Shorefishes of the Greater Caribbean online information system

Español  Contact

Species: Prionotus scitulus, Leopard Searobin

All Families:   All Genera:   All Species:

body spotted
D1: 2 dark spots
lower gill rakers 10-13
gill membrane under throat: rays white
pectoral round, to front A rays, 12-14, pale + brown spots
throat scaleless

Prionotus scitulus Jordan & Gilbert, 1882

Leopard Searobin

Snout long, sloping; no cirri over nostrils or eyes; mouth small, opens slightly under snout, lower jaw not projecting; 10-13 (usually 11) gill rakers; preopercular spine not reaching past edge of operculum; dorsal rays X, 12; anal rays 10; pectoral fins rounded, 13-14 joined rays, moderate, reaching to ~4th ray of anal fin, with 3 enlarged, free rays at bottom of fin; body scaled; chest and throat without scales; membrane above opercular spine with scales; nape with scales.

Upper body brown with red-brown spots, pale below; membranes under throat light; dorsal fin with 2 non-ocellated spots (between spines I-II, and IV-V); upper half of tail fin spotted; pectoral fin pale, with many red-brown spots.

Size: reaches 25 cm.

Habitat: Mud-sand bottoms, usually in bays.

Depth: 5-91 m, usually < 46 m.

Virginia to the Gulf of Mexico.


High Resolution Map Download

Species Data Create Report Export as Word File Export as Excel File
Salinity
  • Marine
  • Marine Only
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore
  • Inshore Only
Water Column Position
  • Bottom
Habitat
  • Sand & gravel
  • Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
  • Soft bottom only
  • Mud
  • Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
  • Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
FishBase Habitat
  • Demersal
  • Reef Associated
Feeding Group
  • Carnivore
  • Data
  • Planktivore
Diet
  • Data
  • Zooplankton
  • Bony fishes
  • Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
  • Mobile benthic worms
Egg Type
  • Data
  • Pelagic
  • Pelagic larva
Global Endemism
  • All species
  • Greater Caribbean non-endemic
  • West Atlantic Endemic
Regional Endemism
  • Continent
  • Continent only
  • Extends North of GC
  • GC non-endemic
  • All species
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
  • Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
  • Temperate (>35N)
  • Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
IUCN Red List
  • Least concern
  • Listed
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 25
Depth Range Min
  • 5
Depth Range Max
  • 91