Sphyraena barracuda
Great Barracuda
Collection Details
Specimens
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Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Sphyraenidae (Barracudas)
Sphyraena
Sphyraena barracuda (Great Barracuda)
Description
This species account was compiled from
Composite (multiple sources) (McEachran, J.D. and J.D. Fechhelm. Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. University of Texas Press, Austin.)
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Characters
Relatively large mouth; snout long and rounded, lacking fleshy knob; interorbital region flat to slightly concave; upper jaw extends to anterior margin of eye in juveniles and beyond in adults; upper jaw with large, compressed canines on side of symphysis and band of small, compressed teeth along margin; lower jaw with large, compressed canines on side of symphysis and band of large, compressed, vertically directed canines along margin; palatine with row of large, compressed canine teeth; first gill arch lacks gill rakers but has platelets lacking distinct spines; measurements (% SL): head length 31%–35%, snout length 14%–15%, eye diameter 5%–6%, upper jaw length 14%–15%, pectoral fin length 9%–11%, body depth 13%–16%; pectoral fin with 11 or 12 rays; first dorsal fin originates slightly posterior to pelvic fin base; second dorsal fin originates anterior to anal fin origin with one spine and 8 to 10 rays; anal fin with two spines and 7 or 8 rays; caudal fin with 17 principal rays and 8 procurrent dorsal rays and 7 procurrent ventral rays; small cycloid scales cover side of head and body; lateral line scales number 75 to 87
Gray with greenish cast dorsally and whitish ventrally, with several to many inky blotches on lower side
Distribution
Western Atlantic from Massachusetts and Bermuda to southern Brazil, including the entire Gulf of Mexico, the Bahamas, and the Antilles
Habitat Associations
Tropical to warm temperate seas over continental and insular shelves; depth range not specified
Juveniles occur in shallow waters over sandy substrates and vegetated areas; adults occur in offshore waters and over reefs
Biology
Food consists of cephalopods, shrimps, and a large variety of ray-finned fishes
Maximum known size is 165 cm SL
Spawning occurs between April and October; eggs and larvae are pelagic; maturity is reached between two and three years of life
Found predominantly at or near the surface (Ref. 6949, 48637). Juvenile occurs among mangroves, estuaries and shallow sheltered inner reef areas; adult occurs in a wide range of habitats from murky inner harbors to open seas. Diurnal and solitary, but can also be found in small aggregations. Feeds on fishes, cephalopods and sometimes on shrimps (Ref. 9626, 48637). Sold fresh. Utilized also dried or salted (Ref. 9987). Although this species is ciguatoxic elsewhere throughout its range, it has not been reported to be poisonous in the eastern Atlantic (Ref. 6949, 48637). Rarely attacks humans, usually with one quick, fierce strike, which, although serious, is rarely fatal. The world's record on hook and line is a 5.5-ft. fish taken in the Bahamas that weighed 103 lbs. (Ref. 13442). Caught by handline, set nets, and other fishing gear (Ref. 9768). Minimum depth reported taken from Ref. 128797.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2013-01-29. Resilience: Low (K=0.09-0.11; tm=2-4).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: minor commercial; gamefish; aquarium: public aquariums.
References
de Sylva 1963b
de Sylva 1984
Böhlke and Chaplin 1968
Bright and Cashman 1974
Hoese and Moore 1977
Hoese and Moore 1998
Robins and Ray 1986
Boschung 1992
Randall 1996
Schaldach et al. 1997
Smith 1997
Castro-Aguirre et al. 1999
Ditty et al. 1999
Smith-Vaniz et al. 1999
Senou 2001
Russell 2002
Thresher, R.E. (1984) Reproduction in reef fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Inc. Ltd., Neptune City, New Jersey. 399 p.
Myers, R.F. (1991) Micronesian reef fishes. Second Ed. Coral Graphics, Barrigada, Guam. 298 p.
Daget, J. (1986) Sphyraenidae. p. 350-351. In J. Daget, J.-P. Gosse and D.F.E. Thys van den Audenaerde (eds.) Check-list of the freshwater fishes of Africa (CLOFFA). ISNB, Brussels; MRAC, Tervuren; and ORSTOM, Paris. Vol. 2.
Honebrink, R. (1990) Fishing in Hawaii: a student manual. Education Program, Division of Aquatic Resources, Honolulu, Hawaii. 79 p.
De Sylva, D.P. (1990) Sphyraenidae. p. 860-864. In J.C. Quero, J.C. Hureau, C. Karrer, A. Post and L. Saldanha (eds.) Check-list of the fishes of the eastern tropical Atlantic (CLOFETA). JNICT, Lisbon; SEI, Paris; and UNESCO, Paris. Vol. 2.
Robins, C.R. and G.C. Ray (1986) A field guide to Atlantic coast fishes of North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, U.S.A. 354 p.
Senou, H. (2001) Sphyraenidae. Barracudas. p. 3685-3697. In K.E. Carpenter and V. Niem (eds.) FAO species identification guide for fishery purposes. The living marine resources of the Western Central Pacific. Vol. 6. Bony fishes part 4 (Labridae to Latimeriidae), estuarine crocodiles. FAO, Rome.
Sierra, L.M., R. Claro and O.A. Popova (1994) Alimentacion y relaciones tróficas. p. 263-284. In Rodolfo Claro (ed.) Ecología de los Peces Marinos de Cuba. Instituto de Oceanología Academia de Ciencias de Cuba and Centro de Investigaciones de Quintana Roo, Mexico.
Smith, C.L. (1997) National Audubon Society field guide to tropical marine fishes of the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, Florida, the Bahamas, and Bermuda. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York. 720 p.
Allen, G.R. and M.V. Erdmann (2012) Reef fishes of the East Indies. Perth, Australia: Universitiy of Hawai'i Press, Volumes I-III. Tropical Reef Research.
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