Greater lizardfish

Greater lizardfish
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Aulopiformes
Family: Synodontidae
Genus: Saurida
Species:
S. tumbil
Binomial name
Saurida tumbil
(Bloch, 1795)
Synonyms[1]

Salmo tumbil Bloch, 1795

The greater lizardfish (Saurida tumbil) is a species of lizardfish that lives in the Indo-Pacific.[1][2][3] They are a minor fishery.

Distribution

They live in the Indo-West Pacific. More specifically, their geographic range spans from Red Sea and east coast of Africa (except Kenya), including Madagascar to the Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea, and further east to southeast Asia and Australia but they do not appear to occur in the central or eastern Pacific.[2]

Short description

Its average length at maturation is 30 cm (12 in) (range 19–35 cm) and maximum length is 60 cm (24 in) fork length.[2] They have neither dorsal spines nor anal spines but display 11–13 dorsal soft rays (total) and 10–11 anal soft rays. Body is cigar-shaped, rounded or slightly compressed. The head is pointed and depressed. The snout is broader than long. Color is generally brown above and silver below. The back has faint cross bands. The tips of the dorsal and pectorals and the lower caudal lobe are blackish.[2][3]

Biology

This species is found on muddy bottoms and trawling grounds. It feeds on fishes, crustaceans, and cephalopods.[2][3]

References

  1. ^ a b Eschmeyer, W. N.; R. Fricke & R. van der Laan, eds. (2 August 2018). "Catalog of Fishes". California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d e Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Saurida tumbil". FishBase. June 2018 version.
  3. ^ a b c Cressey, R.F. & R.S. Waples (1984). "Synodontidae" (PDF). In W. Fischer & G. Bianchi (eds.). Western Indian Ocean (Fishing Area 51). FAO species identification sheets for fishery purposes. Vol. 4. Rome: FAO.