Calamus bajonado
Jolthead Porgy
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Sparidae (Porgies)
Calamus
Calamus bajonado (Jolthead 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.
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Characters
Two enlarged canine teeth in upper jaw, a small procumbent spine preceding dorsal fin, and a relatively long pectoral fin. Dorsal profile of head is smoothly convex, with portion below eye forming 43° to 55° angle with horizontal line from tip of snout above upper lip to midbase of caudal fin. Posterior naris is long and slitlike. Anterior jaw teeth are conical, with second and third tooth from symphysis enlarged but not outcurved in specimens greater than 135 mm TL. Teeth on sides of jaws are molariform and in three rows in upper jaw and two rows in lower jaw, with additional irregular row of molariform teeth medial to three rows in upper jaw. Lower anterior section of maxilla possesses bony tubercle with free semicircular margin. Tubercle on prefrontal bone, just behind posterior naris, is poorly developed. Gill rakers on first arch are short and number 11 to 14. Measurements are expressed as percent of SL: head length 31%–34%, snout length 17%–20%, eye diameter 9%–10%, suborbital depth 10%–14%, pectoral fin length 32%–40%, length of longest dorsal fin spine 11%–14%, body depth 40%–48%, caudal peduncle depth 9%–10%. Pectoral fin has 14 to 16 rays, dorsal fin is slightly notched and has 12 spines and 11 or 12 rays, and anal fin has 10 or 11 rays. Lateral line scales number 50 to 57.
Color is silvery to light brown, with edges of scales darker than centers. Naked section of head is brown, and occasionally with dark brown bar from eye to cheek. Juveniles may have dark vertical bars on body and crossbars on caudal fin lobes.
Distribution
Western Atlantic from Rhode Island and Bermuda to Brazil, including the northern and southern Gulf of Mexico, the Bahamas, and the Antilles.
Rare to absent along the Florida gulf coast and in the western Gulf of Mexico off Tamaulipas.
Habitat Associations
Coastal waters to 45 m depth.
Biology
Food consists of sea urchins, mollusks, and crabs.
Maximum known size is 680 mm TL.
Inhabits coastal waters. Found on vegetated sand bottoms and more frequently on coral bottoms. Occasionally found at depths at least 180m (Ref. 09710) and 200 m. (Ref. 26938). Large adults are usually solitary. Feeds mainly on sea urchins, (including Diadema, Ref. 13442), crabs and mollusks. Excellent food fish (Ref. 5521).
Reproductive mode: protogyny; nonguarders.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2011-03-30. Resilience: Medium (tm=3).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: minor commercial; gamefish.
References
Randall and Caldwell 1966
Hoese and Moore 1977, 1998
Robins and Ray 1986
Boschung 1992
Cervigón 1993b
Randall 1996
Schaldach et al. 1997
Smith-Vaniz et al. 1999
Carpenter 2002b
Randall, J.E. (1967) Food habits of reef fishes of the West Indies. Stud. Trop. Oceanogr. Miami 5:665-847.
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.
Randall, J.E. (1996) Caribbean reef fishes. Third Edition - revised and enlarged. T.F.H. Publications, Inc. Ltd., Hong Kong. 3nd ed. 368 p.
García-Cagide, A., R. Claro and B.V. Koshelev (1994) Reproducción. p. 187-262. In R. Claro (ed.) Ecología de los peces marinos de Cuba. Inst. Oceanol. Acad. Cienc. Cuba. and Cen. Invest. Quintana Roo (CIQRO) México.
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.
IGFA (2001) Database of IGFA angling records until 2001. IGFA, Fort Lauderdale, USA.
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