Banded needlefish (Strongylura leiura)

Scientific name: Strongylura leiura Bleeker, 1850

Banded needlefish (Strongylura leiura)

The Banded needlefish (Strongylura leiura) is a brackish-water fish of the family Belonidae.

Biology

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 17-21; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 23 - 25. Laterally compressed; origin of dorsal fin over 7th-10th ray of anal fin; dorsal fin rays 17-21; anal fin rays 23-25; caudal peduncle without lateral keels; caudal fin emarginate; predorsal scales moderately small, 130-180. Caudal fin sub truncate; a black bar on cheek between opercle and preopercle; greenish dorsally, grading to silvery white ventrally.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Strongylura leiura
Family
Belonidae (Needlefishes)
Order
Beloniformes (Needle fishes)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
100.0
Common length
35.0
Environment
Marine; brackish; reef-associated; oceanodromous; depth range 0 - ? m
Climate
Tropical
Distribution
Indo-West Pacific: Somalia and Tanzania to Durban, South Africa east to Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and southeast Asia to New Guinea, Australia, and the Philippines. Reported from southern China. The Australian population is regarded as subspecies Strongylura leiura ferox by Parin (1967).
Conservation status (IUCN)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: commercial; gamefish: yes
Resilience
Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

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