Species: Oligoplites palometa, Maracaibo leatherjack
lower gill rakers 11-14
Oligoplites palometa (Cuvier in Cuvier & Valenciennes, 1832)
Maracaibo leatherjack
Elongate, very compressed; upper and lower head profiles similar, slightly convex; snout pointed; upper jaw 58-64% of head length, extends past eye; upper jaw with a band of small teeth, wider at front; lower jaw of adults with 2 rows of conical teeth; lower jaw not expanded, with weakly convex lower profile; gill rakers 23-26, lower rakers 11-14; dorsal rays IV free spines (rarely V)+I, 20-21; anal rays II+I, 19-20; posterior 11-15 dorsal and anal soft rays forming semi-detached finlets; pectoral short (< head length); tail base slender; tail strongly forked; lateral line slightly arched over pectoral fin, but mainly straight; scales needle shaped, partly buried; no scutes on lateral line.
Blue green above, orange below; tail fin yellow-orange, with narrow black rear edge; front lobe of 2nd dorsal black; pectorals yellow; anal white.
Size: grows to 50 cm.
Pelagic, mainly fresh and brackish water but also in muddy marine areas.
Depth: 0-45 m.
Guatemala to Brazil.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Marine
- Brackish
- Inshore/Offshore
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- Inshore Only
- Inshore
- Water Column Position
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- Near Surface
- Mid Water
- Bottom
- Bottom + water column
- Surface
- Habitat
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- Estuary
- Sand & gravel
- Mud
- Water column
- Beach
- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- FishBase Habitat
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- Reef Associated
- Bentho-Pelagic
- Feeding Group
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- Carnivore
- Planktivore
- Data
- Diet
-
- Bony fishes
- Zooplankton
- Data
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Egg Type
-
- Data
- Pelagic
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
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- All species
- Greater Caribbean non-endemic
- West Atlantic Endemic
- Regional Endemism
-
- GC non-endemic
- Continent
- All species
- Extends South of GC
- Continent only
- Also in Brazil
- Residency
-
- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
- Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
- Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
- IUCN Red List
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- Least concern
- Listed
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 50
- Depth Range Min
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- 0
- Depth Range Max
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- 45
