The pickhandle barracuda (''Sphyraena jello'') is a species of

barracuda A barracuda, or cuda for short, is a large, predatory, ray-finned fish known for its fearsome appearance and ferocious behaviour. The barracuda is a saltwater fish of the genus ''Sphyraena'', the only genus in the family Sphyraenidae, which was ...

found throughout the

Indo-Pacific The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth. In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...

region. Its common name derives from the dark marks along its sides, which look like the thick ends of

pickaxe handle A pickaxe, pick-axe, or pick is a generally T-shaped hand tool used for prying. Its head is typically metal, attached perpendicularly to a longer handle, traditionally made of wood, occasionally metal, and increasingly fiberglass. A stand ...

s.Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2005). "Sphyraena jello" in FishBase. November 2005 version. Sea anglers sometimes colloquially shorten the name to "pick".McGrouther, A. M. (n.d.). Pickhandle Barracuda, Sphyraena Jello Cuvier, 1829. The Australian Museum. Retrieved February 28, 2022, from https://australian.museum/learn/animals/fishes/pickhandle-barracuda-sphyraena-jello/ Other common names for the species include banded barracuda, yellowtail barracuda, and sea pike.Halpern, B.S., 2004. Are mangroves a limiting resource for two coral reef fishes?. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 272: 93–98.

Morphology and biology

The silver body of the pickhandle barracuda is outlined with approximately 20 wavy bars along the body of the fish, along with the dark marks. These dark markings fade under preservation. There is also a yellow caudal fin on the fish.Sutton, A., Alan Sutton is an underwater photographer and writer at Seaunseen., Seaunseen, Beaume, E., & Blundon, R. (2021, January 14). Pickhandle Barracuda – Facts and Photographs. Seaunseen. Retrieved February 28, 2022, from https://seaunseen.com/pickhandle-barracuda/ One of its many features similar to other barracuda is its underbite. It has been shown that ''Sphyraena jello'' feeds after releasing its

gonad A gonad, sex gland, or reproductive gland is a mixed gland that produces the gametes and sex hormones of an organism. Female reproductive cells are egg cells, and male reproductive cells are sperm. The male gonad, the testicle, produces sper ...

s to spawn.S.A. Hosseini, S. Jamili, T. Valinassab, G. Vosoghi and S.M.R. Fatemi, 2009. Feeding and Spawning of Sphyraena jello in the North-West of Persian Gulf. Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Science, 4: 57–62. This release creates space for the stomach to magnify its capacity for appropriate feeding. ''Sphyraena jello'' spawns in the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Persis, Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a Mediterranean sea (oceanography), me ...

in October and November.

Distribution and habitat

The pickhandle barracuda can be found in many locations throughout the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

. They can usually be found in schools swimming in the tropical waters of the Pacific Ocean, particularly around coral reefs. However, during the night the pickhandle barracuda begin to hunt. These fish can be found at many depths ranging from 2–200 meters.

References

Sphyraenidae Fish described in 1829 Taxa named by Georges Cuvier {{Scombroidei-stub