Species: Equetus punctatus, Spotted drum
D, A & C spotted
Equetus punctatus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)
Spotted drum
Body oblong, deep at front, tapering to a thin tail base; head low; snout overhangs horizontal mouth; teeth in villiform band, those in outer row of upper jaw slightly enlarged; chin with 5 pores, no barbels; snout with 10 pores; 15-18 short, stout gill rakers; preoperculum nearly smooth edged; top corner of gill opening notched; dorsal fin with long base, deep notch between spiny and soft parts, XII-XIV + I, 45-47, spiny part very high (longer than head); anal fin with short base, II, (2nd strong), 6; pectoral rays 17-18; tail fin with blunt angular point; lower half of second dorsal fin covered with a thick scale sheath; the lateral line extends to the center of the end of the tail fin.
Body white, with 3 broad, black oblique bars, 1 through eye, 1 from nape to pelvic fin and 1 from the 1st dorsal that angles back to form a stripe that runs to base of tail fin; upper back with 2 black stripes; 2nd dorsal fin and tail fin black with white spots. Small juveniles body white + 3 black bars, last bar through dorsal to tail fin; oval black spot on snout; pectoral fin with black stripe.
Maximum size to 25 cm.
Inhabits coastal reefs.
Depth: 4-105 m.
The Gulf of Mexico to Brazil.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Marine
- Marine Only
- Inshore/Offshore
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- Inshore
- Inshore Only
- Water Column Position
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- Bottom
- Bottom only
- Habitat
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- Corals
- Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- Reef only
- Rocks
- FishBase Habitat
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- Reef Associated
- Feeding Group
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- Carnivore
- Data
- Diet
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- Mobile benthic gastropods/bivalves
- Bony fishes
- Data
- 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
- West Atlantic Endemic
- Greater Caribbean non-endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- GC non-endemic
- All species
- Continent + Island (s)
- Continent
- Island (s)
- Residency
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- 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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- Listed
- Least concern
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 25
- Depth Range Min
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- 4
- Depth Range Max
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- 105
