Species: Leiostomus xanthurus, Spot, Spot Croaker

Leiostomus xanthurus Lacepede, 1802

Spot, Spot Croaker

Body short, humped along back; head low; mouth small, slightly under snout, nearly horizontal, reaches to under middle of eye; teeth simple, in bands on jaws; chin without barbells, with 5 pores; snout with 5 edge pores, 5 more at front; 30-36 short, slender gill rakers; preopercle edge soft, smooth; top corner of gill opening notched; dorsal fin continuous, but with deep notch between spines and rays XI, 29-35; anal fin with short base, II, 12-13, second spine ½ length of first ray; tail fin slightly concave to straight; scales large and rough except smooth below eye and on underside of head; 1-2 rows of scales along base of soft dorsal fin; the lateral line extends to the center of the end of the tail fin.

Silvery grey, darker above; back with 11-15 oblique narrow bars; a prominent spot about size of iris behind upper corner of operculum; dorsal and tail fins dusky, other fins yellowish.

Reaches 36 cm.

Habitat: Sandy and muddy bottoms.

Depth range: 0-50 m.

Cape Cod to the Gulf of Mexico.