Sciaenops ocellatus
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Sciaenidae (Drums and Croakers)
Sciaenops
Sciaenops ocellatus (Red 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
Elongate body with nearly straight ventral profile; dorsal profile of head evenly convex; mouth subterminal and nearly horizontal; posterior naris oval shaped and larger than anterior naris; maxilla extends to about posterior margin of orbit; snout with 5 marginal and 5 rostral pores; chin with 5 mental pores; jaw teeth villiform, in broad bands with outer row of upper jaw slightly enlarged; preopercular margin finely serrated in juveniles, entire in adults; gill rakers on first arch short and slender, 12-14; head length 30%-32% SL, snout length 6%-10% SL, eye diameter 5%-7% SL, interorbital width 6%-7% SL, upper jaw length 12%-13% SL, longest dorsal fin spine 12%-14% SL, pectoral fin length 16%-18% SL, body depth 24%-27% SL; pectoral fin with 17-19 rays; dorsal fin deeply notched, with 10 spines in anterior section and 1 spine and 23-25 rays in posterior section; anal fin with 2 spines and 8 or 9 rays; caudal fin truncate in adults; body and most of head covered with ctenoid scales; vertebrae 25 (10 precaudal, 15 caudal); gas bladder single-chambered with a pair of small tube-shaped appendages
Bronze, darker dorsally than ventrally, with dark centers of scales forming obscure stripes and dark ocellated spot or spots on caudal peduncle; one or more black ocellated blotches on posterior section of body
Distribution
Western Atlantic from Massachusetts to Veracruz, Mexico
Gulf of Mexico, common in shallow water, particularly in areas like the Laguna Madre
Habitat Associations
Shallow water, from surf zone to estuaries, associated with sand and sandy mud bottoms; juveniles use estuaries as nursery grounds
Sand and sandy mud bottoms
Biology
Benthic crustaceans, mollusks, and small ray-finned fishes
Maximum known size is 160 cm TL
Occurs usually over sand and sandy mud bottoms in coastal waters and estuaries. Abundant in surf zone. Feeds mainly on crustaceans, mollusks and fishes. Utilized fresh and frozen; can be pan-fried, broiled and baked (Ref. 9988).
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; nonguarders (open water/substratum egg scatterers); parental care: none.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2020-01-24. Resilience: Medium (K=0.27; tmax=7; Fec~1 million).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: minor commercial; gamefish; aquaculture: commercial; aquarium: public aquariums.
References
Hastings et al. 1976
Hoese and Moore 1977
Hoese and Moore 1998
Chao 1978
Chao 2002
Johnson 1978
Robins and Ray 1986
Boschung 1992
Schaldach et al. 1997
Castro-Aguirre et al. 1999
Chao, L.N. (1978) Sciaenidae. In W. Fischer (ed.) FAO species identification sheets for fishery purposes. West Atlantic (Fishing Area 31). Volume 4. FAO, Rome.
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.
Frimodt, C. (1995) Multilingual illustrated guide to the world's commercial coldwater fish. Fishing News Books, Osney Mead, Oxford, England. 215 p.
Bass, R.J. and J.W. Avault Jr. (1975) Food habits, length-weight relationship, condition factor, and growth of juvenile red drum, Sciaenops ocellata, in Louisiana. Trans. Am. Fish. Soc. 104(1):35-45.
Wilson, C.A. and D.L. Nieland (1994) Reproductive biology of red drum, Sciaenops ocellatus, from the neritic waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico. Fish. Bull. 92:841-850.
Comments On Sciaenops ocellatus