Species: Ablennes hians, Barred needlefish, Flat needlefish
very compressed
flank: ~12 black bars
tail base compressed, no keel
C very concave
C very concave
Ablennes hians (Valenciennes in Cuvier & Valenciennes, 1846)
Barred needlefish, Flat needlefish
Body strongly compressed; elongate jaws form a relatively short beak, with numerous needle-like teeth; no gill rakers; fins without spines; dorsal and anal fins with long concave front lobes; dorsal fin with large, dark rear lobe, with 23-26 rays; anal fin 24-28; pectorals concave 13-15; tail base compressed, without a keel; tail fin strongly concave; 470-525 scales in front of dorsal fin.
Dark bluish above, silvery white below; ~12 black bars or vertically elongated blotches on sides.
Size: to 120 cm.
Habitat: inshore to oceanic pelagic.
Depth: 0-12 m.
Circumtropical; Massachusetts to Brazil.
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- Salinity
-
- Marine
- Brackish
- Inshore/Offshore
-
- Inshore
- Offshore
- In & Offshore
- Water Column Position
-
- Near Surface
- Surface
- Water column only
- Habitat
-
- Water column
- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- Estuary
- FishBase Habitat
-
- Pelagic
- Reef Associated
- Feeding Group
-
- Carnivore
- Data
- Diet
-
- Bony fishes
- Data
- Egg Type
-
- Data
- Benthic
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
-
- Greater Caribbean non-endemic
- All species.
- Circumtropical ( Indian + Pacific + Atlantic Oceans)
- Regional Endemism
-
- Extends North of GC
- GC non-endemic
- Extends South of GC
- Extends N + S of GC
- Also in Brazil
- All species..
- Island (s)
- Continent
- Continent + Island (s)
- Residency
-
- Resident
- Climate Zone
-
- Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
- Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
- Temperate (>35N)
- Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
- IUCN Red List
-
- Listed
- Least concern
- CITES
-
- Not listed
- Length Max
-
- 120
- Depth Range Min
-
- 0
- Depth Range Max
-
- 12
