scientific Name: Gasterochisma melampus
Species Authority: Richardson, 1845
Common Name/s:
English – Butterfly Kingfish, Butterfly Mackerel
French – Thon Papillon
Spanish – Atún Argentino, Atún Chauchera, Gastoro, Pez Chauchera
Synonym/s:
Chenogaster holmbergi Lahille, 1903
Gastrochisma boulengeri Lahille, 1913
Taxonomic Notes: This species has been described four times in three different monotypic genera.

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria: Least Concern ver 3.1
Year Published: 2011
Assessor/s: Collette, B., Boustany, A., Carpenter, K.E., Di Natale, A., Fox, W., Graves, J., Juan Jorda, M., Miyabe, N., Nelson, R., Oxenford, H. & Uozumi, Y.
Reviewer/s: Russell, B. & Polidoro, B.
Contributor/s:
Justification:
This species is widespread and common in the Southern Ocean. It is taken as bycatch in long-line fisheries for Southern Bluefin Tuna. It is listed as Least Concern. More information is needed on this species biology and population trends.
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For further information about this species, see Marine_Fishes/Tunas/TUNAS_SkiJumpEffect.pdf.
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Geographic Range [top]

Range Description: This species is circumglobal in southern temperate waters. There are a few records from Hawaii (Ito et al. 1994), which are likely vagrants.
Countries:
Native:
Argentina; Australia; Brazil; Chile; Ecuador; French Southern Territories (the); New Zealand; South Africa
FAO Marine Fishing Areas:
Native:
Atlantic – southeast; Atlantic – southwest; Indian Ocean – Antarctic; Indian Ocean – eastern; Indian Ocean – western; Pacific – eastern central; Pacific – southeast; Pacific – southwest
Range Map: Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population: This species is not of commercial interest but is taken as bycatch by Japanese longliners (Collette and Nauen 1983). It is estimated that this species was caught at approximately 900 t annually from 1990 to the early 2000s (Miyabe pers. comm. 2010). It is also caught by other nations that have quotas for Southern Bluefin Tuna. There is no other population information for this species.
Population Trend: Unknown

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology: This species occurs over deep oceanic waters, from the surface to below 200 m. Stomach contents of the specimen from north of the Hawaiian Archipelago included onychoteuthid and ommastrephid squids, vertebrae and fin rays from an unidentified fish, bird feathers and parasitic nematodes (Ito et al. 1994). This species biology is poorly known. Larvae of this species have never been identified.
Systems: Marine

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s): This species is taken as longline bycatch by Japanese fishing for Thunnus maccoyii (Southern Bluefin Tuna). It is sometimes eaten in Japan.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions: There are no conservation measures for this species. More research is needed on this species biology and population trends.
Citation: Collette, B., Boustany, A., Carpenter, K.E., Di Natale, A., Fox, W., Graves, J., Juan Jorda, M., Miyabe, N., Nelson, R., Oxenford, H. & Uozumi, Y. 2011. Gasterochisma melampus. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 19 June 2013.
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