Blackfin Barracuda, Sphyraena qenie
Blackfin Barracuda, Sphyraena qenie. Fish caught from coastal waters off Punta Ardita, Columbia, December 2024. Length: 99 cm (3 feet 3 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Doug Bomeisler, Fort Pierce, Florida.
The Blackfin Barracuda, Sphyraena qenie, is a member of the Barracuda or Sphyraenidae Family, that is also known as the Chevron Barracuda and in Mexico as barracuda aleta negra. Globally, there are twenty-six species in the genus Sphyraena, of which eight are found in Mexican waters, three in the Atlantic and five in the Pacific Ocean.
The Blackfin Barracuda has an overall barracuda-like appearance, with an elongated slender body that is cylindrical at the front. They are an overall silvery color with 18 to 22 prominent long lateral bands that extend around the body with each bar being oblique in the upper half and nearly vertical in the lower. Their caudal fin is black. They have a long head with a distinctive conical snout that is pointed with a large protractile distinctly protruding lower jaw, that is equipped with many long, sharp, uniformly sized teeth, that extends to under the eyes. Their anal fin has 2 spines and 7 to 9 rays and is located in the middle of the second dorsal fin; their caudal fin is forked and with central lobes; their first dorsal fin has 6 spines and is found well forward in the body; their second dorsal fin has 9 rays and is widely separated from the first and is very similar to the anal fin; their pectoral fins have 13 rays and are small; and, their small pelvic fins have 1 spine and 5 rays and are inserted before the first dorsal fin origin. The last anal fin and second dorsal fin have extended anterior rays. Their gill covers lack the skinny flap found in most barracuda. Uniquely, they do not have gill rakers. They are covered with small scales and have a well-developed lateral line.
The Blackfin Barracuda is found within coral reefs in large schools at depths up to 100 m (328 feet). They are known to make deep water runs for feeding in the later afternoon. They reach a maximum of 1.70 m (6 feet 5 inches) in length and 7.1 kg (15 lbs 10 oz) in weight. They are aggressive predators that prey upon small fish, shrimps, and squid. They are known to form large aggregates during spawning season and reproduction involves external fertilization and the release of pelagic eggs. They are generally non-migratory. The Blackfin Barracuda is poorly studied with very limited information available about their lifestyle and behavioral patterns including specific details on age, growth, longevity, movement patterns, diet, habitat use, and reproduction.
The Blackfin Barracuda is uncommon in Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean with isolated populations documented along the south east coast of Baja California Sur from Cabo San Lucas to La Paz and along the coast of the mainland in the coastal waters of Jalisco.
The Blackfin Barracuda can be confused with the Cortez Barracuda, Sphyraena lucasana (faint bars, pelvic fins under dorsal fin), the Mexican Barracuda, Sphyraena ensis (gray caudal fin, fewer less prominent bars), the Pacific Barracuda, Sphyraena argentea (pelvic fins under dorsal fin; short mouth), and the Pelican Barracuda, Sphyraena idiastes (faint bars, pelvic fins under dorsal fin).
From a conservation perspective the Blackfin Barracuda has not been formally evaluated. They are a minor commercial species and caught with trammel nets and bottom trawls and via hook and line. They are utilized as a cut bait by longliners targeting tuna. They are also pursued by recreational anglers on a limited basis as a game fish. They are known to harbor Ciguatera Toxin. They are utilized to assess mercury levels within coral reef systems and remote ecosystems.