Description
The yellowtail scad has a body profile quite similar to that of the other fish often called 'scad' from the genera Decapterus and Trachurus, having a moderately compressed, oval-shaped body. The dorsal and ventral profiles of the fish are nearly evenly convex, with the two lines intersecting at the pointed snout. There are two separate dorsal fins; the first consisting of eight moderately high spines and the second of a single spine followed by 22 to 25 soft rays. The anal fin consists of two anteriorally detached spines followed by a single spine attached to 18 to 21 soft rays. The terminal soft rays of both the anal and dorsal fins are nearly twice as long as the penultimate rays, forming distinctive finlet-like structures, although are still attached to the main fin structure by interradial membranes. The lateral line is slightly arched anteriorally, with the intersection of the curved and straight section occurring below the sixth to eighth dorsal soft ray. The curved section contains between 39 and 57 scales, while the straight section has no to 10 scales and 36 to 49 scutes. Another of the major distinguishing features of the species is an adipose eyelid which fully encloses the eye except for a small vertical slit over the pupil. This feature is only observable in individuals greater than 10 cm, as juveniles below this length are still developing the eyelid. Both jaws have a single row of small teeth, although two or three rows of small canine teeth are present in older individuals. There are 37 to 44 gill rakers in total and 24 vertebrae. The yellowtail scad is a small species in comparison with many of the other fishes within the Carangidae, reaching a recorded maximum length of only 30 cm, although is more often encountered around 20 cm.
The yellowtail scad is a bright olive green above, transitioning to a more golden green ventrally, before becoming silvery white on the underside of the fish. Nine to 16 faint grey bars run vertically on the sides of the fish, as well as a black spot slightly smaller than the eye on the upper margin of operculum and adjacent shoulder region. The caudal and dorsal fins are a characteristic greenish yellow colour, the pelvic fins are white, while the rest of the fins are hyaline.
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