Sphyraena chrysotaenia

Sphyraena chrysotaenia has a very elongated, torpedo-shaped body, typical of the barracudas, with two well-separated dorsal fins; the first dorsal fin has with five spiny rays, with the first ray being the longest and the rays progressively decrease in size. The second dorsal fin has its origin in front of the origin of the anal fin. The tail is markedly forked. The pectoral fin sits directly below the origin of the first dorsal fin with the pelvic fin below it. The large head is conical with large eyes, a pointed snout and a slightly projecting lower jaw. The jaws and palate are lines with large canine-shaped teeth which vary in size. The small scales are cycloid in form and the lateral line is almost straight. The preoperculum is covered in scales and its lower posterior margin is concave. They are coloured brown-grey above and silvery below, a dusky stripe runs from the snout through centre of the eye, above the base of the pectoral fin to base of the tail, this stripe may show a yellowish tint on the head. The distal portion of first dorsal and caudal fins is blackish, the second dorsal, pectoral and base of the caudal fins are yellowish. They have been recorded to measure as a standard length, but average at . ==Distribution==

Sphyraena chrysotenia has an Indo-West Pacific distribution occurring from the Red Sea and Madagascar east through the Indian Ocean to China and northern Australia. It was first recorded in the Mediterranean Sea off Palestine in , and is now spreading westward, having reached Malta by and the south Adriatic Sea by . ==Biology==

Sphyraena chrysotenia forms large schools in inshore waters in the pelagic and demersal zones to a depth of . It is piscivorous, catching its food near the bottom and feeds mainly on schooling fish such as Sardinella aurita and Engraulis encrasicolus, but will also feed on crustaceans. The spawning season in the Mediterranean runs from April to September, or August to November in the central Mediterranean. The eggs and fry are planktonic and the juveniles are often recorded in very shallow waters. S. chrysotaenia is a relatively short-lived species, with a maximum age of 5 years old. S. chrysotaenia reaches sexual maturity at a total length of for females and for males, usually at 2 years of age. ==Fisheries==

Sphyraena chrysotenia is now the most common species of barracuda caught by artisanal fisheries in Lebanon, outnumbering the other landed species by . It can be caught in considerable quantities in inshore waters using purse-seine nets, gillnets and by trawling. In the Gulf of Suez, studies showed indications of overexploitation of the stock as fish being landed were too small to be sexually mature. ==References==