Savalai hairtail (Lepturacanthus savala)

Scientific name: Lepturacanthus savala Cuvier, 1829

The Savalai hairtail (Lepturacanthus savala) is a brackish-water fish of the family Trichiuridae. Native range: Indo-West Pacific, India and Sri Lanka to Southeast Asia, north to China, and south to New Guinea and northern Australia.

Biology

Dorsal spines (total): 3 - 4; Dorsal soft rays (total): 110-120. Pelvic and caudal fins absent; anal fin reduced to spinules (about 75). Lateral line running nearer the ventral than the dorsal contour of the body. Color is steely blue with metallic reflections; the tapering part white. The margin of the anus pale; usually the margin of the caudal-fin membrane white; tip of both jaws black; the inside of the opercle and the anterior part of the shoulder girdle, pale black.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name: Lepturacanthus savala
Family: Trichiuridae (Cutlassfishes)
Order: Perciformes (Perch-like fish)
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length: 100.0
Common length: 70.0
Depth range: 100 m (328 ft)
Environment: Marine; brackish; benthopelagic; amphidromous; depth range ? - 100 m
Climate: Tropical
Distribution: Indo-West Pacific: India and Sri Lanka to Southeast Asia, north to China, and south to New Guinea and northern Australia.
Conservation status (IUCN): Not Evaluated
Threat to humans: Harmless
Uses: Fisheries: commercial
Resilience: High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (K=0.7)

Sources

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

Last updated 27 September 2026