Abstract
The banded needlefish (Strongylura leiura) dwells in the coastal waters of Can Gio district, Ho Chi Minh city, with the local name “blue-bone fish”. Study results on the morphological characteristics of 70 individuals showed that the total length and weight of fish varied from 410 to 1,060 mm (average 741.71 mm), 90-2,600 gr (average 618.73 gr), respectively. There were 17-24 dorsal fin rays, 22-29 anal fin rays, 12-19 pectoral fin rays, and small and low pelvic fins with 9-13 rays. The lateral scales with 192-427 small scales indicated the growth of this fish in the coastal waters of Can Gio, with the growth value b ranging from 3.431-3.501 and R2values ranging from 0.875-0.926. The research on the external structure of the banded needlefish can help distinguish male and female individuals of this species based on the external morphology of the sex organs. There was a pink urogenital papilla on male. In female, there was a single round pink urogenital pore without a genital papilla. When the gonad of matured female came to the stage III to stage IV, this genital pore was widened and pink.
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