Species: Strongylura fluviatilis, Freshwater needlefish
black blotch above pectoral base
Strongylura fluviatilis (Regan, 1903)
Freshwater needlefish
Body rounded; head length ~ 37% of TL; long cheek (~ 2x length of operculum); eye diameter ~ 32% of length of head behind eye, equal to distance between eyes; snout = 2/3 of head length; no gill rakers; dorsal 15-16 rays, front rays longer, origin over 5th-7th anal ray; anal 16-18 rays, longest rays a little longer than those of dorsal & equal to pectoral; pectoral 21-25% of head length; pelvic origin midway between rear of eye and base of tail fin; tail slightly concave; no keel on tail base; operculum completely scaled, 180-200 scales before dorsal fin.
A bluey-black stripe from eye back along mid-flank, broader at rear; black blotch above base of pectoral.
Size: 45 cm.
Habitat: a freshwater species that also occurs in mangrove areas.
Depth: 0-5 m.
Known from both Pacific and Caribbean drainages; on the Pacific from the Gulf of San Miguel, Panama to Ecuador.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Non Marine
- Brackish
- Freshwater
- Inshore/Offshore
-
- Inshore Only
- Inshore
- Water Column Position
-
- Water column only
- Surface
- Habitat
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- Freshwater
- Water column
- Mangrove
- Estuary
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- FishBase Habitat
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- Pelagic
- Feeding Group
-
- No Data
- Carnivore
- Diet
-
- No Data
- Bony fishes
- Egg Type
-
- Benthic
- Pelagic larva
- No data
- Global Endemism
-
- East Pacific + Atlantic (East +/or West)
- Transisthmian (East Pacific + Atlantic of Central America)
- New world (East Pacific + West Atlantic)
- TEP non-endemic
- All species
- Regional Endemism
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- Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) non-endemic
- Continent only
- All species
- Eastern Pacific non-endemic
- Continent
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Equatorial (Costa Rica to Ecuador + Galapagos, Clipperton, Cocos, Malpelo)
- IUCN Red List
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- Not evaluated / Listed
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 45
- Depth Range Min
-
- 0
- Depth Range Max
-
- 5
