Genus: Strongylura, Common Needlefish, Needlefishes

STRONGYLURA

NEEDLEFISHES

Body very elongate, rounded; extremely elongate jaws form a long beak, with numerous needle-like teeth; no gill rakers; fins without spines; low lobes at front of dorsal and anal fins; dorsal fin with 12-17 rays; small, rounded pelvic fins; no keel on round tail base; tail fin straight to slightly concave.

A circumtropical genus with 14 species; 2 W Atlantic and one endemic species occur in the Greater Caribbean.