Hound needlefish
Tylosurus crocodilus
Valid name (FishBase; confirmed in Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes and WoRMS, October 2026).
- English
- Hound needlefish
- Scientific
- Tylosurus crocodilus
- Dhivehi
- No recorded Dhivehi name
- Family
- Belonidae (needlefishes)
- Maximum size
- Up to about 1.5 m (total length); commonly 90 cm; max. published weight 6.4 kg
- Depth and habitat
- Coral reefs and reef-associated habitats, recorded from 0 to 13 m
- IUCN status
- LC · Least ConcernLeast Concern (LC), assessed 2012
Description
The largest needlefish on the reef, reaching about 1.5 m, with very long beak-like jaws full of sharp teeth, a greenish-blue back and silvery sides. It patrols just below the surface over lagoons and reefs, alone or in small groups, and snaps up small fish. When startled or attracted to lights at night it can leap from the water, and its sharp snout has injured fishermen.
In the Maldives
Recorded from the Maldives on the FishBase country checklist (status: present). No Maldives-specific information was found in MRS (1997) or the other sources reviewed, and no Dhivehi name is recorded.
Sources
- fishbase.se /summary/Tylosurus-crocodilus.html
- commons.wikimedia.org /wiki/File:Tylosurus_crocodilus.jpg
Dhivehi name source: No Dhivehi name found in MRS 1997 (available chapters), FishBase (country: Maldives) or Dhivehi Wikipedia.