Largehead Hairtail (Trichiurus lepturus) — identification, habitat & look-alikes

Largehead hairtail is a long, thin, silvery fish found in the Gulf of Mexico and along the U.S. Atlantic coast. Its body tapers to a point without a tail fin, and its large mouth has sharp teeth.

Appearance

Appearance: It has a thin, metallic silver body that tapers to a point, with no ordinary tail fin. Its mouth has sharp teeth.

Look-alikes

Crested scabbardfishLepidopus altifrons

Check the tail: largehead hairtail tapers to a point without a tail fin, while crested scabbardfish (Lepidopus altifrons) has a small forked tail fin.

Why they get mixed upBoth are long, narrow, silvery fish in the western Atlantic.

Where it lives

Typical habitats: Gulf Coast waters
coastal shelf
Range: In the U.S., it is abundant in Texas Gulf waters and also occurs along the Atlantic coast.
Preferred conditions: In the northern Gulf of Mexico it is often found in relatively shallow coastal water.

Behavior

Diet: In Texas waters it feeds mainly on small fish and shrimp.
Activity: It can hover with its tail pointing down, then rise to catch prey near the surface.

Life cycle

Breeding season: Young fish occur on the central Texas coast in May and June.

Name and classification

About the name: The name Trichiurus lepturus has sometimes covered several similar hairtails. Some researchers treat Japanese cutlassfish (Trichiurus japonicus) as the same species, while others treat it as a separate species. Along the Texas coast, it is also called ribbonfish.

Conservation

IUCN Red List: LCLeast ConcernLow risk of extinction

Culture and stories

Culture and stories: In Texas, ribbonfish are commonly used as bait for larger offshore fish.

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