banded scad

Alepes kleinii

Fish
IUCN: Least concern

Usual depth5–110 m
Water temperature23–30 °C
Best monthsJune, July, and August
How commonOccasional

Photo credit: (c) renjus box, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist

About this species

The razorbelly scad is a small species of tropical marine fish in the jack family, Carangidae. The species inhabits coastal waters in the Indo-Pacific, from Pakistan in the west to Japan and Australia in the east, often found over reefs. The razorbelly scad has a complex taxonomic history, and even recently has had its position in the genus Alepes challenged, but appears to be stable after a molecular phylogeny study supported its placement in Alepes. It is very similar to other scads in the same genus, but is readily identified by its unique teeth. Razorbelly scad are predatory fish, taking a variety of crustaceans and shrimps, and show a change in feeding intensity over the year. Reproduction and development have been extensively studied in India, where spawning occurs in a single event from January to September. The species is commonly taken in tropical fisheries, where it is marketed fresh or dried.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Razorbelly scad”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

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Best months

Worldwide (open data)

January: 16 records
February: 11 records
March: 9 records
April: 7 records
May: 12 records
June: 34 records
July: 22 records
August: 29 records
September: 13 records
October: 11 records
November: 19 records
December: 19 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 5–110 m · Deepest record: 1,867 m

0–10 m: 17 records
10–20 m: 18 records
20–30 m: 18 records
30–40 m: 19 records
40–50 m: 0 records
50–60 m: 9 records
60–70 m: 4 records
70–80 m: 2 records
80–90 m: 0 records
90–100 m: 0 records
100–110 m: 10 records
110+ m: 12 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 23–30 °C

22–24 °C: 5 records
24–26 °C: 23 records
26–28 °C: 47 records
28–30 °C: 95 records

Photos

(c) Abu Hamas, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist
(c) Manoj Karingamadathil, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist
no rights reserved · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist
(c) Ashwit Shetty, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
(c) Ashwit Shetty, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
(c) renjus box, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
(c) Karthik Thrikkadeeri, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist

Names and classification

English: banded scad, Razorbelly Scad

Names in 3 more languages

Spanish: Macarela Bandoneada
French: Comète Ruban
Japanese: Miyakamihiraaji, ミヤカミヒラアジ

Other scientific names: Alepes kalla, Alepes kleinni, Alepes megalaspis, Alepes para, Carangoides parax, Caranx kleinii, Caranx microchir, Caranx miyakamii, Caranx para, Micropteryx queenslandiae, Scomber kleinii, Selar megalaspis

Similar species

Shrimp scad
Alepes djedaba
Herring scad
Alepes vari
Banded Scad
Alepes apercna
blackfin scad
Alepes melanoptera
Giant trevally
Caranx ignobilis
Bluefin trevally
Caranx melampygus

Sources and credits

Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).

Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
503 open-data records from 1833 to 2019.
Species data updated October 26, 2026.

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