| Family: |
Trichiuridae (Cutlassfishes), subfamily: Trichiurinae |
| Max. size: |
50 cm TL (male/unsexed) |
| Environment: |
benthopelagic; brackish; marine |
| Distribution: |
Indian Ocean: east coast of India from Hooghly estuaries to Gulf of Mannar. |
| Diagnosis: |
Dorsal spines (total): 4-4; Dorsal soft rays (total): 116-129; Anal soft rays: 85-85. Body extremely elongate, compressed and tapering to a point. Pelvic and caudal fins absent; anal fin reduced to minute spinules. Anterior margin of the pectoral-fin spine serrated. Fresh specimens bright silvery white with semi-transparent dorsal- and anal-fin membranes; body becomes darker in formalin. |
| Biology: |
Benthopelagic to pelagic, in coastal waters and estuaries, comes often near the surface at night. Feeds on a wide variety of small fish and crustaceans. Caught mainly with shore seines, bag nets and coastal bottom trawls, mixed with other trichiurids in catches on the east coast of India. Marketed fresh and dried salted. |
| IUCN Red List Status: |
Not Evaluated (N.E.) Ref. (130435)
|
| Threat to humans: |
harmless |
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