Calamus proridens
Littlehead 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 proridens (Littlehead 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
Small procumbent spine preceding dorsal fin; dorsal profile of head evenly convex, forming 57° to 64° angle with horizontal line from tip of snout to midbase of caudal fin; posterior naris long and slitlike; anterior jaw teeth conical, with fourth tooth from symphysis enlarged (in specimens >100 mm SL) and strongly outcurved (in specimens >148 mm SL); teeth on sides of jaws molariform, in three rows in upper and lower jaws; gill rakers on first arch short, numbering 11 to 13 (usually 11); measurements (% SL): head length 29%–32%, snout length 16%–20%, eye diameter 7%–8%, suborbital depth 10%–16%, pectoral fin length 36%–40%, length of longest dorsal fin spine 14%–16%, body depth 46%–51%, caudal peduncle depth 9%–10%; pectoral fin rays 13 to 15 (usually 14); dorsal fin slightly notched, with 12 or 13 spines and 11 or 12 rays; anal fin rays 10 or 11; lateral line scales 52 to 57
Tan to light brown, with dark bluish spot at center of each scale on upper part of body forming narrow line along each scale row; suborbital region patterned with wavy dark blue lines, often brassy between lines
Distribution
Western Atlantic from northeastern Florida to northern Yucatán, including the Gulf of Mexico, Cuba, and Hispaniola
Eastern and southern Gulf of Mexico off the Yucatán Peninsula
Habitat Associations
Between 11 and 60 m depth
Biology
Maximum known size is 460 mm TL
Found primarily on sponge and coral bottoms. Feeds mainly on invertebrates (Ref. 9739).
Reproductive mode: protogyny; nonguarders.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2011-03-31. Resilience: Medium (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: commercial; gamefish.
References
Randall and Caldwell 1966
Robins and Ray 1986
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.
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.
Kells, V. and K. Carpenter (2011) A field guide to coastal fishes from Maine to Texas. The Johnson Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Maryland.
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