Shorefishes of the Greater Caribbean online information system

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Species: Stenotomus chrysops, Scup porgy, the Scup

All Families:   All Genera:   All Species:

profile above eye - slightly concave
blue patch above & behind eye
D spines: I v short, none long & filamentous

Stenotomus chrysops (Linnaeus, 1766)

Scup

Body very deep, oval, compressed; head deep, upper profile steep, with a small concavity above eye; rear nostril a slit; preopercle border smooth; mouth small, opens at front; bone under front of eye overlaps rear bone of top jaw;  front jaw teeth are strongly flattened incisors, narrow tips and with narrowing bases, close-set, in bands, 2 rows of molar teeth on sides of jaws; dorsal fin XIII, 12, 1st spine very short & points forward, no spines long and filamentous; anal fin III, 11; pectoral very long, reaches past 3rd anal spine; tail forked; 49-54 lateral line scales; cheeks and opercles scaly, but no scales on snout or between the eye and mouth.

Silvery, olivaceous on back, usually with 5-6 faint dark bars on upper body, plus 12-15 indistinct stripes; faint blue spots on head, body and fins; a blue patch above and behind each eye.

Reaches 46 cm; 1.9 kg.

Lives on hard bottoms.

Depth range: 0-200 m.

Nova Scotia to Florida.


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Salinity
  • Marine
  • Marine Only
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore Only
  • Inshore
Water Column Position
  • Bottom
Habitat
  • Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
  • Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
  • Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
  • Reef and soft bottom
  • Rocks
FishBase Habitat
  • Reef Associated
Feeding Group
  • Carnivore
  • Data
Diet
  • Octopus/squid/cuttlefish
  • Mobile benthic gastropods/bivalves
  • Data
  • Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
  • Mobile benthic worms
Egg Type
  • Pelagic
  • Pelagic larva
  • Data
Global Endemism
  • West Atlantic Endemic
  • All species.
  • Greater Caribbean non-endemic
Regional Endemism
  • Continent only
  • All species..
  • Extends North of GC
  • Continent
  • GC non-endemic
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
  • Temperate (>35N)
IUCN Red List
  • Listed
  • Near threatened
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 46
Depth Range Min
  • 0
Depth Range Max
  • 200