Author: (Cuvier, 1816)
Rastrelliger kanagurta (Cuvier, 1816)
Status in World Register of Marine Species:
Accepted name: Rastrelliger kanagurta (Cuvier, 1816) (updated 2009-06-25)
Diagnosis: body moderately deep; its depth at margin of gill cover 4.0-4.8 times in standard length; head longer than body depth. Maxilla covered by lacrymal bone, but extending nearly to end of lacrymal. Intestine 1.3-1.7 times standard length. Gillrakers very long, visible when mouth is opened, 30-46 on lower limb of first arch; moderate number of bristles on longest gillraker, 105 on one side in specimens of 120 mm, 140 in specimens of 150 mm, and 160 in specimens of 180 mm standard length. Colour: back blue-green, flanks silver with golden tint; narrow dark longitudinal bands on upper part of body (golden in fresh specimens) and a black spot on body near lower margin of pectoral fin. Size: to 35 cm fork length, common to 20-25 cm.
Habitat: epipelagic, mainly in coastal waters. Schooling. Food: planktonic organisms, mainly crustaceans. Reproduction: eggs and larvae planktonic.
Distribution: few records from Israel, presumably from individuals that migrated through the Suez Canal. Elsewhere, widespread in the western Indo-Pacific from the Red Sea east to Australia and Samoa and north to Japan.