Atlantic needlefish
Strongylura marina (Walbaum, 1792)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Atlantic needlefish (Strongylura marina) is a common demersal needlefish species common in marinas and other areas with minimal currents. Body very elongated, rounded; extremely elongated jaws form a long beak, with numerous needle-like teeth; rear of the top jaw-bone by being exposed when the mouth is closed. It has no gill rakers, the fins without spines; low lobes at the front of the dorsal and anal fins. Its dorsal fin is composed of 14–17 rays, anal fins is composed of 16–20 rays, and pectorals 10–12. Atlantic needlefish are found from Maine to Brazil and have been known to venture into fresh water for short periods, water columns, estuary, and reef associated.
Wikipedia contributors, Strongylura marina; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:40:33.339940+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Strongylura marina (Walbaum, 1792)
- Name authority
- (Walbaum, 1792)
- Common name
- Atlantic needlefish
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Beloniformes
- Family
- Belonidae
- Genus
- Strongylura
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: yes · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderBeloniformes
- familyBelonidae Bonaparte, 1835
- genusStrongylura van Hasselt, 1824
- speciesStrongylura marina (Walbaum, 1792)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Strongylura. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Maya needlefishStrongylura hubbsi Collette, 1974 | BelonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| redfin needlefishStrongylura notata (Poey, 1860) | BelonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Strongylura anastomella (Valenciennes, 1846) | BelonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Strongylura forsythia Breder, 1932 | BelonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Strongylura incisa (Valenciennes, 1846) | BelonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Strongylura krefftii (Günther, 1866) | BelonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Strongylura leiurus (Bleeker, 1850) | BelonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Strongylura scapularis (Jordan & Gilbert, 1882) | BelonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Strongylura senegalensis (Valenciennes, 1846) | BelonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Strongylura strongylura (van Hasselt, 1823) | BelonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| timucuStrongylura timucu (Walbaum, 1792) | BelonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Strongylura urvillii (Valenciennes, 1846) | BelonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Esox houttuyni Walbaum, 1792 Walbaum, 1792 | synonym |
| Esox longirostris Mitchill, 1818 Mitchill, 1818 | synonym |
| Esox belone houttuyni Bloch & Schneider, 1801 Bloch & Schneider, 1801 | synonym |
| Belona truncata Lesueur, 1821 Lesueur, 1821 | synonym |
| Belone galeata Valenciennes, 1846 Valenciennes, 1846 | synonym |
| Belone houttuyni Bloch & Schneider, 1801 Bloch & Schneider, 1801 | synonym |
| Belone timucu Valenciennes, 1846 Valenciennes, 1846 | synonym |
| Esox marinus Walbaum, 1792 Walbaum, 1792 | synonym |
| Esox belone marinus Bloch & Schneider, 1801 Bloch & Schneider, 1801 | synonym |
| Tylosurus marinus (Walbaum, 1792) (Walbaum, 1792) | synonym |
| Belone almeida Quoy & Gaimard, 1824 Quoy & Gaimard, 1824 | synonym |
| Belone scrutator Girard, 1858 Girard, 1858 | synonym |
| Belone truncata Lesueur, 1821 Lesueur, 1821 | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=159256 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:535BC. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.