About Strongylura strongylura (van Hasselt, 1823)
Strongylura strongylura, commonly called the spottail needlefish or blackspot longtom, is a needlefish species belonging to the family Belonidae. It inhabits the Indian and western Pacific Oceans, ranging east from the Persian Gulf to Australia and the Philippines. This species lives in coastal waters and mangrove-lined lagoons, and has also been recorded in estuarine areas, and has even entered freshwater. Living individuals of S. strongylura have been found alive and buried in mud during low tide. It is a piscivorous species that feeds mainly on clupeoids. S. strongylura is oviparous; its eggs adhere to objects in the water via tendrils that cover the egg surface. Under the synonym Strongylura caudimaculata, this species is the type species of the genus Strongylura. It was originally described as Belone strongylura by Johan Coenraad van Hasselt in 1823, with its type locality recorded as Vizagapatam, India.
