Whitemouth Croaker

Body slightly elongate moderately compressed. Mouth inferior, nearly horizontal; teeth villiform, forming bands in both jaws, outer row in upper jaw slightly enlarged. Chin with 3 to 5 pairs of small barbels along inner edge of lower jaw; snout with 7 to 8 pores. Preopercular margin serrated, with 3 to 5 spines at angle;

22 to 29 gillrakers short and tough on first gill arch.

Scales ctenoid on body and top of head; cycloid on snout, cheek and opercle; 6 or 7 scales between dorsal fin origin and lateral line in vertical series. Lateral line with 50-54 scales, extending posterior margin of caudal fin.

Dorsal fin with a deep notch, 10 spines and I + 27-30; a short spine anterior to second dorsal fin. Anal fin with 2 spines and 7-9. Pectoral fin with 18-19. Caudal margin slightly convex.

Colour silvery with a golden cast, back greyish, with distinct oblique dark streaks along scale rows extending to much below lateral line; spinal portion of dorsal fin without small dark dots.

Western Atlantic Ocean; most of the Antilles and along the southern Caribbean coast and the Atlantic coast of South America from Costa Rica to Argentina.

Attains 62 cm; common to 45 cm.

Found usually over muddy and sandy bottomsin coastal waters to about 60 m depths, and estuaries where the nursery and feeding grounds are locate.Forms schools.Feeding habits vary with ontogenic development and season; juveniles feed on benthic migratory crustaceans and sessile boring molluscs while adults are benthos-feeders and ocasionally capture fish.Undergoes seasonal migration.

An important foodfish which is usually marketed fresh and salted. The total catch reported for this species to FAO for 1996 was 78 698 t. The countries with the largest catches were Uruguay (25 745 t) and Argentina (23 514 t).Caught with bottom trawls, set nets, beach seines and on line gear.

Body silvery with a golden cast, back greyish, with distinct oblique dark streaks along scale rows extending to much below lateral line; spinous dorsal without small dark dots (Ref. 27363).

Oceanodromous. Migrating within oceans typically between spawning and different feeding areas, as tunas do. Migrations should be cyclical and predictable and cover more than 100 km.

Dorsal spines (total): 11; Dorsal soft rays (total): 26 - 30; Analspines: 2; Analsoft rays: 7 - 9

Found over muddy and sandy bottoms in coastal waters and in estuaries where the nursery and feeding grounds are located. Adults form schools. Feeding habits vary with ontogenic development and season; juveniles feed on benthic migratory crustaceans and sessile boring mollusks while adults are benthos-feeders and occasionally capture fish (Ref. 27). Juveniles 10 cm TL were capable of consuming larger prey items than those in their stomachs, indicating that the maximum size of prey eaten was not constrained by mouth gape (Ref. 55704). Undergoes seasonal migration.

Found over muddy and sandy bottoms in coastal waters and in estuaries where the nursery and feeding grounds are located. Adults form schools. Feeding habits vary with ontogenic development and season; juveniles feed on benthic migratory crustaceans and sessile boring mollusks while adults are benthos-feeders and occasionally capture fish (Ref. 27). Undergoes seasonal migration. An important food fish which is usually marketed fresh and salted.

fisheries: highly commercial; price category: medium; price reliability: reliable: based on ex-vessel price for this species