Sphyraena afra (Peters)

Oladipo, Segun Olayinka, Everett, Amaya, Atofarati, Olabisi Tawakalit, Smith, Kennedy K., Nneji, Ifeanyi C., Adelakun, Kehinde Moruf & Nneji, Lotanna Micah, 2025, An updated ichthyofaunal checklist for the Nigerian Lagos Lagoon with notes on nomenclatural changes and the conservation status of species, Zootaxa 5646 (1), pp. 38-62 : 55

Sphyraena afra (Peters) ;

Guinean barracuda

Remarks: Sphyraena afra was a common catch in all our study area during the field study. Beyond NLL, this species is distributed across marine and brackish waters along the west coast of Africa, from Senegal to southern Angola. Sphyraena afra is characterized by its elongated and slightly compressed body. The dorsal-fin origin is positioned distinctly behind the level of the pelvic-fin origins. The tips of the first rays of both the dorsal and anal fins, when appressed, extend to the ends of the last rays, and the tips of the pectoral fins reach beyond the level of the pelvic-fin origins. This species has small scales, with 122–140 scales along the lateral line.