Sphyraena chrysotaenia | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Carangiformes |
Family: | Sphyraenidae |
Genus: | Sphyraena |
Species: | S. chrysotaenia |
Binomial name | |
Sphyraena chrysotaenia Klunzinger, 1884 | |
Synonyms [1] | |
Sphyraenella chrysotaenia(Klunzinger, 1884) |
Sphyraena chrysotaenia, the yellowstripe barracuda, is a species of predatory, ray finned fish from the family Sphyraenidae which is found in the Indo-West Pacific region. It has entered the Mediterranean Sea from the Red Sea through the Suez Canal as a Lessepesian migrant and is now an important species in the fisheries of the eastern Mediterranean.
Sphyraena chrysotaenia has a very elongated, torpedo-shaped body, typical of the barracudas, with two well-separated dorsal fins, the first dorsal fin has with five spiny rays, with the first ray being the longest, the rays then progressively decrease in size posteriorly. The second dorsal fin has its origin in front of the origin of the anal fin. The tail is markedly forked. The pectoral fin sits directly below the origin of the first dorsal fin with the pelvic fin below it. The large head is conical with a large eye, pointed snout and slightly projecting lower jaw. The jaws and palate are lines with large canine shaped teeth which vary in size. The small scales are cycloid in form and the lateral line is almost straight. [2] The preoperculum is covered in scales and its lower posterior margin is concave. They are coloured brown-grey above and silvery below, a dusky stripe runs from the snout through centre of the eye, above the base of the pectoral fin to base of the tail, this stripe may show a yellowish tint on the head. The distal portion of first dorsal and caudal fins is blackish, the second dorsal, pectoral and base of the caudal fins are yellowish. They have been recorded up to 32 cm standard length but average 20–25 cm. [3] [4]
Sphyraena chrysotenia has an Indo-West Pacific distribution occurring from the Red Sea and Madagascar east through the Indian Ocean to China and northern Australia. It was first recorded in the Mediterranean Sea off Palestine in 1931, and is now spreading westward, reaching Malta by 1993 and the south Adriatic Sea by 2001. [2] [5]
Sphyraena chrysotenia forms large schools in inshore waters in the pelagic and demersal zones to a depth of 50m. It is piscivorous, catching its food near the bottom and feeds mainly on schooling fish such as Sardinella aurita and Engraulis encrasicolus , but will also feed on crustaceans. The spawning season in the Mediterranean runs from April to September, or August to November in the central Mediterranean and the eggs and fry are planktonic, the juveniles are often recorded in very shallow waters. [2] [3] [6] S. chrysotaenia is a relatively short-lived species with a maximum age of 5 years old. [7] S. chrysotaenia reaches sexual maturity at a total length of 195mm for females and 197.1mm for males, usually at 2 years old. [6]
An analysis of the parasites of Sphyraena chrysotenia in the Mediterranean showed that the fish, after its invasion of this Sea, lost at least two parasite species, co-introduced three parasite species and acquired six native parasite species from its native congener Sphyraena sphyraena . [8]
Sphyraena chrysotenia is now the most common species of barracuda caught by artisanal fisheries in Lebanon, outnumbering the other landed species by 70%. [9] It can be caught in considerable quantities in inshore waters using purse-seine nets, gillnets and by trawling. [3] It was first recorded in the Gulf of Gabes, Tunisia in 2002 and now forms an important part of the total fishery. [10] In the Gulf of Suez studies showed indications of overexploitation of the stock as fish being landed were too small to be sexually mature. [7]
A barracuda is a large, predatory, ray-finned fish known for its fearsome appearance and ferocious behaviour. The barracuda is a saltwater fish of the genus Sphyraena, the only genus in the family Sphyraenidae, which was named by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque in 1815. It is found in tropical and subtropical oceans worldwide ranging from the eastern border of the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea, on its western border the Caribbean Sea, and in tropical areas of the Pacific Ocean. Barracudas reside near the top of the water and near coral reefs and sea grasses. Barracudas are targeted by sport-fishing enthusiasts.
The Australian barracuda, arrow barracuda, Australian sea pike, sea pike, snook, or shortfin barracuda, Sphyraena novaehollandiae, is a barracuda of the genus Sphyraena which occurs in the south-western Pacific Ocean.
The yellowtail barracuda is one of the smaller species of barracuda of the family Sphyraenidae, which can be found in Indo-West Pacific oceans. It has also invaded the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal from the Red Sea, making it one of the Lessepsian migrants.
