Portugal country information

Common names: Espada branca, Espada-branca, Peixe espada branco
Occurrence: native
Salinity: marine
Abundance: | Ref:
Importance: commercial | Ref: FAO, 1994
Aquaculture: | Ref:
Regulations: | Ref:
Uses: no uses
Comments:
National Checklist: Portugal
Country Information: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/po.html
National Fisheries Authority:
Occurrences: Occurrences Point map
Main Ref: Nakamura, I. and N.V. Parin, 1993
National Database: Portuguese Freshwater Fishes

Common names from other countries

Sabre argenté, Pez cinto, Лепидоп, ... more

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Teleostei (teleosts) > Scombriformes (Mackerels) > Trichiuridae (Cutlassfishes) > Lepidopodinae
Etymology: Lepidopus: Greek, lepis = scale + Greek, pous = foot (Ref. 45335).

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; benthopelagic; oceanodromous (Ref. 51243); depth range 42 - 620 m (Ref. 56504), usually 100 - 300 m (Ref. 6181). Deep-water; 64°N - 49°S, 29°W - 176°W (Ref. 6181)

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Eastern Atlantic: France and western Mediterranean to Senegal, including Azores, Madeira, the Canary Islands and offshore seamounts; Cape Fria, Namibia to Agulhas Bank, South Africa including northern Walvis Ridge. Southern Indian Ocean: seamounts 30 to 35°S. Southwest Pacific: Australia (New South Wales to southern West Australia) and New Zealand. Southeast Pacific: Peru. A doubtful record from Cape San Lucas, Mexico.

Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m 111.0, range 92 - ? cm
Max length : 210 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 36731); common length : 117 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 6181); max. published weight: 8.0 kg (Ref. 6181); max. reported age: 8 years (Ref. 117131)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal soft rays (total): 98 - 110; Anal spines: 2; Anal soft rays: 59 - 66; Vertebrae: 105 - 114. Second anal-fin spine plate-like. Pyloric caeca 20 - 29. Body uniformly silvery (Ref. 6181). Pelvic fin very small (Ref. 35388).

Occur on continental shelf, along its edge and upper slope down to 400 m (600 m in Australia), usually over sandy and muddy bottoms from 100 to 250 m (over 300 m in Australia). Depth range from 333-620 m in the eastern Ionian Sea (Ref. 56504). Migrate into midwater at night. Form schools; occasionally found inshore in upwelling of deep water when it appears at surface. Feed on crustaceans, small squid and fish (Ref. 6768). Eggs and larvae are pelagic (Ref. 6768).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturities | Reproduction | Spawnings | Egg(s) | Fecundities | Larvae

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator : Parin, Nikolay V. | Collaborators

Nakamura, I. and N.V. Parin, 1993. FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 15. Snake mackerels and cutlassfishes of the world (families Gempylidae and Trichiuridae). An annotated and illustrated catalogue of the snake mackerels, snoeks, escolars, gemfishes, sackfishes, domine, oilfish, cutlassfishes,. scabbardfishes, hairtails, and frostfishes known to date. FAO Fish. Synop. 125(15):136 p. (Ref. 6181)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)

Data deficient (DD) ; Date assessed: 19 May 2013

CITES (Ref. 128078)

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Harmless

Human uses

Fisheries: highly commercial; gamefish: yes

FAO(Fisheries: production, species profile; publication : search) | FIRMS (Stock assessments) | FishSource | Sea Around Us

More information

Trophic ecology
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Ecology
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Check for Aquarium maintenance | Check for Species Fact Sheets | Check for Aquaculture Fact Sheets

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Summary page | Point data | Common names | Photos

Internet sources

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 115969): 9.8 - 16, mean 12.1 (based on 330 cells).

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804): PD₅₀ = 0.5156 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].

Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00041 (0.00032 - 0.00052), b=3.11 (3.04 - 3.18), in cm Total Length, based on LWR estimates for this species (Ref. 93245).

Trophic level (Ref. 69278): 3.8 ±0.3 se; based on diet studies.

Resilience (Ref. 120179): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=0.14-0.38; tmax=5-8).

Prior r = 0.41, 95% CL = 0.27 - 0.61, Based on 4 data-limited stock assessments.

Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153): Moderate to high vulnerability (53 of 100).

Climate Vulnerability (Ref. 125649): Moderate vulnerability (38 of 100).

Price category (Ref. 80766): Medium.

Lepidopus caudatus (Euphrasen, 1788)