Cynoscion regalis
Weakfish
NS
GNR
Collection Details
Specimens
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Sciaenidae (Drums and Croakers)
Cynoscion
Cynoscion regalis (Weakfish)
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
Elongate and moderately slender body; 10 to 13 (usually 12) dorsal fin rays; caudal fin truncate to emarginate; large mouth with large canine teeth; scales ctenoid on body and sides, cycloid on head; basal half of rayed section of dorsal fin covered with scales; gas bladder single-chambered with a pair of prominent, straight, hornlike diverticula anteriorly; gill rakers on first arch 14 to 20; measurements (% SL): head length 29%–32%, snout length 7%–8%, eye diameter 6%–7%, interorbital width 5%–6%, upper jaw length 13%–14%, pectoral fin length 13%–15%, body depth 24%–25%; pectoral fin with 18 or 19 rays; dorsal fin with 10 spines in anterior section and 1 spine and 24 to 29 (usually 26 to 28) rays in posterior section; anal fin with 2 spines
Greenish dorsally and silvery ventrally, with a small, irregular black spot on each scale of upper half of body forming oblique streaks; pelvic and anal fins bright yellow, other fins pale
Distribution
Western Atlantic from Nova Scotia to southwestern Florida
Habitat Associations
Shallow coastal waters; associated with sandy and muddy bottoms, including surf areas; estuaries serve as nursery grounds; spawning occurs in inlets and in estuaries with deep water
Sandy and muddy bottoms
Biology
Crustaceans and ray-finned fishes
900 mm TL
Spawning occurs in inlets and in estuaries with deep water
Occurs usually in shallow coastal waters over sand and sandy mud bottoms. Juveniles are euryhaline. During summer the fish move to their nursery and feeding grounds in river estuaries. Feeds mainly on crustaceans and fishes. Oviparous, with high fecundity (Ref. 54406). The species leave estuaries during the fall when water temperatures decrease, but are also known to overwinter in these areas. It has been reported that the fish cease feeding and die when the water temperature reaches 7.9 deg C and 3.3 deg. C, respectively (Ref. 122657). Utilized fresh and frozen; eaten steamed, pan-fried, broiled, microwaved and baked (Ref. 9988).
IUCN Red List Status: Endangered (EN), assessed 2019-08-08. Resilience: Medium (K=0.26-0.3; Fec = 45,000).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: commercial; gamefish; aquarium: public aquariums.
References
Hildebrand and Schroeder 1928
Chao 1978
Chao 2002
Johnson 1978
Robins and Ray 1986
Smith 1997
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.
Merriner, J.V. (1975) Food habits of the weakfish, Cynoscion regalis, in North Carolina waters. Chesapeake Sci., 16:74-76.
Hartman, K.J. and S.B. Brandt (1995) Trophic resource partitioning, diets, and growth of sympatric estuarine predators. Trans. Am. Fish. Soc. 124(4):520-537.
IGFA (2001) Database of IGFA angling records until 2001. IGFA, Fort Lauderdale, USA.
Chao, N.L. (2003) Scianidae. Croakers. p. 1583-1653. In K.E. Carpenter (ed.) FAO species identification guide for fishery purposes. The living marine resources of the Western Central Atlantic. Vol. 3: Bony fishes part 2 (Opistognathidae to Molidae), sea turtles and marine mammals.
Mercer, L.P. (1989) Species profiles: life histories and environmental requirements of coastal fishes and invertebrates (Mid-Atlantic) - weakfish. U.S. Fish Fish Wildl. Serv. Biol. Rep. 82(11.109). U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, TR EL-82-4. 17 p.
Comments On Cynoscion regalis