The orange-spotted trevally, Carangoides bajad is a species of inshore marine fish in the jack family, Carangidae. The species is fairly common in tropical to subtropical waters of the Indo-Pacific, ranging from Madagascar in the west to Japan in the east, typically inhabiting inshore reefs. The species has characteristic orange-yellow spots on its sides, although counts of fin rays and scutes are needed to distinguish it from related species with similar colouring. Orange-spotted trevallies are powerful predators, taking a variety of small fish, nekton, and crustaceans, and reach sexual maturity around 25 cm long. It is a moderately large fish, reaching a maximum known length of 55 cm. The species is occasionally taken by fishermen throughout its range, and is generally considered to be bycatch. The exception to this is in the southern Persian Gulf, where it makes up a large proportion of the fishery.
The Red Sea bannerfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish from the family Chaetodontidae. It is found in the western Indian Ocean. It has been recorded as an introduced species off Florida and as a Lessepsian migrant in the eastern Mediterranean Sea off Turkey.
The southern sennet is an ocean-going species of game fish in the barracuda family, Sphyraenidae. It was described by the Cuban zoologist Felipe Poey. The description was part of a two-volume work, which Poey published in 1860, entitled Historia Natural de la Isla de Cuba or Natural History of the Island of Cuba. Southern sennet are sometimes used as a food fish, and marketed either fresh or frozen. Although they are generally harmless, Southern sennet have been linked to ciguatera poisoning.
The round fantail stingray or round stingray, is a poorly known species of stingray in the family Dasyatidae. It inhabits sandy, muddy, or rocky coastal habitats in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the southern Mediterranean Sea. This dark-colored ray typically reaches a width of 1 m (3.3 ft), and can be identified by its nearly circular pectoral fin disk, short tail, and mostly bare skin. The round fantail stingray hunts for fishes and crustaceans on the sea floor, and exhibits an aplacental viviparous mode of reproduction. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) does not yet have sufficient information to assess the conservation status of this species.
The streaked spinefoot, also known as the Java rabbitfish, blue-spotted spinefoot, blue-spotted trevally, Java spinefoot or white-spotted rabbit-fish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a rabbitfish belonging to the family Siganidae. It is found throughout most of the Indo-Pacific region.
Caesio is a genus of marine ray-finned fish, fusiliers belonging to the family Caesionidae. They are native to the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean, although one species has invaded the eastern Mediterranean Sea through the Suez Canal by Lessepsian migration.
The dusky spinefoot, also known as the squaretail rabbitfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a rabbitfish belonging to the family Siganidae. It is native to the western Indian Ocean which has spread to the Mediterranean Sea through the Suez Canal. Its fin spines contain venom. It is regarded as a food fish.
The blackfin barracuda, also known as the chevron barracuda, is known for its aggressive, predatory personality.
Scarus ghobban, also known as the blue-barred parrotfish, blue trim parrotfish, cream parrotfish, globe-headed parrotfish, green blotched parrotfish, yellow scale parrotfish, and bluechin parrotfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish in the family Scaridae.
Sphyraena sphyraena, also known as the European barracuda or Mediterranean barracuda, is a ray-finned predatory fish of the Mediterranean basin and the warmer waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
Sphyraena viridensis, the yellowmouth barracuda or yellow barracuda is a predatory ray-finned fish from the family Sphyraenidae, the barracudas. It is found in the warmer waters of the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean. It is often confused with the European barracuda.
Stephanolepis diaspros, commonly known as the reticulated filefish or the reticulated leatherjacket, is a species of bony fish, a ray-finned fish in the family Monacanthidae. Its natural range is the western Indian Ocean but it is also one of the species which has colonised the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal by Lessepsian migration from the Red Sea.
Nemipterus randalli, or Randall's threadfin bream, is a species of ray-finned fish from the family Nemipteridae, the threadfin breams, which is native to the western Indian Ocean and the Red Sea, it has invaded the eastern Mediterranean by Lessepsian migration through the Suez Canal.
Equulites klunzingeri, or Klunzinger's ponyfish, is a marine, demersal species of ponyfish from the family Leiognathidae which was originally found only in the Red Sea. It is colonizing the Mediterranean as part of the Lessepsian migration through the Suez Canal.
Oxyurichthys petersii, commonly known as Peters' goby, is a species of ray-finned fish, a goby, from the family Oxudercidae. It is native to the Red Sea, and has now colonised the eastern Mediterranean Sea by Lessepsian migration through the Suez Canal.
The Arabian scad is a species of jack mackerel from the family Carangidae which is found in the Western Indian Ocean.
Epinephelus geoffroyi, the Red Sea spotted grouper, is a species of marine fish in the genus Epinephelus in the grouper family. The species was first described in 1870. E. geoffroyi was previously considered a synonym of Epinephelus chlorostigma, but Randall et al. recognized it as a valid species in 2013.