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Butterfishes and Relatives: Stromateoidei

Physical Characteristics, Butterfishes And Their Relatives And People, Butterfish (peprilus Triacanthus): Species AccountGEOGRAPHIC RANGE, HABITAT, DIET, BEHAVIOR AND REPRODUCTION, CONSERVATION STATUS



BUTTERFISH (Peprilus triacanthus): SPECIES ACCOUNT

Butterfishes and their relatives live in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans.

Butterfishes and their relatives live in the ocean well offshore, close to the shore, or in large bays. Adults live in deeper waters, either on the bottom or in open water in middle depths. The young usually live near the surface, sometimes among jellyfishes.



Butterfishes and their relatives mostly eat invertebrates (in-VER-teh-brehts), or animals without a backbone. Some species eat small fish.

Scientists know little about the behavior of butterfishes and their relatives other than that some of these fishes live among jellyfishes. Many species form schools. Some gather under floating wreckage and buoys and around boats. Butterfishes and their relatives release large numbers of eggs into open water. These fishes probably spawn once a year.

Butterfishes and their relatives are not threatened or endangered.

Additional topics

Animal Life ResourceFish and Other Cold-Blooded Vertebrates