Species: Centropomus pectinatus, Tarpon snook


pectoral 13-15, << pelvic
pelvic - dark tip
Centropomus pectinatus Poey, 1860
Tarpon snook
Body oblong, compressed, deep; upper head profile concave, front upturned; mouth large and protractile, lower jaw protruding; teeth small, in bands; margin of preopercle serrated; gill rakers 22-28, 14-17 lower rakers; dorsal rays VIII + I, 9 (rarely 8 or 10), 3rd spine > 4th; anal fin short, III strong spines, 7-8 (usually 7), 2nd anal spine straight or slightly sigmoid, with tip curved forwards, not reaching to tip of 3rd when erect, nor to base of tail fin when depressed; pectoral soft rays 13-15, fin much shorter than pelvic; pelvics insert a little behind pectoral base, with I strong spine and 5 rays; tips of pelvic fins reach to or past anus; scales large, rough, lateral scales (immediately above lateral line) 61-72 (usually 64-67); scales from lateral line to origin of 2nd dorsal fin 9-13 (usually 10-12), 11-14 between lateral line and anal fin origin; lateral line extends to the end of the forked tail fin.
Overall yellow-brown to greenish-brown above, silvery below; dark lateral line; fins dusky; pelvic with a large dark spot or mark near tip.
Size: to 56 cm.
Inhabits bays, estuaries, lagoons, entering freshwater; prefers low salinity to freshwater over marine conditions.
Depth: 0-15 m.
Florida to southern Brazil.

High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Marine
- Brackish
- Freshwater
- Inshore/Offshore
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- Inshore Only
- Inshore
- Water Column Position
-
- Bottom
- Near Bottom
- Mid Water
- Bottom + water column
- Habitat
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- Beach
- Sand & gravel
- Soft bottom only
- Mud
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Water column
- Mangrove
- Estuary
- Freshwater
- FishBase Habitat
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- Demersal
- Feeding Group
-
- Data
- Carnivore
- Diet
-
- Data
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Bony fishes
- Egg Type
-
- Pelagic
- Pelagic larva
- Data
- Global Endemism
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- All species.
- West Atlantic Endemic
- Greater Caribbean non-endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- Island (s)
- Continent + Island (s)
- GC non-endemic
- Continent
- All species..
- Residency
-
- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
- Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
- Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
- IUCN Red List
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- Listed
- Least concern
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 56
- Depth Range Min
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- 0
- Depth Range Max
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- 15