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
-
- Marine
- Brackish
- Freshwater
- Inshore/Offshore
-
- Inshore Only
- Inshore
- Water Column Position
-
- Bottom only
- Bottom
- Habitat
-
- Beach
- Sand & gravel
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Soft bottom only
- FishBase Habitat
-
- Demersal
- Feeding Group
-
- Carnivore
- Planktivore
- Data
- Diet
-
- Zooplankton
- Bony fishes
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Mobile benthic worms
- Egg Type
-
- Pelagic
- Pelagic larva
- No data
- Global Endemism
-
- Greater Caribbean non-endemic
- West Atlantic Endemic
- Regional Endemism
-
- Extends North of GC
- GC non-endemic
- Extends South of GC
- Island (s)
- Extends N + S of GC
- Continent
- Also in Brazil
- Continent + Island (s)
- Residency
-
- Resident
- Climate Zone
-
- Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
- Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
- Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
- Temperate (>35N)
- IUCN Red List
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- Not evaluated / Listed
- CITES
-
- Not listed
- Length Max
-
- 33
- Depth Range Min
-
- 0
- Depth Range Max
-
- 55
