Species: Menticirrhus americanus, Southern kingfish
A 7
Menticirrhus americanus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Southern kingfish
Body elongate, rounded in cross-section, belly flat; head long, low; snout ~ conical, projecting beyond horizontal mouth, with slits and pores above mouth; teeth small & simple, no molar-like teeth in throat; outer row teeth of upper jaw distinctly enlarged; a short thick barbel on chin with a pore at its point and 2 pairs more at its base; preopercle smooth to weakly serrated; gill rakers short, knob-like, ~10 but disappear in large fish; top corner of gill opening notched; dorsal rays X + I, 22-26, longest spine seldom reaches past origin of 2nd dorsal; anal fin with short base, I weak spine, 7 (6-8) rays; pectoral rays 20-23, fin reaching beyond tips of depressed pelvic fins; tail margin S-shaped; scales small, rough, not much smaller on breast than on rest of body; soft dorsal with 1 row of scales along its base; the lateral line extends to the center of the end of the tail fin.
Dusky silver, darker on back; belly white; often 8-9 faint oblique bars, bars change direction between the 2nd & 3rd bar, which form a V below 1st dorsal fin; no dark stripe on body; pelvic, pectoral and anal fins dusky; inside gill chamber black.
Size: grows to 60 cm; reaches 5 years.
Inhabits mud and sand bottoms of coastal waters, including bays and off sandy and surf beaches; juveniles in estuaries.
Depth: 1-110 m.
Massachusetts to Argentina.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Brackish
- Marine
- Inshore/Offshore
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- Inshore Only
- Inshore
- Water Column Position
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- Bottom
- Habitat
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- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Soft bottom only
- Estuary
- Sand & gravel
- Mud
- FishBase Habitat
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- Demersal
- Feeding Group
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- Carnivore
- Data
- Diet
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- Mobile benthic worms
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Bony fishes
- Egg Type
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- Pelagic
- Pelagic larva
- Data
- Global Endemism
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- West Atlantic Endemic
- Greater Caribbean non-endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- Extends South of GC
- Continental primarily
- Extends N + S of GC
- Continent + Island (s)
- Also in Brazil
- Continent
- GC non-endemic
- Extends North of GC
- Island (s)
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Temperate (>35N)
- Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
- Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
- Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
- IUCN Red List
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- Not evaluated / Listed
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 60
- Depth Range Min
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- 1
- Depth Range Max
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- 110
