| Family: |
Trichiuridae (Cutlassfishes), subfamily: Trichiurinae |
| Max. size: |
92 cm TL (male/unsexed) |
| Environment: |
benthopelagic; brackish; marine; depth range 0 - 80 m |
| Distribution: |
Indian Ocean: Hooghly estuaries to Gulf of Mannar in the east coast of India. |
| Diagnosis: |
Dorsal spines (total): 3-3; Dorsal soft rays (total): 121-131; Anal spines: 2-2; Anal soft rays: 74-84. 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. |
| Biology: |
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. |
| IUCN Red List Status: |
Data deficient (DD); Date assessed: 29 January 2009 Ref. (130435)
|
| Threat to humans: |
harmless |
| Country info: |
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