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Fish profile · Carangidae

Yellowstripe scad

Selaroides leptolepis

FoodSaltwaterBrackishNative to MalaysiaLeast Concern (IUCN)

A small coastal scad with a bright yellow stripe running along the body. It forms large schools over sandy or muddy ground and also enters estuaries.

Last reviewed 13 October 2026 · 5 sources

Photo of Yellowstripe scad
(c) Bernard DUPONT, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY
Max length
22 cm
IUCN
LC
Least Concern
In Malaysia
Native
Family
Carangidae
order Perciformes

Category from the IUCN Red List, via GBIF (CC BY 4.0); it may lag the latest Red List assessment.

How big?

Linear scale · hand 18 cm

Up to 22 cm.

The hand is 18 cm long.

Where in Malaysia

70 open-licence records · GBIF

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  • Recorded (open records)

Recorded in Terengganu, Sabah, Pahang, Johor, Sarawak, Melaka, and Perak. Based on 70 open-licence records on GBIF. Few records can mean few surveys, not few fish.

How to identify

  • Bright yellow stripe from behind the eye to the tail base
  • Black mark high on the gill cover
  • Silver belly and bluish-green back

Habitat

Coastal watersEstuaries

Inshore waters and lower estuaries over sand and mud.

Diet
Small invertebrates and fish.
Native range
Tropical Indo-Pacific.

More photos

Yellowstripe scad, photo 2
(c) Tim Parker, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY
Yellowstripe scad, photo 3
(c) Ashwin Srinivasan, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY

Sources

Last reviewed 13 October 2026

  1. fishesofaustralia.net.au
  2. lkim.gov.myPDF
  3. journals.australian.museumPDF
  4. gbif.org
  5. wikidata.org