Species: Erotelis smaragdus, Emerald sleeper
head depressed, top profile ~striaght, scaled
Erotelis smaragdus (Valenciennes, 1837)
Emerald sleeper
Body elongate, robust; head depressed, wide, scaly; snout short, blunt; mouth oblique; upper jaw ending at middle of eye; teeth in jaws small conical, in bands, outer row slightly larger; tongue rounded; preoperculum with concealed hook at its lower rear corner; gill membranes broadly joined to throat, with 6 rays; 2 separate dorsal fins, VI weak spines + I, 12, base of 2nd dorsal < distance from the end of that base to tail fin; anal fin with I spine; pelvic fins I, 5, long, completely separate; tail fin broadly rounded, with many short but obvious, spiny rays at the top and bottom of its base; scales small, smooth, 90-110 in lateral series; no lateral line.
Blackish brown with a greenish sheen on top and tan color on bottom; dark spot on upper pectoral fin base; dorsal fins with several dark stripes; tail and anall fins dark.
Reaches: 20.0 cm.
Habitat: demersal; brackish; marine Inhabits sandy to marl bottoms in full-salinity coastal waters and mangrove areas.
Depth: 0-5 m.
Florida and Gulf of Mexico to Brazil.
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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- Mud
- Estuary
- Soft bottom only
- Mangrove
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
- Sand & gravel
- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- FishBase Habitat
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- Demersal
- Reef Associated
- Feeding Group
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- Data
- Detritivore
- Diet
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- Data
- Detritus
- Egg Type
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- Data
- Benthic
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
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- All species.
- West Atlantic Endemic
- Greater Caribbean non-endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- Continent + Island (s)
- GC non-endemic
- All species..
- Also in Brazil
- Extends South of GC
- Continent
- Island (s)
- Continental primarily
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
- 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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- 20
- Depth Range Min
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- 0
- Depth Range Max
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- 5
