Bairdiella ronchus
Ground Croaker
Collection Details
Specimens
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Sciaenidae (Drums and Croakers)
Bairdiella
Bairdiella ronchus (Ground Croaker)
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.
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Characters
Oblong to slightly elongate profile, strongly oblique slightly subterminal mouth, truncate to slightly rounded caudal fin. Dorsal profile nearly straight. Posterior naris oval shaped. Maxilla extends to about center of pupil. Snout with three rostral pores and five marginal pores, chin with five mental pores. Jaw teeth small, conical, in bands with outer row in upper jaw and inner row in lower jaw enlarged. Preopercular margin with several strong spines at angle. Gill rakers on first arch 21-27 (usually 24 or 25), moderately long and slender. Measurements (% SL): head length 29%-32%, snout length 7%-8%, interorbital distance 6%-7%, eye diameter 6%-7%, upper jaw length 12%-13%, pectoral fin length 20%-22%, body depth 28%-30%, caudal peduncle depth 9%-10%. Pectoral fin with 16 or 17 rays. Dorsal fin deeply notched with 10 (rarely 11) spines in anterior section and 1 spine and 21-26 (usually 23-25) rays in posterior section. Anal fin with 2 spines and 7-9 (usually 8) rays. Body and top of head with ctenoid scales, cheeks with cycloid scales. Basal parts of rayed sections of dorsal and anal fins scaled. Gas bladder with yoke-shaped anterior chamber and carrot-shaped posterior chamber, lacking appendages.
Grayish dorsally and silvery ventrally. Streaks on flanks oblique above lateral line and longitudinal below. Dorsal and caudal fins grayish with black margin, anal fin covered with minute dark specks.
Distribution
Western Atlantic from the western and southern Gulf of Mexico to southeastern Brazil, including the Greater and Lesser Antilles.
Habitat Associations
Between 16 and 40 m depth, associated with muddy and sandy bottoms and brackish estuaries.
Muddy and sandy bottoms and brackish estuaries.
Biology
Crustaceans and small ray-finned fishes.
Maximum known size is 350 mm TL.
Found in coastal waters, over muddy and sandy bottoms. Feeds on fishes and crustaceans. Oviparous (Ref. 205). Important food fish.
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; nonguarders (open water/substratum egg scatterers); parental care: none.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2019-02-04. Resilience: High (Fec = 188,964).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: commercial.
References
Darnell 1962
Chao 1978, 2002
Cervigón 1993b
Schaldach et al. 1997
Smith 1997
Castro-Aguirre et al. 1999
Breder, C.M. and D.E. Rosen (1966) Modes of reproduction in fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey. 941 p.
Chao, L.N. (1978) Sciaenidae. In W. Fischer (ed.) FAO species identification sheets for fishery purposes. West Atlantic (Fishing Area 31). Volume 4. FAO, Rome.
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.
Rodriguez, A., K. Mendoza and J. Paramo (2023) Length-weight relationships and relative condition factor of 53 species of Shallow-Water fish in the Colombian Caribbean Sea. J. Appl. Ichthyol. 2023(6632464):1-10.
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