Relevant synonyms None Misidentification None Meristic formula D1, V; D2, I + 9; A, II + 9; P, 14; V, I + 5; LL, 72-90; GR, 2  photo : David Darom

SHORT DESCRIPTION Body very elongated. Two well-separated dorsal fins. Five spines in the first fin, the first the largest. Second dorsal fin origin slightly in front of anal fin origin. Pelvic fin beneath tip of pectoral fin. Tip of pectoral fin does not reach the vertical of first dorsal fin origin. Large head, slightly flattened dorsally with pointed snout. Long jaws, lower jaw projected. Several fang-like teeth in front of upper jaw. A single row of 4-5 sharp teeth on the palatine; a row of small teeth on premaxilla. Lower jaw with a single canine at apex followed by a row of sharp teeth. color : grey on the back with white belly, often a touch of yellow-grey on the flank. Caudal fin yellow with upper, lower and posterior black margin. size : common 20-45 cm (max. 60 cm). DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS Sphyraena chrysotaenia: pectoral fin tip reaching the vertical of first dorsal origin. Sphyraena sphyraena and S. viridensis: pelvic fin located behind pectoral fin tip. Mugilidae: four dorsal spines. Short snout. Atherinidae: short snout and small mouth. Sillaginidae: small mouth. Dorsal fins very close to each other. BIOLOGY / ECOLOGY Schooling fish. Feeds on fishes and large invertebrates. Eggs and larvae planktonic. habitat : inshore-pelagic.

1st MEDITERRANEAN RECORD Israel, 1992. DISTRIBUTION Worldwide : Indo-Pacific. Red Sea, eastern Africa, southern to Durban. Mediterranean : recorded in Israel, in trammel net (Golani, 1992). In 2002 Bilecenoglu et al. reported two specimens of this species from Antalya Bay, Turkey. Then later in Libya (Ben Abdallah et al., 2005). Recorded in Rhodes. More recently recorded along the coasts of eastern Libya. ESTABLISHMENT SUCCESS Rare. speculated reasons for success : - MODE OF INTRODUCTION Via the Suez Canal. IMPORTANCE TO HUMANS None in the Mediterranean. Commercially important species throughout its original distribution.

KEY REFERENCES Ben Abdallah A.R., Alturky A.A. and Fituri A.A., 2005. Records of exotic fishes in the Libyan coast. Libyan Journal of Marine Sciences, 10: 1-14. (in Arabic with English abstract). Bilecenoglu M., Taskavak E. and Kurt K.B., 2002. Range extension of three lessepsian migrant fish (Fistularia commersoni, Sphyraena flavicauda, Lagocephalus suezensis) in the Mediterranean. J. Mar. Biol. Assoc., U.K,. 82: 525-526. Golani D., 1992. Rhabdosargus haffara (Forsskål, 1775) and Sphyraena flavicauda Rüppell, 1833--new Red Sea immigrants in the Mediterranean. J. Fish Biol., 40: 139-140. FEEDBACK / COMMENTS TO AUTHORS

Last update of the species sheet: November 2013 ©ciesm 2002