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Species: Diplodus caudimacula, Silver Porgy

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longest D spine 48% head length
tail base: dark blotch just reaches LL
LL 56-65

Diplodus caudimacula (Poey, 1860)

Silver Porgy

Body deep, oval, compressed; head small, deep, snout pointed; mouth small, opens at front, barely reaches to below front edge of eye; bone under front of eye overlaps rear bone of top jaw; jaw teeth in 2 rows, strongly flattened, broad incisors at front, 3 rows of molars at sides; preopercle border smooth; 17-20 gill rakers; dorsal fin low, XII, 13-14, longest spine 47.5% of head length, 1st spine not pointing forwards; anal fin short, III short spines, 12-14 rays; pectoral long, much longer than pelvic; cheeks and opercles scaly, but no scales on snout or between the eye and mouth; 56-65 scales on lateral line.

Silvery, with 8-9 faint dark bars in small fish; a conspicuous black blotch larger than eye on upper half of tail base, extending only a little below lateral line; opercular membrane blackish.

Reaches 30 cm.

Shallow clear coastal waters over rocky and coral bottoms.

Depth range: 0-28 m.

North Carolina to the S Caribbean.

Note: Diplodus argenteus occurs in Brazil.


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Salinity
  • Marine
  • Marine Only
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore
  • Inshore Only
Water Column Position
  • Bottom
Habitat
  • Reef only
  • Rocks
  • Submerged vegetation
  • Corals
  • Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
  • Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
FishBase Habitat
  • Demersal
  • Reef Associated
Feeding Group
  • Data
  • Detritivore
  • Omnivore
Diet
  • Data
  • Benthic macroalgae/seagrasses
  • Benthic microalgae
  • Detritus
  • Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
Egg Type
  • Data
  • Pelagic
  • Pelagic larva
Global Endemism
  • All species
  • Greater Caribbean endemic
  • West Atlantic Endemic
Regional Endemism
  • Continent
  • Continent + Island (s)
  • GC endemic
  • Island (s)
  • All species
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
  • Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
  • Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
IUCN Red List
  • Least concern
  • Listed
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 30
Depth Range Min
  • 0
Depth Range Max
  • 28