The Yellowmouth Barracuda is a species in the order of the Perciformes and thus belongs to the spuperclass of the bony fish. In some cases, the factual situation of Sphyraena viridensis is not very clear, as it is often confused with the European Barracuda (Sphyraena sphyraena).
Description
The Yellowmouth Barracuda has an elongated, cylindrical body with small, silver, round sheds. Its head is long and running sharply. The mouth reaches straight to his large eyes and the lower jaw clearly surpasses the upper jaw. From the back to just under the side line are vertical, dark stripes. The fins of Sphyraena viridensis are yellowish in colour.
It reaches a maximum size of 120cm in length.
Habitat and Distribution
The juvenile fishes are usually in rocky, coastal areas, while adult fishes are more likely to be found in the open water. It inhabits a depth down to 100m.
When diving in the Canaries you can observe the Yellowmouth Barracuda quiet frequently Above all, there are swarms of young barracudas up to 50cm in length.
Sphyraena viridensis also occurs in Cape Verde, the Mediterranean Sea, the coast of Lebanon, the Azores and Madeira. It is probably even more widespread.
Way of life
While adult animals live solitary in open water, young barracudas are closer to the coast in swarms of sometimes more than 100 fishes.
Their diet consists of small fish, cephalopods and crustaceans.
There is little research on the reproduction of the Yellowmouth Barracuda. It is known that they spawn in the open water. They seem to prefer the full moon and then gather in large swarms.
His maximum proved age is 8 years.