CARANGIDAE


Alepes djedaba, 20.4 cm SL
(from Palawan, Philippines; photo by Seishi Kimura)


Alepes djedaba
(Forsskål, 1775)
Shrimp Scad

D VIII + I, 23-26; A II + I, 18-21; GR 7-9 + 17-24 = 24-30.

Body oblong, compressed; dorsal and ventral profiles almost equally convex. Snout rounded; adipose eyelid well developed on posterior half of eye; a single row of small slender teeth on both jaws. Straight part of lateral line entirely with scutes (49-69), longer than curved part. Color: body silvery blue dorsally, silvery white ventrally; a large black spot on upper margin of opercle; first dorsal fin black, the lower lobe yellowish. Size: maximum length about 40 cm. Distribution: Indo-Pacific, from East Africa, Red Sea to Hawaii, north to southern Japan, south to Australia. Remarks: occurring in coastal waters. Feeds mainly on crustaceans and small fishes. Marketed fresh, dried, or salted.