Diplodus holbrookii
Spottail Pinfish
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Sparidae (Porgies)
Diplodus
Diplodus holbrookii (Spottail Pinfish)
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.)
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Characters
Oval in profile and compressed; dorsal profile of head nearly straight to posterior margin of eye; posterior naris rounded; maxilla barely extends to anterior margin of eye; anterior six teeth in both jaws incisor-like, broad, and unnotched; teeth in sides of jaws molariform and arranged in three rows; gill rakers on first arch short, numbering 17 to 21; measurements (% SL): head length 31%–32%, snout length 10%–11%, eye diameter 9%–10%, suborbital depth 4%–5%, pectoral fin length 29%–31%, second anal fin spine length 14%–17%, body depth 46%–48%, caudal peduncle depth 11%–12%; pectoral fin with 15 to 17 rays; dorsal fin unnotched with 11 or 12 spines and 12 to 16 rays; anal fin with 12 to 15 rays
Bluish brown dorsally and silvery on side; black spot on caudal peduncle extends nearly to ventral midline or forms complete ring; juveniles have narrow dark bars on body
Distribution
Western Atlantic from Chesapeake Bay to the northwestern Gulf of Mexico
Habitat Associations
Coastal waters to 28 m; benthic and associated with submerged vegetation
Submerged vegetation; rare in brackish water
Biology
Small benthic invertebrates
Maximum known size is 460 mm TL
Spawning takes place in winter
Inhabits shallow coastal waters, including bays and harbors. Occurs in inshore seagrass beds. Prefers flat vegetated bottoms. Rarely found in brackish water. Feeds mainly on small invertebrates.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2011-03-24. Resilience: Medium (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: minor commercial.
References
Caldwell 1955b
Hastings et al. 1976
Hoese and Moore 1977
Hoese and Moore 1998
Hastings 1979
Robins and Ray 1986
Boschung 1992
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.
Carr, W.E.S. and C.A. Adams (1972) Food habits of juvenile marine fishes: evidence of the cleaning habit in the leatherjacket, Oligoplites saurus, and the spottail pinfish, Diplodus holbrooki. Fish. Bull. 70(4):1111-1120.
Pike, L.A. and D.G. Lindquist (1994) Feeding ecology of spottail pinfish (Diplodus holbrooki) from an artificial and natural reef in Onslow Bay, North Carolina. Bull. Mar. Sci. 55(2-3):363-374.
Carpenter, K.E. (2003) Sparidae. Porgies. p. 1554-1577. 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.
Comments On Diplodus holbrookii