Diapterus rhombeus
Rhombic Mojarra
Collection Details
Specimens
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Gerreidae (Mojarras)
Diapterus
Diapterus rhombeus (Rhombic Mojarra)
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
Rather deep bodied, with strongly serrated preoperculum, and deeply notched dorsal fin. Snout is acute and beaklike. Maxilla extends to about middle of pupil. Lachrymal bone lacks serrations. Gill rakers on first arch are very short and number 16 to 18 on lower limb. Measurements are expressed as percent of SL: head length 33%–37%, snout length 8%–10%, eye diameter 8%–12%, last dorsal fin spine length 12%–14%, pelvic fin length 26%–29%, second anal fin spine length 25%–29%, body depth 47%–54%, caudal peduncle depth 12%–13%. Pectoral fin has 16 rays. Dorsal fin has nine spines and 10 rays, with second spine as long as head. Anal fin has two spines and 9 rays, with second spine very stout. Body is covered with large cycloid scales, and head is covered with scales anteriorly to center of eye. Pored lateral line scales number 34 to 38 (usually 36 or 37).
Color is silvery and slightly darker dorsally than ventrally. Spinous section of dorsal fin has black edge, pelvic and anal fins are yellowish, and other fins are transparent.
Distribution
Coastal waters in the western Atlantic from southeastern Florida, the southern Gulf of Mexico
In the Gulf of Mexico it has been recorded from as far north as Laguna Madre de Tamaulipas
Habitat Associations
Coastal areas, associated with mangrove-lined lagoons and sandy- and muddy-bottomed regions. Depth range not specified.
Mangrove-lined lagoons and sandy- and muddy-bottomed regions
Biology
Food consists of benthic invertebrates
Maximum known size is 400 mm TL
Common in mangrove-lined lagoons; also found over shallow mud and sand grounds in marine areas. Juveniles common in hypersaline lagoons and in brackish water (Ref. 5217). Probably feeds on small benthic invertebrates. Marketed fresh but not highly esteemed. Minimum depth from Ref. 26912.
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; nonguarders (open water/substratum egg scatterers); parental care: none.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2010-03-01. Resilience: Medium (K=0.6-2.1;).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: minor commercial.
References
Deckert and Greenfield 1987
Cervigón 1993b
Schaldach et al. 1997
Vega-Cendejas et al. 1997
Castro-Aguirre et al. 1999
Gilmore and Greenfield 2002
Randall, J.E. and R. Vergara R. (1978) Gerreidae. In W. Fischer (ed.) FAO species identification sheets for fishery purposes. Western Central Atlantic (Fishing Area 31). Vol. 2. pag.var.
Cervigón, F., R. Cipriani, W. Fischer, L. Garibaldi, M. Hendrickx, A.J. Lemus, R. Márquez, J.M. Poutiers, G. Robaina and B. Rodriguez (1992) Fichas FAO de identificación de especies para los fines de la pesca. Guía de campo de las especies comerciales marinas y de aquas salobres de la costa septentrional de Sur América. FAO, Rome. 513 p. Preparado con el financiamento de la Comisión de Comunidades Europeas y de NORAD.
Cervigón, F. (1993) Los peces marinos de Venezuela. Volume 2. Fundación Científica Los Roques, Caracas,Venezuela. 497 p.
Austin, H. and S. Austin (1971) The feeding habits of some juvenile marine fishes from the mangroves in western Puerto Rico. Caribb. J. Sci. 11(3-4):171-178.
Yáñes-Arancibia, A., A.L. Lara-Domínguez and J.W. Day Jr. (1993) Interactions between mangrove and seagrass habitats mediated by estuarine nekton assemblages: coupling of primary and secondary production. Hydrobiologia 264:1-12.
Gómez-Canchong, P., L. Manjarrés M., L.O. Duarte and J. Altamar (2004) Atlas pesquero del area norte del Mar Caribe de Colombia. Universidad del Magadalena, Santa Marta. 230 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.
Viana, A.P., F. Lucena-Frédou, F. Ménard, T. Frédou, V. Ferreira, A.S. Lira and F. Le Loc'h (2016) Length-weight relations of 70 fish species (Actinopterygii) from tropical coastal region of Pernambuco, Northeast Brazil. Acta Ichthyol. Et Pisc. 46(3):271-277.
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