The golden pompano is one of the most economically important marine fish species in Asia-Pacific aquaculture industry. Yet its taxonomic identity has long been obscured, with Trachinotus ovatus, T. blochii, T. mookalee, and T. anak used interchangeably in the literature and industry. This ambiguity hinders effective communication in science, management, and international trade. A recent study argued that the golden pompano should be named T. ovatus, a designation already firmly established for an eastern Atlantic–Mediterranean species. Here, we critically reassess nomenclatural history, geographical distribution, and available morphological and molecular evidence. Our review demonstrates that the fish cultured as golden pompano in China is not T. ovatus, but rather the Asia-Pacific species Trachinotus anak. We therefore propose that the use of T. ovatus for golden pompano is taxonomically incorrect, and recommend that T. anak be adopted consistently to ensure accuracy in research, breeding, and trade.
Wang et al. (Mon,) studied this question.