Centropristis philadelphica
Rock Sea Bass
NS
GNR
Collection Details
Specimens
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Serranidae (Sea Basses and Groupers)
Centropristis
Centropristis philadelphica (Rock Sea Bass)
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
Long fleshy filaments on dorsal fin spines and a dark blotch at base of last three dorsal fin spines. Anterior and posterior nares are close set, with posterior margin of anterior naris developed into large flap. Upper jaw extends to center of eye. Eye length is greater than interorbital width. Jaw teeth are in wide bands, with outer and inner teeth slightly to moderately larger than median teeth. Vomerine teeth are arranged in narrow chevron-shaped patch. Teeth on palatine are in narrow band. Tongue lacks teeth. Posterior margin of preoperculum is finely serrated, and angle and ventral margin are coarsely serrated. Gill rakers on first arch are long and slender and number 17 to 22. Measurements are expressed as percent of SL: head length 35%–43%, snout length 7%–11%, orbital length 7%–13%, interorbital width 4%–6%, body depth 25%–33%. Pectoral fin rays number 15 to 20 (usually 18). Dorsal fin has 10 spines and 11 rays. Anal fin has 7 rays. Caudal fin is rounded in juveniles and trilobed or double concave in adults. Scales are ctenoid, scales between dorsal fin origin and lateral line number 11 to 18, and scales between anal fin origin and lateral line number 14 to 21. Lateral line scales number 46 to 49. Vertebrae number 22 to 24 (usually 24). Top of head, suborbital region, maxilla, lower jaw, and snout are naked.
Color is olive gray to brown dorsally, with rusty spots that are most dense on head, and pale to whitish ventrally. Seven obscure brown bars run obliquely forward on upper part of body. Dorsal and caudal fins are covered with reddish brown to golden brown spots.
Distribution
Western Atlantic from Virginia to the southern Gulf of Mexico
Habitat Associations
Between 10 and 172 m, on soft mud and sandy bottoms
Biology
Food consists of mollusks, crustaceans, and ray-finned fishes
Maximum known size is 209 mm SL
This species is a protogynous hermaphrodite; females mature in their first year of life and change to males in the second year. Maximum life span is three or four years
Prefers hard bottom, rocks, jetties and ledges.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2012-08-20. Resilience: Medium (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
References
Longley and Hildebrand 1941
Gunter 1945
Hildebrand 1954
Miller 1959
Bortone 1977a
Hoese and Moore 1977
Hoese and Moore 1998
Robins and Ray 1986
Bullock and Smith 1991
Boschung 1992
Schaldach et al. 1997
Heemstra 2002c
Breder, C.M. and D.E. Rosen (1966) Modes of reproduction in fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey. 941 p.
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.
Kells, V. and K. Carpenter (2011) A field guide to coastal fishes from Maine to Texas. The Johnson Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Maryland.
Link, G.W. (1980) Age, growth, reproduction, feeding, and ecological observations on the three species of Centropristis (Pisces: Serranidae) in North Carolina waters. PhD. Thesis, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, xii+277p.
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