Teleostei (teleosts) >
Beloniformes (Needle fishes) >
Belonidae (Needlefishes)
Etymology: Strongylura: Greek, strongylos = round + Greek, oura = tail (Ref. 45335).
More on author: Poey.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; freshwater; brackish; reef-associated; depth range 0 - ? m. Tropical; 33°N - 8°N, 98°W - 60°W
Western Central Atlantic: Cuba, Jamaica, Mexico, Belize, and Honduras (Ref. 50368); also reported from Bermuda (Ref. 7251). Another subspecies, Strongylura notata forsythia is recognized occurring from the Bahamas, southern Florida, and the Gulf of Mexico west to Mobile Bay, Alabama.
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm 22.6  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 61.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 7251)
Inhabits coastal waters, mostly in bays and inlets. May enter freshwater (Ref. 9710). Oviparous (Ref. 205). Eggs may be found attached to objects in the water by tendrils on the egg's surface (Ref. 205).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Collette, B.B., K.E. Bemis, N.V. Parin and I.B, Shakhovskoy, 2019. Fishes of the western North Atlantic. Order Beloniformes (Needlefishes, Sauries, Halfbeaks, and Flyingfishes). Memoirs of the Sears Foundation of Marine Research Mem. 1 (pt 10):1-252. (Ref. 123692)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
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