Hairtails, cutlassfishes, scabbardfishes and frostfishes are the common names for the members of the Trichiuridae family. The family members are characterized by their ribbon-like, extremely elongate and strongly compressed body. Their dorsal fin is very long, extending over length of body. Their caudal fin is tapered to a point, or very small and forked.
Members of the Trichiuridae are found in the tropical to warm-temperate waters of Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans. There are 10 genera and about 46 species worldwide. They can be found from the surface to a depth of about 2000 m. They have extremely strong and fang-like teeth. They are known to be voracious predators, feeding on fishes, squids, and crustaceans.
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Scientific Name: Assurger anzac (Alexander, 1917) English Name: Razorback Scabbardfish French Name: Poisson-sabre rasoir Mandarin Name: 长剃刀带鱼 (Zhǎng tìdāo dàiyú) Local Malay Name: Ikan Timah, Layur, Selayur, Timah-layur Local Hokkien: Pek Tua Size: Maximum standard length 225 cm.  Scientific Name: Trichiurus lepturus Linnaeus, 1758 English Name: Large-head hairtail Mandarin Name: 白带鱼 (Bái dàiyú) Local Malay Name: Ikan Timah, Layur, Selayur Local Hokkien: Pek Tua Size: Maximum total length 234 cm, commonly between 50 and 100 cm.  |