Species: Polydactylus virginicus, Barbu threadfin
A 13 (12-14)
Polydactylus virginicus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Barbu threadfin
Elongate, compressed; snout short, conical, translucid, overhangs mouth; eyes large, longer than snout, with fatty cover, at front of head; mouth moderate, below, with bottom lip extending to front, but no top lip; tooth bands of top jaw touching in center; preopercle serrated; gill rakers 26-30 (mean 28); two well separated dorsal fins, VIII + I, 12; anal fin base short, III,13 (11-14); pectoral fin low on side, 14-16 (mean 15) rays on main part, plus lower portion consisting of 7 free filaments; horizontal length of total fin base shorter than upper jaw; pelvics well behind pectoral base, under 1st dorsal; tail strongly forked; scales rough; lateral line pored scales 54-63 (mean 58); 6-8 (mean 7) scales above lateral line, 10-12 (mean 11) below; lateral line extends onto tail fin.
Head and body olive to blue-grey above, whitish or yellowish below; snout translucent; dorsal and tail fins yellowish to dark, with black edges; pelvic and anal fins yellowish, with pale edges; pectoral fin pale, darker towards base.
Size: grows to 33 cm.
Inhabits sand-mud bottoms of bays, estuaries, and river mouths, also occurs along sandy beaches.
Depth: 0-55 m.
N Carolina to Brazil.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Freshwater
- Marine
- Brackish
- Inshore/Offshore
-
- Inshore Only
- Inshore
- Water Column Position
-
- Bottom
- Bottom only
- Habitat
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- Sand & gravel
- Soft bottom only
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- Beach
- FishBase Habitat
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- Reef Associated
- Demersal
- Feeding Group
-
- Data
- Carnivore
- Planktivore
- Diet
-
- Mobile benthic worms
- Zooplankton
- Bony fishes
- Data
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Egg Type
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- Data
- Pelagic
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
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- Greater Caribbean non-endemic
- All species.
- West Atlantic Endemic
- Regional Endemism
-
- Island (s)
- Extends N + S of GC
- Continent
- All species..
- Also in Brazil
- Continent + Island (s)
- Extends North of GC
- GC non-endemic
- Extends South of GC
- Residency
-
- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
- Temperate (>35N)
- 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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- 33
- Depth Range Min
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- 0
- Depth Range Max
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- 55
