Yellowstripe Barracuda - Sphyraena chrysotaenia - Pair in Sunlit Shallow Water

Two Yellowstripe Barracuda swim through the sunlit shallows at Cirkewwa Reef, Malta, above a rocky seabed covered with marine growth.

The Yellowstripe Barracuda (Sphyraena chrysotaenia) has a slender, elongated body with a pointed snout, prominent lower jaw and widely separated dorsal fins. A distinctive dark longitudinal band runs from the snout through the eye and continues above the pectoral fin toward the caudal peduncle, while the tail is characteristically yellow with darker edging. The species is considerably smaller than many other barracudas, reaching a maximum length of about 32 centimetres. It inhabits coastal and reef-associated waters from approximately 1 to 50 metres depth and often forms schools, while juveniles are frequently encountered in very shallow water. Originally an Indo-Pacific and Red Sea species, the Yellowstripe Barracuda entered the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal and has subsequently spread westward, including to Maltese waters. This photograph shows two individuals swimming beneath shafts of sunlight in the shallow water above Cirkewwa Reef in Malta.