Calamus arctifrons
Grass Porgy
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
There are no photos available for this taxon yet.
Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Sparidae (Porgies)
Calamus
Calamus arctifrons (Grass Porgy)
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
Small procumbent spine preceding dorsal fin, relatively short pectoral fin, distinct dark spot on anterior section of lateral line, dorsal profile of head smoothly convex with portion below eye forming 50° to 57° angle with horizontal line from tip of snout to mid-base of caudal fin, posterior naris long and slitlike, anterior jaw teeth conical and equal in size, teeth on sides of jaws in three rows in upper jaw and two rows in lower jaw, molariform teeth lacking medial to rows in upper jaw, lower anterior section of maxilla with bony tubercle, tubercle on prefrontal bone poorly developed, gill rakers on first arch short and numbering 10 to 12, measurements (% SL): head length 29%–33%, snout length 17%–20%, eye diameter 8%–9%, suborbital depth 13%–15%, pectoral fin length 30%–32%, longest dorsal fin spine 13%–15%, body depth 40%–43%, caudal peduncle depth 10%–11%, pectoral fin with 15 or 16 rays, dorsal fin slightly notched with 11 to 13 spines and 11 to 13 rays, anal fin with 10 (rarely 11) rays, lateral line scales numbering 43 to 49
Light brown with a spot slightly smaller than eye on anterior section of lateral line, five vertical rows of dark blotches on side, and often a dark V-shaped marking near base of caudal fin; juveniles with more distinct blotches and dark bar on head through eye
Distribution
Western Atlantic from southern Florida and the Florida Keys to Louisiana in coastal waters
Habitat Associations
Coastal waters, associated with sea-grass beds
Sea-grass beds
Biology
Maximum known size is 250 mm TL
Occurs in sea grass beds from near shore to at least 22 m. Small individuals have been known to form small aggregations. Feeds primarily on invertebrates. Marketed mostly fresh and frozen (Ref. 9739).
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2011-08-11. Resilience: Medium (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: commercial.
References
Randall and Caldwell 1966
Hoese and Moore 1977
Hoese and Moore 1998
Robins and Ray 1986
Boschung 1992
Smith 1997
Carpenter 2002b
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.
Smith, C.L. (1997) National Audubon Society field guide to tropical marine fishes of the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, Florida, the Bahamas, and Bermuda. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York. 720 p.
Kells, V. and K. Carpenter (2011) A field guide to coastal fishes from Maine to Texas. The Johnson Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Maryland.
Darcy, G.H. (1986) Synopsis on the biological data on the porgies, Calamus arctifrons and C. proridens (Pisces: Sparidae). NOAA Tech. Rept. NMFS 44/FAO Fish. Synop. 148. 19 p.
Comments On Calamus arctifrons