Longtail Tuna Identification Guide

Key identification features

• Long, slender, torpedo-shaped body compared to other tunas, reaching up to about 4 feet
• Dark metallic blue-black back with a scattering of small dark spots below the pectoral fin area
• Silvery sides with faint, irregular pale spots or streaks
• No scales on the belly outside the corselet, distinguishing it from similarly shaped relatives
• Short pectoral fins that do not reach the second dorsal fin
• Yellow finlets edged in black along the back and belly near the tail

Common look-alikes

• Kawakawa: has distinct wavy dark markings on the upper back and dark spots between the pelvic and pectoral fins, plus a stockier body shape
• Yellowfin Tuna: shows elongated sickle-shaped second dorsal and anal fins in adults, absent in Longtail Tuna
• Skipjack Tuna: displays bold horizontal stripes along the lower flanks, a pattern Longtail Tuna does not have

Where you'll see one

Longtail Tuna are found in warm coastal and continental shelf waters of the Indo-West Pacific, from the Persian Gulf through South and Southeast Asia to northern Australia, typically staying closer to shore than many oceanic tuna species.