CARANGIDAE


Alepes kleinii, 10.6 cm SL
(photo by Koichi Shibukawa)


Alepes kleinii
(Bloch, 1793)
Banded Scad

D VIII + I, 23-26; A II + I, 19-22; GR 9-12 + 27-32 = 38-44.

Body oval, strongly compressed; ventral profile more convex than dorsal profile. Snout pointed; adipose eyelid well developed on posterior half of eye; upper jaw with a band of minute teeth; lower jaw with a single row of small conical teeth except 2 rows anteriorly. Straight part of lateral line entirely with scutes (35-45), longer than curved part. Color: body silvery green dorsally, silvery white ventrally; a large black spot on upper margin of opercle; caudal fin yellowish especially in juvenile. Size: maximum length about 20 cm. Distribution: Indo-West Pacific, from Pakistan to Papua New Guinea and Australia. Remarks: occurring in coastal waters. Feeds mainly on planktonic crustaceans and fishes.