Mexican moonfish
| Mexican moonfish | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Carangiformes |
| Suborder: | Carangoidei |
| Family: | Carangidae |
| Genus: | Paraselene Kimura et al., 2022 |
| Species: | P. orstedii
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| Binomial name | |
| Paraselene orstedii (Lütken, 1880)
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| Synonyms | |
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The Mexican moonfish (Paraselene orstedii), is a species of ray-finned fish within the family Carangidae.[1] It is the only species within the genus Paraselene.[2] The Mexican moonfish is found in the eastern Pacific Ocean, off the coasts of Baja California, Mexico to Ecuador.[3][4] It grows to a max length of 33 centimeters, but is more commonly found at 25 centimeters in length.[3] Adults are found in shallow coastal waters at depths up to 50 meters below sea level, usually near the seafloor. Its diet consist of squid, small crabs, small fishes and polychaetes.[3][4]
Conversation
The Mexican moonfish currently has no known major threats, although it is often caught in artisanal fisheries through the use of gill nets, and is an important species of commercial fish in the Gulf of Montijo, Panama. There are currently no specific conservation efforts for the species, and its distribution already overlaps with marine protected areas within the eastern Pacific. It has been classified as a 'Least concern' species by the IUCN Red List.[4]
References
- ^ "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Selene orstedii Lütken, 1880". www.marinespecies.org. Retrieved 2022-10-16.
- ^ Fricke, Ron; Eschmeyer, William N. & van der Laan, Richard, eds. (12 February 2026). "Species in the family Carangidae". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences.
- ^ a b c "Selene orstedii, Mexican moonfish : fisheries, gamefish". www.fishbase.se. Retrieved 2022-10-16.
- ^ a b c "IUCN Red List, Mexican Moonfish". www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved 2022-10-16.