Californian needlefish

Strongylura exilis

FAMILY

Belonidae

TAXONOMY

Belone exilis Girard, 1854, San Diego, California.

OTHER COMMON NAMES

French: Aiguille de Californie; Spanish: Agujón bravo de California.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Maximum length 35.8 in (91 cm). Very elongate, with long snout and sharp teeth. Emarginate caudal fin, no dorsal or anal fin spines.

DISTRIBUTION

Coastally from San Francisco to Peru; also in the Galápagos.

HABITAT

Lagoons, harbors, and coastal areas. Frequents mangroves and enters freshwaters.

BEHAVIOR

Sometimes schools in large numbers, leaps out of the water when threatened.

FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET

Feeds on small fishes.

REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY

Eggs are attached to floating vegetation by means of long filaments; larvae drift in surface waters. The eggs are approximately 0.14 in (3.5 mm) in diameter and hatch in about two weeks. Larvae are 0.35–0.47 in (9–12 mm) at hatching.

CONSERVATION STATUS

Not threatened.

SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS

Sold fresh in fish markets. In very rare cases, may cause injury or death by impalement.