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Pacific Tripletail
Roncador Plateado, Berrugate, Dormilona
(Lobotes pacificus)
Pacific Tripletail, Lobotes pacificus: The Pacific Tripletail is silver-grey on its sides with pale yellow pectoral fins; its other fins are dusky. The Pacific Tripletail is easy to identify due to its large anal and dorsal fin lobes, giving it the appearance of having three tails.
The Pacific Tripletail cannot be confused with any other species with the exception of the Star Studded or Snowy Grouper, Epinephelus niphobles (brown coloration with a grid pattern of white spots) which has a similar body profile. The Pacific Tripletail is a pelagic oceanic species found either along the coast over sandy bottoms, or well out at sea under floating debris. It reaches a maximum length of just over 3 feet and just over 30 pounds in weight, and is normally found in the first 150 feet in the water column.
Distribution in Mexico fishing areas
It is found in Mexican fishing waters along the Pacific side of the Baja California peninsula south of Guerrero Negro, throughout the Sea of Cortez, and along the coast of the mainland to Guatemala; however it appears to be absent form the oceanic islands.
The Pacific Tripletail is a member of the Lobotidae Family which includes the genus Lobotes. The Lobotidae are found globally in all tropical and temperate seas. They have oblong-oval bodies, heads with short snouts, eyes well forward, and serrated gill covers with one or two flat spines. The dorsal fins have 11 or 12 strong spines and the anal and dorsal fins have the characteristic large rounded lobes, equal and opposite each other, giving the fish the appearance that it has two extra tails. The caudal fin is rounded. The scales are very rough. There are two species of Lobotidae globally, of which one, the Pacific Tripletail, is found in the tropical Eastern Pacific and in Mexican fishing areas..
Pacific Tripletail, Lobotes pacificus: Donated to Mexfish.com during fishing by the commercial fishermen of Todos Santos, Baja California Sur, Mexico. Size 13 inches. Photo courtesy of John Snow.
Pacific Tripletail, Lobotes pacificus: Sportfishing guide Chame Pino shows off a rarely-seen Pacific Tripletail caught while fishing at La Playita Beach near San Jose del Cabo, Baja California Sur, Mexico, August 2002. The fish is locally called a roncador plateado, or silver croaker, and weighed about 15 pounds. Said Eric Brictson of Gordo Banks Pangas, "They are truly one of the best eating fish I have ever tasted. They normally catch these fish during the darkness of night and only during the warmest part of the summer. They sure are tough fighters, not giving up until they hit the sand." Description and photos courtesy Eric Brictson. Fish identification courtesy Peter Langstraat.
Pacific Tripletail, Lobotes pacificus: Gary Graham of Baja On The Fly with a tripletail caught while fishing at East Cape, Baja California Sur, Mexico, with Coci The Wonder Dog. Photo courtesy Gary Graham.
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