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The keeltail needlefish (Platybelone argalus), sometimes called the keeled needlefish, is a tropical fish of the family Belonidae. It was described by the French naturalist Charles Alexandre Lesueur in 1821.
| Keeltail needlefish | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Platybelone argalus | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Beloniformes |
| Family: | Belonidae |
| Genus: | Platybelone |
| Species: | P. argalus |
| Binomial name | |
| Platybelone argalus (Lesueur, 1821) | |
| Subspecies | |
|
See text | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
| |
Keeltail needlefish, like all needlefish, closely resemble North American freshwater gars (family Lepisosteidae). It is most recognized by the large, flat keel-like structures running on either side of the tail.[3] They have 12 to 15 rays on their dorsal fins, and 17 to 20 rays on their anal fins. Keeltail needlefish have gill-rakers, their caudal peduncles have lateral keels,[4] with a lateral line running ventral to it, and grow up to 50 cm long [5] The keeltail needlefish's top jaw is also smaller than the lower one.[3]
Keeltail needlefish are found in the western Atlantic Ocean between North Carolina and Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico, the Bahamas, and the Caribbean Sea.[6] In the Indian Ocean, they are known off of East Africa, with their range continuing into the Pacific, reaching the Hawaiian Islands and continuing north to the Ogasawara Islands.[7] Keeltail needle fish have also been found around the Arabian Peninsula, in the Red Sea and Persian Gulf[7] They usually occur offshore and are abundant around islands.[8] Some of the most recognized subspecies are P. a. platura, most common in the Red Sea and Persian Gulf;[7]P. a. platyura, known from the rest of the Indo-Pacific; and P. a. argalus from the Atlantic.[7]
They school in sheltered parts of reefs,[9] feeding mainly on smaller fish. Keeltail needlefish are egg-laying, attaching their eggs to floating objects with specialized tendril-like structures on the egg's surface.[10]
Seven subspecies are recognized:[11]
- Platybelone argalus annobonensis Collette & Parin, 1970 (Annobon keeltail needlefish)
- P. a. argalus (Lesueur, 1821) (keeltail needlefish)
- P. a. lovii (Günther, 1866)
- P. a. platura (Rüppell, 1837)
- P. a. platyura (E. T. Bennett, 1832) (keeled needlefish)
- P. a. pterura (R. C. Osburn & Nichols, 1916) (Baja California keeltail needlefish)
- P. a. trachura (Valenciennes, 1846)
Fishbase treats P.a. lovii as a valid species, Platybelone lovii,[11] while other authorities also treat P.a platyura and P.a. trachura as valid species.[2]
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