Tylosurus crocodilus crocodilus (Péron & Lesueur, 1821)

Hound needlefish

Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL

Classification	Actinopterygii \| Beloniformes \| Belonidae
Synonyms	Belone crocodilus, Strongylura crocodila, Strongylura crocodilus, ... more
Common names	Aiguille crocodile, Marao lisero, Crocodile longtom, ... more

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Aquamaps of Tylosurus crocodilus crocodilus

This map was computer-generated and has not yet been reviewed.

AquaMaps Data sources: GBIF OBIS

Main reference

Randall, J.E., G.R. Allen and R.C. Steene. 1990. (Ref. 2334)
Other references | Biblio | Coordinator : Collette, Bruce B. | Collaborators

Size / Weight / Age

Max length : 150 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 30573); common length : 90.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 9682); max. published weight: 6,350 g (Ref. 40637)

Environment

Reef-associated; oceanodromous (Ref. 51243); marine; depth range 0 - 13 m (Ref. 58302)

Climate / Range

Tropical; 26°C - 29°C (Ref. 4959); 21°N - 1°N

Indo-West Pacific: Red Sea and South Africa (Ref. 5317) to French Polynesia (Ref. 6784), north to Japan (Ref. 559), south to New South Wales, Australia (Ref. 33390). Replaced by Tylosurus crocodilus fodiator in the eastern Pacific. Western Atlantic: New Jersey, USA to Brazil (Ref. 7251). Eastern Atlantic: Fernando Poo, Cameroon, Liberia, and Ascension Island (Ref. 5757); also from Senegal and Guinea (Ref. 28587) and from Cape Verde (Ref. 27000).
Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions

Short description

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 21 - 25; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 19 - 22; Vertebrae: 80 - 86. Back dark bluish, sides silvery, white ventrally (Ref. 5317). A distinct black lateral keel on caudal peduncle; caudal fin deeply forked. Juveniles (to 20 cm BL) have an elevated black lobe in the posterior part of the dorsal fin. Jaw teeth point anteriorly in juveniles (to 40 cm BL) but are straight at all sizes in other species of Tylosurus (Ref. 9682). Has a relatively stout, cylindrical body and a shorter head as compared to other needle fishes.

A pelagic species (Ref. 26340) found over lagoon and seaward reefs. Solitary or in small groups. Feeds on fishes (Ref. 11889). Oviparous (Ref. 205). Eggs may be found attached to objects in the water by tendrils on the egg's surface (Ref. 205). Feared by fishers because they can cause puncture wounds with their sharp snouts when jumping out of the water, e.g. when alarmed or attracted to lights at night. Although sold fresh and considered a good food fish, its market is limited due to the green-colored flesh (Ref. 5217).


IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 57073)	Threat to humans
Not Evaluated	Traumatogenic (Ref. 4690)

Human uses
Fisheries: commercial; gamefish: yes


More information
Countries FAO areas Ecosystems Occurrences Introductions Ecology Diet Food items Food consumption Ration	Common names Synonyms Metabolism Predators Ecotoxicology Reproduction Maturity Spawning Eggs Egg development	Age/Size Growth Length-weight Length-length Length-frequencies Morphometrics Morphology Larvae Larval dynamics Recruitment Abundance	Other references Biblio Aquaculture Aquaculture profile Strains Genetics Allele frequencies Heritability Diseases Processing	Collaborators Pictures Stamps Sounds Ciguatera Speed Swim. type Gill area Otoliths Brains Vision

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Internet sources

Estimation of some characteristics with mathematical models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82805)

PD₅₀ = 0.5156

Resilience (Ref. 69278)

Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.)


Vulnerability (Ref. 59153)	Price category (Ref. 80766)
High vulnerability (56 of 100)	Medium

Entered by Froese, Rainer

Modified by Ortañez, Auda Kareen

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