Eucinostomus melanopterus
Flagfin Mojarra
Collection Details
Specimens
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Gerreidae (Mojarras)
Eucinostomus
Eucinostomus melanopterus (Flagfin 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
Moderately deep body; premaxillary groove unconstricted by scales; spinous section of dorsal fin dusky at base, white or clear above, and black tipped; dorsal profile of head slightly convex to nearly straight but slightly concave just anterior to eye; maxilla extends to near anterior margin of orbit; margins of lachrymal and preopercular bones entire; opercular margin with a distinct notch above fleshy flap; gill rakers on first arch short and number nine on lower limb; measurements (% SL): head length 30%–34%, upper jaw length 10%–11%, eye diameter 8%–10%, last dorsal fin spine length 7%–8%, depressed anal fin length 24%–26%, second anal fin spine length 10%–13%, body depth 34%–35%, caudal peduncle depth 10%–11%; pectoral fin with 14 to 16 rays; dorsal fin deeply notched with nine spines and 10 rays; anal fin with three spines and 7 rays; third spine segmented but not branched in small specimens; lateral line scales number 44 to 47
Color straw yellow to silver in preservative and silver in life; dorsal surface slightly greenish to brownish
Distribution
Coastal waters from Florida and Bermuda to Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Greater and Lesser Antilles
Western and southern Gulf of Mexico
Habitat Associations
Tropical to warm temperate Atlantic; associated with lagoons and bays and occasionally with freshwater
Biology
Maximum known size is 180 mm TL
A coastal species entering estuaries, lower courses of coastal rivers, and lagoons (Ref. 4323, 7352, 57394). Found over sand or mud bottoms (Ref. 3722, 57394). Feeds on fish, shrimps, mollusks, zooplankton and detritus (Ref. 28587); including other benthic crustaceans and polychaetes. Forages at daytime in small groups, hovering close to the bottom and either picks off prey on the substrate or digs into it sifting the mouthed sediment through its opercular openings. Its conspicuous black tip on dorsal fin is mimicked by juvenile guianan snooks, Centropomus mexicanus, an example of aggressive mimicry (Ref. 43465). Marketed fresh but not highly esteemed (Ref. 3722).
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: High (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: minor commercial.
References
Matheson 1981
Robins and Ray 1986
Cervigón 1993b
Schaldach et al. 1997
Vega-Cendejas et al. 1997
Castro-Aguirre et al. 1999
Gilmore and Greenfield 2002
Schneider, W. (1990) FAO species identification sheets for fishery purposes. Field guide to the commercial marine resources of the Gulf of Guinea. Prepared and published with the support of the FAO Regional Office for Africa. Rome: FAO. 268 p.
Roux, C. (1990) Gerridae. p. 781-782. In J.C. Quero, J.C. Hureau, C. Karrer, A. Post and L. Saldanha (eds.) Check-list of the fishes of the eastern tropical Atlantic (CLOFETA). JNICT, Lisbon; SEI, Paris; and UNESCO, Paris. Vol. 2.
Bauchot, M.-L. (2003) Gerreidae. p. 491-494 In C. Lévêque, D. Paugy and G.G. Teugels (eds.) Faune des poissons d'eaux douce et saumâtres de l'Afrique de l'Ouest, Tome 2. Coll. Faune et Flore tropicales 40. Musée Royal de l'Afrique Centrale, Tervuren, Belgique, Museum National d'Histoire Naturalle, Paris, France and Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Paris, France. 815 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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