bonito-garrafinha
Auxis brachydorax
Bonito of tropical waters in the eastern Pacific, with a dark purplish-blue back, nearly black head and robust body.
Also called: bonito-garrafinha, botellita grande, melva
- maximum
- 40 cm
who is the bonito-garrafinha
The garrafinha bonito is a fish of the family Scombridae, the tunas and bonitos. It lives in tropical pelagic waters of the eastern Pacific, with records in Mexico, Panama, Ecuador and Peru. It reaches 40 cm, with a common size of 35 cm, and has a robust, rounded body. Scales cover only the corselet region, and the dorsal fins are well separated. On each side of the caudal peduncle there is a strong keel, flanked by smaller keels.
Essential profile. Identification, where it occurs and rules, with data from FishBase and the cited regulations. Season, time of day, technique and bait are added once we have a good source for the bonito-garrafinha; in the meantime, see the similar species.
identification
Robust, rounded body, with a dark purplish-blue back and nearly black head. It has dark vertical bars on the scaleless dorsal region, and the pectoral fins are long. It belongs to the same genus as the frigate tuna (Auxis thazard) and Auxis rochei, which live in the same region; the nearly black head and widely separated dorsal fins are traits of this species.
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Each card shows the day's index (0 to 100) and, below it, a strip with the index for each hour, from 0h to 23h. from poor to excellent.
Essential profile: the index uses a general fish model (weather, sun, moon and tide), without a season or time of day specific to this species.
where found
Tropical eastern Pacific, with records in Mexico, Panama, Ecuador and Peru, in pelagic waters.
Habitat: Tropical pelagic waters, over the shelf of the eastern Pacific.
rules for the bonito-garrafinha
Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.
We found no species-specific rule beyond the region's general rules.
catch and release
catch and release Releasing the fish alive, quickly and with a wet hand. During a closed season it isn't always allowed: what the regulation says applies.
Poses no danger to anglers. Handle with wet hands and carefully release the specimens you are not keeping.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00339, b = 3.15; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
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sources and references
Essential profile: size, length-weight, depth, countries and conservation come from FishBase and the cited regulations, and the texts were written from those sources. Season, time of day, sensitivities, technique and baits and lures are not included yet, because we did not find a good source for this species.
- scientific FishBase: Auxis brachydorax (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Auxis brachydoraxNames by country and language.
