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

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uniform silvery
A 9; 2nd spine thin, < 1st ray

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.


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