Bairdiella chrysoura
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Sciaenidae (Drums and Croakers)
Bairdiella
Bairdiella chrysoura (Silver Perch)
Description
This species account was compiled from
Composite (multiple sources) (McEachran, J.D. and J.D. Fechhelm. Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. University of Texas Press, Austin.)
and processed using AI-assisted text extraction.
It may contain errors in spelling, punctuation, or formatting.
When citing, please reference the original source rather than this page.
Learn more about our species accounts.
Characters
Oblong profile, terminal slightly oblique mouth, truncate to double emarginate caudal fin. Dorsal profile evenly convex. Posterior naris oval shaped. Maxilla extends to about center of pupil. Snout has three rostral and five marginal pores, chin has six mental pores. Jaw teeth small, conical, in a band in upper jaw and single series in lower jaw. Preopercular margin has several spines at angle. Gill rakers on first arch moderately long and slender, 22 to 25. Measurements (% SL): head length 31%–36%, snout length 8%–9%, interorbital distance 6%–7%, eye diameter 7%–9%, upper jaw length 13%–15%, pectoral fin length 18%–22%, body depth 30%–33%. Pectoral fin has 15 to 17 rays. Dorsal fin deeply notched, with 10 or 11 spines in anterior section and 1 spine and 19 to 23 rays in posterior section. Anal fin has 2 spines and 8 to 10 rays. Body covered with ctenoid scales, most of head with cycloid scales. Basal parts of rayed sections of dorsal and anal fins scaled. Gas bladder has yoke-shaped anterior chamber and carrot-shaped posterior chamber but lacks appendages.
Silvery and olivaceous dorsally, with obscure dark stripes along scale rows on side, and bright silvery to yellowish ventrally. Dorsal, pelvic, anal, and caudal fins pale yellow.
Distribution
Western Atlantic from Cape Cod to southern Florida and throughout the Gulf of Mexico.
Habitat Associations
Coastal waters, associated with sandy and muddy bottoms. Utilizes estuaries and occasionally fresh waters as nursery grounds.
Sandy and muddy bottoms, estuaries, and occasionally fresh waters.
Biology
Crustaceans, polychaetes, and occasionally small ray-finned fishes.
Maximum known size is 300 mm TL.
Found in coastal waters over sandy and muddy bottoms. Moves to the nursery and feeding areas in estuaries during summer months and sometimes enters freshwaters. Feeds mainly on crustaceans, worms and occasionally fishes. Mostly used as bait.
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; nonguarders (open water/substratum egg scatterers); parental care: none.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2019-02-27. Resilience: High (tm<1; tmax=4).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: minor commercial.
References
Hoese and Moore 1977
Hoese and Moore 1998
Chao 1978
Chao 2002
Johnson 1978
Robins and Ray 1986
Boschung 1992
Schaldach et al. 1997
Smith 1997
Vega-Cendejas et al. 1997
Castro-Aguirre et al. 1999
Chavance, P., D.F. Hernández, A. Yañez-Arancibia and F.A. Linares (1984) Ecología, biología y dinámica de las poblaciones de Bairdiella chrysoura en la Laguna de Terminos, sur del Golfo de Mexico (Pisces: Sciaenidae). An. Inst. Cienc. Mar Limnol. Univ. Nac. Auton. Mex. 11(1):123-162.
Robins, C.R. and G.C. Ray (1986) A field guide to Atlantic coast fishes of North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, U.S.A. 354 p.
Bowman, R.E., C.E. Stillwell, W.L. Michaels and M.D. Grosslein (2000) Food of northwest Atlantic fishes and two common species of squid. NOAA Tech. Memo. NMFS-NE 155, 138 p.
Yáñes-Arancibia, A., A.L. Lara-Domínguez and J.W. Day Jr. (1993) Interactions between mangrove and seagrass habitats mediated by estuarine nekton assemblages: coupling of primary and secondary production. Hydrobiologia 264:1-12.
Chao, N.L. (2003) Scianidae. Croakers. p. 1583-1653. In K.E. Carpenter (ed.) FAO species identification guide for fishery purposes. The living marine resources of the Western Central Atlantic. Vol. 3: Bony fishes part 2 (Opistognathidae to Molidae), sea turtles and marine mammals.
Patzner, R.A. (2008) Reproductive strategies of fish. pp. 311-350. In Rocha, M.J., A. Arukwe and B.G. Kapoor (eds). Fish reproduction: cytology, biology and ecology. Science Publisher, Inc. Oxford. 631 p.
Comments On Bairdiella chrysoura