Pogonias cromis
Black Drum
NS
GNR
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Sciaenidae (Drums and Croakers)
Pogonias
Pogonias cromis (Black Drum)
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
Oblong body shape; subterminal and nearly straight mouth; 10 to 13 pairs of chin barbels; dorsal profile of head slightly elevated; posterior naris oval shaped and larger than anterior naris; maxilla extends to about center of pupil; snout has five marginal and five rostral pores; lower jaw has five mental pores and 10 to 13 pairs of barbels along inner margins; jaw teeth villiform and arranged in broad bands; preopercular margin entire; gill rakers on first arch short and stout, numbering 16 to 21; measurements (% SL): head length 31%–34%, snout length 10%–12%, eye diameter 6%–9%, interorbital width 7%–9%, upper jaw length 10%–12%, length of longest dorsal fin spine 19%–24%, pectoral fin length 27%–31%, body depth 33%–36%; pectoral fin has 17 to 19 rays; dorsal fin deeply notched with 10 spines in anterior section and 1 spine and 19 to 22 rays in posterior section; anal fin has 2 spines and 5 to 7 rays; caudal fin truncate to slightly emarginate in adults; body and most of head covered with ctenoid scales; vertebrae number 24 (10 precaudal and 14 caudal); gas bladder single chambered with complex diverticula
Silvery gray to dark gray; juveniles and young adults have four or five broad black bars that are widest on back; bars become obscure in large individuals; fins blackish
Distribution
Coastal waters in the western Atlantic from Nova Scotia to northern Mexico, including the entire Gulf of Mexico
Entire Gulf of Mexico
Habitat Associations
Coastal waters; associated with sand and sandy mud bottoms, especially near large river mouths and estuaries; depth range not specified
Sand and sandy mud bottoms, especially near large river mouths and estuaries; juveniles use estuaries as nursery grounds
Biology
Benthic crustaceans, mollusks, and small ray-finned fishes
Maximum known size is 170 cm TL
Found usually over sand and sandy mud bottoms in coastal waters, especially in areas with large river runoffs. Juveniles often enter estuaries. Feeds mainly on crustaceans, mollusks and fishes.
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; nonguarders (open water/substratum egg scatterers); parental care: none.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2019-07-30. Resilience: Medium (K=0.17; tm=3-5; tmax=43).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: commercial; gamefish; aquarium: public aquariums.
References
Hoese and Moore 1977
Hoese and Moore 1998
Chao 1978
Chao 2002
Johnson 1978
Robins and Ray 1986
Boschung 1992
Schaldach et al. 1997
Vega-Cendejas et al. 1997
Castro-Aguirre et al. 1999
Nieland, D.L. and C.A. Wilson (1993) Reproductive biology and annual variation of reproductive variables of black drum in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Trans. Am. Fish. Soc. 122(3):318-327.
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.
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.
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