English Name: Barred flaglail
Family: KUHLIIDAE
Local Name: Kattafulhi
Order: Perciformes
Size: Max. 20 cm
Specimen: MRS/0027/86
Distinctive Characters: Dorsal fin with 10 spines and 9-li rays. Anal fin with 3 spines and 9-Il rays. Pectoral fin rays 14. Gill rakers on lower limb 23-26. Lateral line scales 48 to 56. Body depth 2.7-3.1 in standard length. Oval, somewhat compressed body. Cheeks and operculum scaly. Lower edge of preopercle finely serrated. Operculum with two spines. Caudal fin forked.
Colour: Overall silvery. Caudal fin with 5 black bands.
Habitatand Biology: Found schooling near reefs affected by surge. Juveniles sometimes in estuaries. Feeds on planktonic crustaceans and small fish.
Distribution: Indo-Pacific.
Remarks: Kuhlia mugil is not at all shy of humans. It is a nocturnal predator, hut in the daytime it schools in shallow lagoons, often around jetties.