Author: (Le Sueur, 1821)
Platybelone argalus (Le Sueur, 1821)
Status in World Register of Marine Species:
Accepted name: Platybelone argalus (Lesueur, 1821) (updated 2009-06-25)
Diagnosis: body pentagonal in cross-section; caudal peduncle greatly depressed. Lower jaw obviously longer than upper. Vomerine teeth absent. Jaw teeth small. Anterior lobes of dorsal and anal fins moderate; caudal fin strongly forked. Dorsal finrays 11-16; anal finrays 14-20; pectoral finrays 10-13. Gillrakers 10-12. Vertebrae 62-76. Scales comparatively large. Predorsal scales 101-137. Juveniles with greatly elongated lower jaw, without black posterior dorsal fin lobe. Size: to 32 cm BL, which equals about 50 cm SL.
Habitat: epipelagic, neritic. Food: no data. Reproduction: no data.
Distribution: occurs near the Azores. Elsewhere, worldwide in tropical and subtropical seas.
Subspecies
Platybelone argalus ssp.: dorsal finrays 14-16, anal finrays 19. Vertebrae 74-76. Collette and Parin (1970) felt more material was needed to assess the systematic status of this population.
The remaining subspecies all occur outside Clofnam area.
Eggs, larvae and young stages. No data.
Otoliths (sagitta). No data.