Hyperostosis in Pompanos: The Genus Trachinotus Lacepède, 1801 (Carangidae), With a New Record for the Condition in a Western Atlantic Species

Hyperostosis is a natural phenomenon characterised by bone thickening and remodelling that occurs more frequently in wild marine teleosts than in captive populations. Within the family Carangidae, species of the genus Trachinotus are among the most frequently affected, although expression patterns vary widely among taxa. This study provides a comparative assessment of hyperostosis across four Trachinotus species from the southwestern Atlantic (T. marginatus, T. goodei, T. carolinus and T. falcatus), integrating radiographic analyses of freshly collected specimens with museum material and digital archives from the Smithsonian Institution. The occurrence in T. goodei represents the first documented record of this condition for the species. No signs of hyperostosis were observed in T. carolinus or T. falcatus, likely due to ontogenetic size differences relative to previously reported cases. Additional evaluations of four species (T. rhodopus, T. blochii, T. mookalee and T. kennedyi) revealed hyperostotic manifestations in skeletal regions not previously documented in the literature, underscoring taxonomic and anatomical variability within the genus. Overall, our findings expand the known diversity of hyperostosis in Trachinotus, highlight previously unrecognised anatomical patterns, and reinforce the importance of broad geographic and ontogenetic sampling for understanding the evolutionary, functional and ecological implications of this condition in wild fish populations.