Classification / Names
Common names from other countries
Main reference
Size / Weight / Age
Max length : 65.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 57392); common length : 25.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 5217)
Length at first maturity
Lm 12.4, range 10 - ? cm
Environment
Marine; brackish; pelagic-neritic; depth range 0 - 110 m (Ref. 114025)
Climate / Range
Subtropical, preferred 26°C (Ref. 107945); 42°N - 41°S, 98°W - 14°E
Distribution
Western Atlantic: Massachusetts to Florida, USA and Bermuda to Uruguay; throughout Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico (Ref. 9626); Bahamas, Antilles, along Central and South American coasts to Uruguay (Ref. 26938). Eastern Atlantic: Spain to Angola (Ref. 57392). Replaced by Chloroscombrus orqueta in eastern Pacific. These two species have not been adequately studied and may prove to be conspecific.
Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions
Short description
Dorsal
spines
(total): 9;
Dorsal
soft rays
(total): 25-28;
Anal
spines: 3;
Anal
soft rays: 25 - 28. Diagnosis: body compressed and deep (depth comprised from 2.3 to 2.8 times in fork length) (Ref. 57392), its ventral profile distinctly more convex than the dorsal (Ref. 26938, 57392). Snout very short, its tip blunt, upper jaw extending almost to behind level of anterior eye margin; 2 dorsal fins, the first with 8 spines, the second with 1 spine and 25-28 soft rays; anal fin with 2 detached spines, followed by 1 spine and 25-28 soft rays; upper lobe of caudal fin longer than the lower; small, cycloid scales covering most of body, including chest; 5-15 weak scutes on posterior part of lateral line, at level of caudal peduncle, the latter without bilateral keels (Ref. 57392). Metallic blue above, silvery below; caudal peduncle with black saddle spot (Ref. 3197).
Coloration: back greenish or bluish, sides silvery-white; a dark, saddle-shaped blotch on caudal peduncle just before caudal fin, and another at upper angle of gill cover (Ref. 57392).
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 115185)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: commercial
Tools
Special reports
Download XML
Internet sources
Estimates of some properties based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index
PD50 = 0.7500 many relatives (e.g. carps) 0.5 - 2.0 few relatives (e.g. lungfishes)
Trophic Level
3.5 ±0.2 se; Based on diet studies.
Resilience
Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=0.22-0.56)
Vulnerability
Low to moderate vulnerability (28 of 100)
Price category