Family : Trichiuridae (Cutlassfishes) , subfamily: Trichiurinae
Order : Perciformes  (perch-likes)
Class : Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes)
Fishbase Name : Largehead hairtail
Fish Name : Trichiurus lepturus
Max size : 234 cm TL (male/unsexed; Ref. 26340); max. published weight: 5,000 g (Ref. ); max. reported age: 15 years
Environment : benthopelagic; amphidromous ; depth range 0 - 589 m
Climate : subtropical; 49°N - 54°S
Global Importance : fisheries: highly commercial
Resilience: Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=0.25-0.29; tm=2; tmax=15)Distribution : Throughout tropical and temperate waters of the world. Trichiurus japonicus which was originally described from Japan as Trichiurus lepturus japonicus was synonymized with Trichiurus lepturus. Another nominal species synonymized with Trichiurus lepturus is Trichiurus nitens from the eastern Pacific Ocean (California to Peru).
Diagnosis : Dorsal spines (total): 3-3; Dorsal soft rays (total): 130-135; Anal soft rays: 100-105. Body extremely elongate, compressed and tapering to a point. Mouth large with a dermal process at the tip of each jaw. Dorsal fin relatively high; anal fin reduced to minute spinules usually embedded in the skin or slightly breaking through; anterior margin of pectoral fin spine not serrated. Pelvic and caudal fins absent. Lateral line beginning at the upper margin of the gill cover, running oblique to behind the tip of the pectoral fins, then straight close to the ventral contour. Fresh specimens steely blue with silvery reflections, becoming uniformly silvery gray sometime after death (Ref. 6181).
Biology : Generally over muddy bottoms of shallow coastal waters (Ref. 9351). Often enter estuaries (Ref. 9351). Juveniles feed mostly on euphausiids, small pelagic planktonic crustaceans and small fishes; adults feed mainly on fishes and occasionally on squids and crustaceans (Ref. 6181). Adults and juveniles have opposing complementary vertical diurnal feeding migration. Large adults usually feed near the surface during the daytime and migrate to the bottom at night. Juveniles and small adults form schools 100 m above the bottom during the daytime and form loose feeding aggregations at night near the surface. Pelagic eggs (Ref. 35388) and larvae (Ref. 6768). Max weight of 1.5 kg given in Ref. 28023 seems too low. The current angling world record was caught in Rio de Janeiro's Guanabara Bay and weighed 3.69 kg. Commercial fisherman have caught fish of up to 5 kg (Capt. Eduardo Baumeier, pers. Comm., 2001). Marketed salted or dried and also frozen (Ref. 9351). Excellent taste when fried or grilled; also for sashimi when fresh
Threatened : Dangerous:  
Dangerous : harmless
Coordinator : Parin, Nikolay V.
Main Ref : Nakamura, I. and N.V. Parin. 1993. (Ref. 6181)

India country information
Common Names : બગા, बागा, बाळा, సవాల, சவாளை, തലയന്, சோனகா வக்ழா , ஓலவாளை, சாவாளை, சொனக்க வாளை, കറൂപ്പ് തളാന്, மச்சவாளை, கர்தீகவாளை, കരിന്തലയന്, വെള്ളതലയന്, கார்த்திகை வாளை, വെളളത്തലയന്, വെളളപാന്വാട, കറൂപ്പുപാന്വാട, నడిప్పుస్సవళ్ళు , மட்டாசாவ்வாளை , కొత్తిసవాళ్ళు , యెల్లసవాళ్ళు , పెద్దసవాళ్ళు , കറുപ്പുതലയന് , കറുപ്പുസ്വാള  , കരിന്തലയന് , വെള്ളസവാള , રિબ્બન , ಪಂಬೋಲೆ , തലയന് , Baga, Baga, Bala, Chavalai, Grey ribbon fish, Hair tail, Karinthalayan, Karthigaivalai, Karuppusavala, Karupputhalayan, Kothisavallu, Large headed hairtail, Large-head ribbonfish, Mattachavalai, Nadippussavallu, Olavalai, Pambole, Peddasavallu, Puttiah, Ribbon, Ribbon fish, Sawala, Sonaka-wahlah, Thalayan, Vellasavala, Vellathalayan, Yellasavallu
Status : native
Salinity : brackish, marine
Uses : no uses