Morphology Data of Trichiurus lepturus
Identification keys
Main Ref. Nakamura, I. and N.V. Parin, 1993
Appearance refers to
Bones in OsteoBase

Sex attributes

Specialized organs
Different appearance
Different colors
Remarks

Descriptive characteristics of juvenile and adult

Striking features striking shape of body
Body shape lateral eel-like
Cross section compressed
Dorsal head profile more or less straight
Type of eyes more or less normal
Type of mouth/snout more or less normal
Position of mouth superior
Diagnosis

Body extremely elongate, compressed and tapering to a point. Mouth large with a dermal process at the tip of each jaw. Dorsal fin relatively high; anal fin reduced to minute spinules usually embedded in the skin or slightly breaking through; anterior margin of pectoral fin spine not serrated. Pelvic and caudal fins absent. Lateral line beginning at the upper margin of the gill cover, running oblique to behind the tip of the pectoral fins, then straight close to the ventral contour. Fresh specimens steely blue with silvery reflections, becoming uniformly silvery gray sometime after death (Ref. 6181).

Ease of Identification

Meristic characteristics of Trichiurus lepturus

Lateral Lines 1 Interrupted: No
Scales on lateral line
Pored lateral line scales
Scales in lateral series
Scale rows above lateral line
Scale rows below lateral line
Scales around caudal peduncle
Barbels 0
Gill clefts (sharks/rays only)
Gill rakers
on lower limb
on upper limb
total
Vertebrae
preanal
total

Fins

Dorsal fin(s)

Attributes extending over most of the back length
Fins number 1
Finlets No. Dorsal   0 - 0
Ventral  0 - 0
Spines total 3 - 3
Soft-rays total 130 - 135
Adipose fin absent

Caudal fin

Attributes other (see diagnosis)

Anal fin(s)

Fins number 1
Spines total
Soft-rays total 100 - 105

Paired fins

Pectoral Attributes  more or less normal
Spines     1
Soft-rays   11 - 13
Pelvics Attributes  suppressed/absent
Position    
Spines     
Soft-rays   
Main Ref. (e.g. 9948)
Glossary ( e.g. cephalopods )
Entered by Reyes, Rodolfo B.
Modified by Froese, Rainer
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cfm script by eagbayani, 17.10.00, php script by rolavides, 13/03/08 ,  last modified by sortiz, 06.27.17