This observation lies outside the range iNat has for this species. This could mean iNat's range is wrong, the ID is wrong, a vagrant occurrence, or a range expansion!
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Description
We found this washed up on the shore, so the commonness is unknown. About a foot long, alone.
Strongylura marina is the only one they consider "common", so I bet that's what this is. It might be easier to ID if you can provide pics of the whole fish.
Thank you very much for your help with this. I just looked in a marine bio book for a picture that looked very similar, but this research helps. I added a new picture, of the full body.
The main reason why I chose my original species is because of the green coloring on the spinal portion, which is supposed to be characteristic of this species.
Well, I think we can rule out Tylosurus acus from the shape of the dorsal fin. I'd be tempted to rule out Ablennes hians due to the lack of any vertical markings on the sides. Personally I'd rule out Belone belone based on range, but I'd prefer some kind of morphological argument. Maybe someone who knows their East Coast fish will chime in.
I agree with what you said about Belone belone being out of range, so it's unlikely. Ablennes hians also has a differently shaped pelvic fin, so that one's probably out too. Strongylura marina is probably correct. And I'm not really a fish expert, so I hope so too.
The data quality assessment is a summary of an observation's accuracy. All
observations start as "casual" grade, and achieve
"research" grade when
the iNat community agrees with the observer's ID, where an "agreeing"
identification is one that matches exactly or is of a child taxon of the
observer's ID. For example, if Scott says it's a mammal and Ken-ichi
says it's Homo sapiens, then Ken-ichi agrees with Scott.
the observation has a date
the observation is georeferenced (i.e. has lat/lon coordinates)
the observation has a photo
Observations will revert to "casual" grade if the above conditions aren't met or
the community agrees the location doesn't looks accurate (e.g. monkeys in the middle of the ocean, hippos in office buildings, etc.)
the community agrees the organism isn't wild/naturalized (e.g. captive or cultivated by humans or intelligent space aliens)
Comments & Identifications
Way cool, though I think this may not be Belone belone, which appears to be European. This NJ DEP checklist lists three needlefish in NJ's waters:
http://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/Strongylura_marina
http://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/Ablennes_hians
http://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/Tylosurus_acus
Strongylura marina is the only one they consider "common", so I bet that's what this is. It might be easier to ID if you can provide pics of the whole fish.
Thank you very much for your help with this. I just looked in a marine bio book for a picture that looked very similar, but this research helps. I added a new picture, of the full body.
The main reason why I chose my original species is because of the green coloring on the spinal portion, which is supposed to be characteristic of this species.
Well, I think we can rule out Tylosurus acus from the shape of the dorsal fin. I'd be tempted to rule out Ablennes hians due to the lack of any vertical markings on the sides. Personally I'd rule out Belone belone based on range, but I'd prefer some kind of morphological argument. Maybe someone who knows their East Coast fish will chime in.
I agree with what you said about Belone belone being out of range, so it's unlikely. Ablennes hians also has a differently shaped pelvic fin, so that one's probably out too. Strongylura marina is probably correct. And I'm not really a fish expert, so I hope so too.
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