Pilot fish
Naucrates ductor (Linnaeus, 1758)
The pilot fish (Naucrates ductor) is a bony fish in the family Carangidae, part of the order Carangiformes. It was named by (Linnaeus, 1758) and belongs to the genus Naucrates within the class Teleostei.
Quick facts about the pilot fish
The IUCN Red List assesses the pilot fish globally as Least Concern (LC), which is not a threatened category. Other English names for it include Pilot, Sucker, Pilotfish, Rudderfish and Pilot-fish.
- Weight
- Not recorded
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Diet
- Carnivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- marinesrc for Habitat
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Photos of the pilot fish
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the pilot fish live?
Not recorded
What is the pilot fish?
The pilot fish (Naucrates ductor) is a carnivorous fish of the trevally, or jackfish family, Carangidae. It is widely distributed and lives in warm or tropical open seas.
From the Wikipedia article “Pilot fish” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pilot_fish&oldid=1372270269), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the pilot fish endangered?
The pilot fish is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.
How is the pilot fish classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classTeleostei
- orderCarangiformes
- familyCarangidae
- genusNaucrates
- SpeciesNaucrates ductor (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms Gasterosteus antecessor, Gasterosteus ductor, Hemitripteronotus quinque-maculatus, Hemitripteronotus quinquemaculatus, Nauclerus abreviatus, Nauclerus annularis, Nauclerus brachycentrus, Nauclerus compressus, Nauclerus leucurus, Nauclerus triacanthus, Naucrates angeli, Naucrates cyanophrys, Naucrates ducter, Naucrates fanfarus, Naucrates indicus, Naucrates indicus, Naucrates noveboracensis, Naucrates polysarcus, Naucrates serratus, Scomber caeruleoalbus, Scomber ductor, Scomber ductor plumierii, Scomber koelreuteri, Seriola dussumieri, Seriola succincta, Seriola succinta, Thynnus pompilus
Other names and names in other languages (50)
- PilotEnglish
- PilotEnglish
- Pilot-fishEnglish
- Pilot-fishEnglish
- PilotfishEnglish
- PilotfishEnglish
- RudderfishEnglish
- SuckerEnglish
- SuckerEnglish
- LoodsvisAfrikaans
- سمك الطيارArabic
- سمك الزامورArabic
- Peix pilotCatalan
- lodivod mořskýCzech
- LodsfiskDanish
- ކަފިހިމަސްDivehi
- GofariGreek
- ΚολαούζοςGreek
- ΠιλότοςGreek
- pilotoSpanish
- pez pilotoSpanish
- Pez SimónSpanish
- RomeroSpanish
- luotsikalaFinnish
- fanfreFrench
- PiloteFrench
- poisson piloteFrench
- Poisson-piloteFrench
- נווט חגורHebrew
- pesce pilotaItalian
- ブリモドキJapanese
- losfiskNorwegian Bokmål
- loodsmannetjeDutch
- losfiskNorwegian Nynorsk
- GachíPapiamento
- KabiyouPapiamento
- przynawek retmanPolish
- Peixe-pilotoPortuguese
- ЛоцманRussian
- Рыба лоцманRussian
- Рыба-лоцманRussian
- lotsfiskSwedish
- 'uriTahitian
- TalakitokFilipino
- klavuz baligiTurkish
- Malta palamuduTurkish
- Malta PalamutuTurkish
- Риба-лоцманUkrainian
- Лоцман переслідувачUkrainian
- 舟鰤Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistITISTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the pilot fish
Other species in the same genus Naucrates.
ComparePilot fish vs Centronotus conductorPilot fish vs Centronotus lyzan
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the pilot fish?
The pilot fish is a bony fish. It belongs to the family Carangidae in the order Carangiformes.
What is the scientific name of the pilot fish?
The scientific name of the pilot fish is Naucrates ductor, in the genus Naucrates.
Who named the pilot fish and when?
The pilot fish was named by Linnaeus in 1758, written as (Linnaeus, 1758).
Is the pilot fish endangered?
No. The pilot fish is listed as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List in a global assessment, which is not a threatened category.
What are other names for the pilot fish?
Other English names for the pilot fish are Pilot, Sucker, Pilotfish, Rudderfish and Pilot-fish.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Pilot fish (Naucrates ductor). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/pilot-fish
“Pilot fish (Naucrates ductor).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/pilot-fish.
@misc{pilot_fish_2026,
title = {Pilot fish (Naucrates ductor)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/pilot-fish},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}