Stenotomus caprinus
Longspine Porgy
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Sparidae (Porgies)
Stenotomus
Stenotomus caprinus (Longspine Porgy)
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
Oval in profile, compressed, and deep bodied, with a pointed snout; a procumbent spine preceding dorsal fin; and the second, third, and fourth dorsal fin spines greatly elongated. Dorsal profile of head is nearly straight to eye, slightly convex over eye, and slightly convex on upper nape. Posterior naris is elongate and slitlike. Maxilla fails to reach anterior margin of eye. Anterior jaw teeth are arranged in two close-set bands, and those of outer band are narrow and have spatulate crowns. Teeth in sides of jaws are molariform and arranged in two rows. Gill rakers on first arch are short and number 15 to 18. Measurements are expressed as percent of SL: head length 30%–34%, snout length 13%–16%, eye diameter 9%–10%, suborbital depth 9%–11%, pectoral fin length 37%–41%, second anal fin spine length 11%–14%, body depth 52%–62%, caudal peduncle depth 10%–12%. Pectoral fin has 15 or 16 rays, dorsal fin is unnotched and has 11 or 12 spines and 11 to 13 rays, and anal fin has 11 or 12 (usually 11) rays. Lateral line scales number 46 to 50.
Silvery and slightly olivaceous on dorsal surface. Juveniles have faint dark bars.
Distribution
Western Atlantic from the east coast of Florida to northern Yucatán, including the entire Gulf of Mexico.
Habitat Associations
Between 5 and 120 m depth
Mud bottoms
Biology
Maximum known size is 300 mm TL
Found mainly on mud bottoms.
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2011-03-30. Resilience: Medium (tmax probably >3; tm=1).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: minor commercial.
References
Caldwell 1955a
Hastings et al. 1976
Hoese and Moore 1977
Hoese and Moore 1998
Robins and Ray 1986
Boschung 1992
Schaldach et al. 1997
Carpenter 2002b
Geoghegan, P. and M.E. Chittenden Jr. (1982) Reproduction, movements and population dynamics of the longspine porgy, Stenotomus caprinus. Fish. Bull. 80:523-540.
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.
Sheridan, P.F. and T.L. Trimm (1983) Summer foods of Texas coastal fishes relative to age and habitat. Fish. Bull. 81(3):643-647.
Comments On Stenotomus caprinus