| Family: |
Sciaenidae (Drums or croakers) |
| Max. size: |
100 cm TL (male/unsexed); max.weight: 7,920.0 g; max. reported age: 18 years |
| Environment: |
demersal; brackish; marine; depth range - 10 m, non-migratory |
| Distribution: |
Western Atlantic: New York to southern Florida in USA and the entire Gulf of Mexico. Northeastern Atlantic: recently reported from Guadalquivir River estuary in Spain (Ref. 94474). |
| Diagnosis: |
Dorsal spines (total): 9-11; Dorsal soft rays (total): 25-28; Anal spines: 2-2; Anal soft rays: 10-11. Body silvery, dark grey on back with bluish reflections and numerous round black spots irregularly scattered on upper half, extending to dorsal and caudal fin. Spinous dorsal fin dusky, other fins pale to yellowish. Mouth large, oblique lower jaw projecting. Upper jaw with a pair of large canine-like teeth at tip. Lower jaw with an enlarged inner row of teeth, uniform in size and closely set. Chin without barbels or pores. Snout with 2 marginal pores. Gas bladder with a pair of nearly straight horn-like appendages. Soft portion of dorsal fin unscaled (Ref 51721). |
| Biology: |
Inhabits river estuaries and shallow coastal marine waters over sand bottoms, often associated with seagrass beds. Also occurs in salt marshes and tidal pools of high salinity. Feeds mainly on crustaceans and fishes. An important food and sport fish throughout its range. Utilized fresh for steaming, broiling and baking (Ref. 9988). |
| IUCN Red List Status: |
Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 03 February 2019 Ref. (130435)
|
| Threat to humans: |
harmless |
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