Australian barracuda

Taxobox | name = Australian barracuda


regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Actinopterygii
ordo = Perciformes
familia = Sphyraenidae
genus = "Sphyraena"
species = "S. novaehollandiae"
binomial = "Sphyraena novaehollandiae"
binomial_authority = Günther, 1860

The Australian barracuda, arrow barracuda, Australian sea pike, sea pike, snook, or shortfin barracuda, "Sphyraena novaehollandiae", is a barracuda of the genus "Sphyraena", found in tropical and subtropical waters of the east Indian Ocean, around Australia and New Guinea, and between North Cape and East Cape on the North Island of New Zealand, in semi-protected areas. Its length is up to 1 m.

The Australian barracuda is a larger similarly-shaped relative of the obtuse barracuda, having an equally impressive set of teeth. It is an elongate fish of almost round cross-section with two small, widely separated dorsal fins, completely behind the pectoral fins and no longitudinal stripes. The back is green and the belly silver. The snout is pointed and dominated by a large mouth filled with sharp, widely spaced teeth.

The Australian barracuda is a schooling fish and feeds almost exclusively on other fish.

References

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*Tony Ayling & Geoffrey Cox, "Collins Guide to the Sea Fishes of New Zealand", (William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1982) ISBN 0-00-216987-8