Erotelis smaragdus
Emerald Sleeper
NS
GNR
Collection Details
Specimens
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Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Eleotridae (Sleepers)
Erotelis
Erotelis smaragdus (Emerald Sleeper)
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
Superior mouth, skin displaying myomere pattern, robust caudal fin. Head slightly laterally expanded and depressed, lateral profile from snout to origin of first dorsal fin nearly horizontal. Lips thin, upper lip continuous across symphysis. Mouth strongly oblique, upper jaw extends to about level of pupil. Jaw teeth small, in bands, outer row slightly enlarged. Tongue with rounded margin. Preoperculum with ventrally directed spine. Gill opening restricted dorsally, extends ventrally to below operculum. Measurements (% SL): head length 26%–27%, snout length 4%–5%, eye diameter about 3%, interorbital width 3%–4%, upper jaw length 7%–8%, pectoral fin length 17%–20%, caudal fin length 25%–28%, body depth 12%–13%. Pectoral fin broad and fanlike, with 17 rays. First dorsal fin has six spines, second has one spine and 11 rays. Pelvic fins close set, each with one spine and 5 rays. Anal fin has one spine and 9 rays. Caudal fin extends dorsally far anterior of hypural plate, narrowly rounded. Body, top of head, cheeks, and operculum covered with cycloid scales, those on head partially embedded. Scales in horizontal series number 90 to 110. Vertebrae number 25: 10 precaudal and 15 caudal.
Blackish brown with greenish sheen dorsally, tan ventrally. Upper section of pectoral fin base has dark spot, dorsal, anal, and caudal fins light tan. In life, lateral body surface has series of chevron-shaped markings, dorsal, anal, and caudal fins have narrow brown bands.
Distribution
Western Atlantic from southeastern Florida and the Bahamas to Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Antilles.
Rare in the northern Gulf of Mexico
Habitat Associations
Coastal waters, depth range not specified
Sandy marl to silty bottoms, burrows into substratum
Biology
Maximum known size 200 mm SL
Inhabits sandy to marl bottoms in full-salinity coastal waters and mangrove areas.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2010-03-01. Resilience: Medium (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
References
Böhlke and Chaplin 1968
Dawson 1969b
Hoese and Moore 1977
Hoese and Moore 1998
Robins and Ray 1986
Boschung 1992
Smith 1997
Castro-Aguirre et al. 1999
Murdy and Hoese 2002a
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.
Cervigón, F. (1994) Los peces marinos de Venezuela. Volume 3. Fundación Científica Los Roques, Caracas,Venezuela. 295 p.
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