blackspot longtom
Strongylura strongylura
- Usual depth1–12 m
- Water temperature23–30 °C
- Best monthsJanuary
- How commonOccasional
About this species
Strongylura strongylura, the spottail needlefish or blackspot longtom, is a species of needlefish from the family Belonidae. It is found in the Indian and western Pacific Oceans from the Persian Gulf east to Australia and the Philippines. This species occurs in coastal waters and in mangrove-lined lagoons as well as being recorded in estuarine areas and it has even entered freshwater. Living S. strongylura have been found alive and buried in mud during low tide. It is piscivorous, feeding mainly on clupeoids. This species is oviparous and the eggs adhere to objects in the water which catch the tendrils which cover the surface of the egg. Strongylura strongylura under the synonym of Strongylura caudimaculata is the type species of the genus Strongylura. It as originally described as Belone strongylura by Johan Coenraad van Hasselt in 1823 with the type locality given as Vizagapatam, India.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Strongylura strongylura”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article
Where and when
Where it has been recorded
Worldwide
Loading the map
Best months
Worldwide (open data)
- January: 84 records
- February: 4 records
- March: 6 records
- April: 7 records
- May: 13 records
- June: 12 records
- July: 15 records
- August: 4 records
- September: 12 records
- October: 21 records
- November: 9 records
- December: 7 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 1–12 m · Deepest record: 14.6 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 23–30 °C
Names and classification
- English
- blackspot longtom
Names in 1 more languages
- Japanese
- Kokutendatsu, コクテンダツ
Other scientific names: Belone caudimacula, Belone oculata, Belone saigonensis, Belone strongylura, Belone strongylurus, Strongylura caudimaculata, Strongylura strongylurus, Strongylurus strongylura, Tylosurus strongilurus, Tylosurus strongylorus, Tylosurus strongylura, Tylosurus strongylurus
Similar species
- Driller's Long-tom
Strongylura incisa
- Banded needlefish
Strongylura leiurus
Flat needlefishAblennes hians
- Houndfish
Tylosurus crocodilus
- Keel-jawed needle fish
Tylosurus melanotus
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).
- 421 open-data records from 1823 to 2023.
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