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Strongylura leiurus (Bleeker, 1850)

Banded needlefish
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Image of Strongylura leiurus (Banded needlefish)
Strongylura leiurus
Picture by Randall, J.E.

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Teleostei (teleosts) > Beloniformes (Needle fishes) > Belonidae (Needlefishes)
Etymology: Strongylura: Greek, strongylos = round + Greek, oura = tail (Ref. 45335).
More on author: Bleeker.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; brackish; reef-associated; oceanodromous (Ref. 51243); depth range 0 - 3 m (Ref. 86942). Tropical; 30°N - 40°S, 30°E - 180°E

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Indo-West Pacific: Somalia (Ref. 30573) and Tanzania to Durban, South Africa (Ref. 3130) east to Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and southeast Asia to New Guinea, Australia, and the Philippines. Reported from southern China (Ref. 5317). The Australian population is regarded as subspecies Strongylura leiura ferox by Parin (1967) (Ref. 1602).

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 100.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 3678); common length : 35.0 cm OT male/unsexed; (Ref. 9682)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

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 (Ref. 9682). Caudal fin sub truncate; a black bar on cheek between opercle and preopercle; greenish dorsally, grading to silvery white ventrally.

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Inhabit coastal waters and estuaries (Ref. 5213). Larvae and early juveniles are found in mangroves (Ref. 43081). Feed mainly on small fishes (Ref. 3130) and crustaceans (Ref. 43081). Oviparous (Ref. 205). Eggs may be found attached to objects in the water by tendrils on the egg's surface (Ref. 205). Marketed fresh (Ref. 9682).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator : Collette, Bruce B. | Collaborators

Randall, J.E., G.R. Allen and R.C. Steene, 1990. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu, Hawaii. 506 p. (Ref. 2334)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)

Not Evaluated 

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless





Human uses

Fisheries: commercial; gamefish: yes
FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

More information

Trophic ecology
Food items
Diet composition
Food consumption
Food rations
Predators
Ecology
Ecology
Population dynamics
Growth parameters
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversion
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Abundance
Life cycle
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Maturity
Maturity/Gills rel.
Fecundity
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Eggs
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Distribution
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BRUVS - Videos
Anatomy
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References
References

Tools

E-book | Field guide | Identification keys | Length-frequency wizard | Life-history tool | Point map | Classification Tree | Catch-MSY |

Special reports

Check for Aquarium maintenance | Check for Species Fact Sheets | Check for Aquaculture Fact Sheets

Download XML

Summary page | Point data | Common names | Photos

Internet sources

AFORO (otoliths) | Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | BOLDSystems | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes: genus, species | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | FAO - Publication: search | Faunafri | Fishipedia | Fishtrace | GenBank: genome, nucleotide | GloBI | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | MitoFish | National databases | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Socotra Atlas | Tree of Life | Wikipedia: Go, Search | World Records Freshwater Fishing | Zoological Record

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 123201): 24.7 - 29.3, mean 28.5 °C (based on 2798 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804):  PD50 = 0.5001   [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00148 (0.00077 - 0.00283), b=3.05 (2.89 - 3.21), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this species & Genus-body shape (Ref. 93245).
Trophic level (Ref. 69278):  3.9   ±0.64 se; based on food items.
Resilience (Ref. 120179):  Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153):  High vulnerability (60 of 100).
Price category (Ref. 80766):   High.
Nutrients (Ref. 124155):  Calcium = 54.1 [17.3, 251.2] mg/100g; Iron = 0.425 [0.198, 1.184] mg/100g; Protein = 17.6 [15.6, 19.7] %; Omega3 = 0.103 [0.041, 0.287] g/100g; Selenium = 25.4 [11.8, 57.8] μg/100g; VitaminA = 72.1 [21.3, 254.1] μg/100g; Zinc = 1.11 [0.71, 1.73] mg/100g (wet weight);