Tylosurus fodiator | |
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Conservation status
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Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1] | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Beloniformes |
Family: | Belonidae |
Genus: | Tylosurus |
Species: | T. fodiator
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Binomial name | |
Tylosurus fodiator Jordan & Gilbert, 1882
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Synonyms[2] | |
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Tylosurus fodiator, the Mexican needlefish, is a species of needlefish from the family Belonidae which is found only in the eastern Pacific,[2] from the Gulf of California south to Ecuador including the Galapagos, Cocos and Malpelo Islands.[1] It was previously considered to be a subspecies of the houndfish but is now regarded as valid species.[3] This species is normally encountered close to the coast but can be found in offshore waters. It is a predatory species, feeding mainly on small fishes. They lay eggs which adhere to objects in the water by filaments which cover the outer layer of the eggs.[2] This species was described in 1882 by David Starr Jordan and Charles Henry Gilbert with the type locality given as Mazatlán in Sinaloa, western Mexico.[3]