Coryphaena

Coryphaena
Mahi-mahi (C. hippurus)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Perciformes
Family:	Coryphaenidae Rafinesque, 1810
Genus:	Coryphaena Linnaeus, 1758
Type species
Coryphaena hippurus Linnaeus, 1758
Species
See text.

Coryphaena is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes known as the dolphinfishes. This genus is currently the only known genus in its family. The species in this genus have compressed heads and single dorsal fins that run the entire length of the fishes' bodies. Dolphinfishes are some of the fastest-growing species in the ocean, so serve as a primary food source for many pelagic predators. The dolphinfish can reach up to about 88 pounds (40 kg).

Dolphinfishes are unrelated to dolphins (which are mammals), and commercially their meat is often labeled with its Hawaiian name mahi-mahi to reduce possible public confusion. The origin of the name "dolphinfish" is recent, to avoid confusion with dolphins, as the traditional name of the fish was also dolphin. Why the mammal and the fish were both called dolphin is uncertain, but theories include that dolphinfish communicate using high-pitched sounds similar to a dolphin,^[1] because they are about the size of a small dolphin,^[2] or due to dorado (Spanish for "golden") having been purportedly used historically in Spanish for both dolphins (normally delfín) and dolphinfish.^[3]

Species

The currently recognized species in this genus are:^[4]

• Coryphaena equiselis Linnaeus, 1758 (pompano dolphinfish)
• Coryphaena hippurus Linnaeus, 1758 (mahi-mahi, common dolphinfish, or dorado)

Names brought to synonymy

• Coryphaena elegans Cuvier, 1833, a synonym for Luvarus imperialis Rafinesque, 1810

See also

• List of fish families

References

• Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2013). "Coryphaenidae" in FishBase. April 2013 version.

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