HomeFreshwater aquarium fishOther freshwater fishDark-margined flagtail Dark-margined flagtail (Kuhlia marginata) Scientific name: Kuhlia marginata Cuvier, 1829 The Dark-margined flagtail (Kuhlia marginata) is a freshwater fish of the family Kuhliidae. BiologyDorsal spines (total): 10; Dorsal soft rays (total): 10-12; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 11 - 12. Preorbital serrae 18-28; a few fine serrae may be present on suborbital; body depth 2.7-3.05 in SL; orbit diameter 2.75-3.3 in head length; maxilla extending to or slightly beyond a vertical at front edge of pupil; caudal concavity 2.5-3.1 in head length. Silvery, usually with blackish spots posteriorly on dorsal part of body that tends to merge to form bands anteriorly (or the dark pigment is concentrated on scale margins); most of snout and tip of chin blackish; caudal fin pale with a black posterior margin that broadens on lobe tips, then a very broad submarginal pale zone, often preceded by a chevron-shaped blackish band or row of blackish spots parallel with posterior margin; base of caudal fin with small blackish spots; a narrow white margin on soft portion of dorsal and anal fins with a broad blackish submarginal zone anteriorly that narrows posteriorly (broader iSource: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0. Species factsScientific nameKuhlia marginataFamilyKuhliidae (Aholeholes)OrderPerciformes (Perch-like fish)ClassActinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)Maximum length17.9EnvironmentFreshwater; brackish; demersal; catadromousClimateTropicalDistributionAsia and Oceania: Taiwan, Philippines and Indonesia to islands in the Pacific. The name Kuhlia marginata has been misapplied to other species and therefore some literature records may be suspect.Conservation status (IUCN)Lower Risk: least concern (LR/lc)Threat to humansHarmlessUsesFisheries: commercial; aquarium: public aquariumsResilienceMedium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.) More other freshwater fishLined soleAchirus lineatusPumpkinseedLepomis gibbosusShort-tailed pipefishMicrophis brachyurus brachyurusSouth American lungfishLepidosiren paradoxaFinescale tigerfishDatnioides microlepisFreshwater garfishXenentodon cancilaSee all other freshwater fish SourcesTaxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.Last updated 27 September 2026