Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; brackish; demersal; depth range 1 - 60 m (Ref. 9626). Tropical; 21°N - 26°S, 90°W - 34°W
Western Atlantic: Antilles and Costa Rica to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Also Honduras (Ref. 26938).
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm 11.1 range ? - ? cm
Max length : 31.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 5217); common length : 20.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 3702); max. published weight: 500.00 g (Ref. 5217)
Dorsal spines (total): 11; Dorsal soft rays (total): 24 - 26; Anal spines: 2; Anal soft rays: 7 - 8. Colour silvery grey, darker above. A dark spot at bases of pectoral fins. Pelvic and anal fins often yellowish. A medium-sized to small fish, short and robust. Mouth very large, strongly oblique, lower jaw projecting. Teeth very small and sharp, set in 1 or 2 rows along edges of jaws. Chin without barbels, but with 4 minute pores. Snout with 5 marginal pores, no rostral pores. Gas bladder with a pair of small, horn-like anterior appendages. Sagitta (large earstone) thick and short (Ref 51721).
Body shape (shape guide): fusiform / normal.
Inhabits coastal waters, usually found over mud and sandy mud bottoms (Ref. 3702). Also in estuaries (Ref. 3702). Important food fish.
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Cervigón, F., 1993. Los peces marinos de Venezuela. Volume 2. Fundación Científica Los Roques, Caracas,Venezuela. 497 p. (Ref. 9626)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: commercial; bait: occasionally
Tools
Special reports
Download XML
Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref.
123201): 24.7 - 28.1, mean 27.5 °C (based on 186 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5156 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00871 (0.00800 - 0.00949), b=3.09 (3.07 - 3.11), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this species (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.5 ±0.6 se; based on diet studies.
Generation time: 2.0 ( na - na) years. Estimated as median ln(3)/K based on 1
growth studies.
Resilience (Ref.
120179): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (K=0.55;).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (25 of 100).
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Nutrients (Ref.
124155): Calcium = 177 [103, 341] mg/100g; Iron = 1.15 [0.62, 2.00] mg/100g; Protein = 19.1 [18.0, 20.1] %; Omega3 = 0.248 [0.133, 0.412] g/100g; Selenium = 49.5 [27.5, 92.7] μg/100g; VitaminA = 20.4 [8.2, 54.9] μg/100g; Zinc = 1.45 [1.06, 2.05] mg/100g (wet weight);
