Diagnostic Description
provided by Fishbase
Body extremely elongate, compressed and tapering to a point. Anal fin reduced to a long spine and 74 - 84 smaller spinules; pelvic and caudal fins absent. Lateral line running nearer the ventral contour than the dorsal contour of the body. Body color steely blue with metallic reflections in fresh specimens, becoming silvery gray after death.
Morphology
provided by Fishbase
Dorsal spines (total): 3; Dorsal soft rays (total): 121 - 131; Analspines: 2; Analsoft rays: 74 - 84
Trophic Strategy
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Benthopelagic or pelagic in estuaries and coastal waters. Feeds on a wide variety of small fishes and crustaceans chiefly on prawns, young clupeoids, Harpodon nehereus and Trichiurus spp. in Hooghly estuaries, India.
- Recorder
- Drina Sta. Iglesia
Biology
provided by Fishbase
Benthopelagic or pelagic in estuaries and coastal waters. Feeds on a wide variety of small fishes and crustaceans chiefly on prawns, young clupeoids, Harpodon nehereus and Trichiurus spp. in Hooghly estuaries, India. Caught mainly with bag nets in estuaries, with shore seines and boat seines in inshore waters, and with trawls in off-shore waters. Marketed fresh as well as dried salted.
Importance
provided by Fishbase
fisheries: minor commercial; price category: medium; price reliability: very questionable: based on ex-vessel price for species in this family