Trichiurus Linnaeus, 1758
Diagnosis: profile of head gently rising from tip of snout to behind orbit, then more sharply to dorsal fin origin; frontal ridges elevated; nape strongly elevated, with sagittal crest; lower hind margin of opercle concave. D III + 134-139; A II + 105-108; P 12; V O; spinous and soft portions of dorsal fin not divided by notch; spinous portion very short, indistinct; second spine before anal fin triangular, scale-like; external rays in anal fin absent; no pelvic fins; caudal fin entirely absent, tail tapering to a point. Lateral line descending from above gill opening to ventrolateral position. Colour: silvery, dusky at fin edges. Size: to 150 cm SL.
Habitat: benthopelagic in shallow water on continental shelf down to 350 m. Shoaling. A food fish, caught in Portugal and Mauritania, also in Mediterranean. Food: fishes, squids, crustaceans. Reproduction: July-August in Mediterranean.
Distribution: Mediterranean and Atlantic ocean southwards of Bay of Biscay; occasionally north of Ireland, England and southern Norway. Elsewhere, probably worldwide along mainland shores of tropical and subtropical seas.
Species 1.
Species of this genus in the program:
Trichiurus lepturus