Elagatis bipinnulata is sometimes associated with schools of Skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) and young Yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares), and is often caught as a by-catch in pole and line fishing.
Details
§ 01
size
Common to 80 cm; max. 1.2 m
color
Body deep blue above, light pink to white below. Three broad longitudinal olive to yellowish bands on body, middle one running from snout through eye to caudal peduncle.
Species of a pelagic nature, typically found in the vicinity of the ocean's surface and close to reefs near islands. They form small schools and feed on invertebrates and small fish.
distinctive characters
The first dorsal fin has six spines, the second dorsal fin has one spine and twenty-five to thirty rays (including finlets), the anal fin has two spines, with the first slightly detached from the rest of the fin and covered by skin in larger individuals, and the second spine continues with eighteen to twenty rays (including finlets). The body is elongate, fusiform, and slightly compressed, with no scutes on the lateral line, and the caudal fin is deeply forked.