Species: Bairdiella chrysoura, Silver Perch, Silver Croaker, Silver Perch Croaker

Bairdiella chrysoura (Lacepede, 1803)
Silver Perch, Silver Croaker, Silver Perch Croaker
Body oblong, compressed; head narrow, cavernous but firm to touch; eye large (21-24% of head length); snout with 8 pores, 3 above and 5 on sides; chin with 6 pores, no chin barbell; mouth opens at front, moderately large (reaching to under rear edge of eye), oblique; teeth small, conical, in narrow bands on top jaw, a single row on lower; preopercular margin with a few spines at angle, lowest spine longest, and points down; top corner of gill opening notched; gill rakers long and slender, 22-24; dorsal fin deeply notched between spines and rays X-XI+I, 19-23; anal fin II, 9 (8-10), second spine thin, shorter than first ray; tail fin straight or slightly pointed; scales rough on body, smooth on head; lower half of soft dorsal and soft anal scaled; pored lateral-line scales 45-50; the lateral line extends to the center of the end of the tail fin.
Silvery, greenish or bluish above, bright silvery to yellowish on belly; no stripes; lower fins dusky to yellowish.
Size: reaches 25 cm.
Inhabits inshore sand and mud bottoms, entering estuaries, sometimes into freshwater.
Depth: 5-40 m?
Cape Cod to western Gulf of Mexico.

High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Brackish
- Freshwater
- Marine
- Inshore/Offshore
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- Inshore
- Inshore Only
- Water Column Position
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- Bottom
- Habitat
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- Sand & gravel
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Soft bottom only
- Estuary
- Freshwater
- Mud
- FishBase Habitat
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- Demersal
- Feeding Group
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- Carnivore
- Data
- Planktivore
- Diet
-
- Data
- Zooplankton
- Bony fishes
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Mobile benthic worms
- Egg Type
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- Data
- Pelagic
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
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- All species
- Greater Caribbean non-endemic
- West Atlantic Endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- Continent
- Continent only
- Extends North of GC
- GC non-endemic
- All species
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
- Temperate (>35N)
- IUCN Red List
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- Least concern
- Listed
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 25
- Depth Range Min
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- 5
- Depth Range Max
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- 40