Species: Stellifer rastrifer, Rake Stardrum
chin 6 pores
inside operculum & mouth black
Stellifer rastrifer (Jordan, 1889)
Rake Stardrum
Body oblong, robust, more or less compressed; head large, low and broad, skull cavernous, translucent, not spongy to touch, wide between eyes; mouth large, oblique, opens at front; chin with 6 pores, no barbels; snout with 8 pores; preopercle with 2 strong bony spines at angle; gill rakers long and slender, 40-50; top corner of gill opening notched; deep notch between spiny and soft parts of dorsal fin, X-XII + I-II, 21-23; anal fin with short base II, 9, 2nd spine >2/3 of 1st ray; pectorals long, reaching anal fin origin; tail fin long and pointed; pored lateral line scales 50-52; scales rough on body, smooth on head except 1-several rows of rough scales along center of nape; soft dorsal with 2-3 rows of small scales along its base; the lateral line extends to the center of the end of the tail fin.
Golden yellow, paler below; upper 1/3 of 1st dorsal dark; anal fin yellow, with a black edge; pectorals and pelvics yellow; inside gill cover and mouth black.
Reaches 25 cm.
On sand and mud bottoms, also estuaries and lagoons.
Depth range: 1-40 m; usually in < 20 m.
Nicaragua to NE Brazil.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Brackish
- 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
- Mud
- FishBase Habitat
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- Demersal
- Feeding Group
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- Carnivore
- Data
- Diet
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- Data
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- 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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- Also in Brazil
- Continent
- Continent only
- Extends South of GC
- GC non-endemic
- All species
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
- Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
- 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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- 1
- Depth Range Max
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- 40