Chaetodipterus faber
Atlantic Spadefish
NS
G5
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Ephippidae (Spadefishes)
Chaetodipterus
Chaetodipterus faber (Atlantic Spadefish)
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
Dorsal fin deeply notched, nearly separate; anterior part of rayed section of dorsal fin and anal fin elongated and filamentous; dorsal profile of head moderately convex; snout very blunt; posterior naris slitlike; jaw teeth in bands, outermost band largest, slightly compressed, and sharply pointed; preopercular margin finely serrate; operculum with broad-based blunt spine on posterior margin; gill rakers on first arch 7 or 8 on upper limb and 9 or 10 on lower limb; measurements (% SL): head length 33%–37%, snout length 13%–14%, eye diameter 9%–10%, upper jaw length 9%–11%, pectoral fin length 19%–22%, body depth 77%–82%; pectoral fin with 17 to 19 rays; dorsal fin with eight or nine spines and 21 to 24 rays; anal fin with three spines and 18 or 19 rays; caudal fin truncate in juveniles and emarginate in adults; body and most of head covered with ctenoid scales; rayed section of dorsal fin and other fins densely covered with small scales
Color silvery to tan, with three or four broad dark gray to brown bands on body; juveniles dark brown to blackish, with mottling of white spots; adults may lack dark bands
Distribution
Western Atlantic from Massachusetts to south-eastern Brazil, including the entire Gulf of Mexico, the Bahamas, and the Antilles
Habitat Associations
Coastal waters, associated with rock or reef habitats; small juveniles in shallow water
Rock or reef habitats
Biology
Food consists of unspecified items (text cut off)
Abundant in shallow coastal waters, from mangroves and sandy beaches to wrecks and harbors. Juveniles (black phase) are common in estuaries and often found in very shallow water swimming at an angle resembling dead leaves or as infertile red mangrove pods and other debris. Adults often occur in very large schools of up to 500 individuals (Ref. 9710). Feed on benthic invertebrates like crustaceans, mollusks, annelids, cnidarians as well as on plankton (Ref. 35237). Good food fish (Ref. 5521); marketed fresh (Ref. 5217). Often circles divers (Ref. 9710). Minimum depth from Ref. 9710. In southeastern Brazil found between 23 and 45 m (Ref. 47377). Has been reared in captivity (Ref. 35425).
Max length: 91.0 cm TL; common length: 50.4 cm TL; max weight: 9000 g.
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; nonguarders (open water/substratum egg scatterers); parental care: none.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2013-01-29. Resilience: Low (tmax=11; tm=1; K=0.17-0.34).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: minor commercial; gamefish; aquaculture: commercial; aquarium: public aquariums.
References
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.
Uyeno, T., K. Matsuura and E. Fujii (eds.) (1983) Fishes trawled off Suriname and French Guiana. Japan Marine Fishery Resource Research Center, Tokyo, Japan. 519 p.
Hayse, J.W. (1990) Feeding habits, age, growth, and reproduction of Atlantic spadefish Chaetodipterus faber (Pisces: Ephippidae) in South Carolina. Fish. Bull. 88(1):67-83.
Gines, H. and F. Cervigón (1967) Exploracion pesquera en las costas de Guyana y Surinam año 1967. Estacíon de Investigaciones Marinas de Margarita. Fundacíon La Salle de Ciencias Naturales, no. 29.
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.
Bowman, R.E., C.E. Stillwell, W.L. Michaels and M.D. Grosslein (2000) Food of northwest Atlantic fishes and two common species of squid. NOAA Tech. Memo. NMFS-NE 155, 138 p.
Patzner, R.A. (2008) Reproductive strategies of fish. pp. 311-350. In Rocha, M.J., A. Arukwe and B.G. Kapoor (eds). Fish reproduction: cytology, biology and ecology. Science Publisher, Inc. Oxford. 631 p.
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