Species: Stellifer vermicularis, Vemiculate croaker, Wormlined croaker
Stellifer vermicularis (Günther, 1867)
Wormlined Croaker, Vemiculate Croaker
Body oblong, deep, back high, more or less compressed; head low and short, cavernous but firm to touch on top, nape profile slightly concave; eye 4.9-5.3 in head length; snout slightly projecting; mouth ~ horizontal; teeth simple in bands, those in outer row of upper jaw slightly enlarged; snout with 10 pores; chin with 5 pores, without barbels; gill rakers short (< ½ length of gill filaments at angle of arch), 22-25; margin of preopercle with 15-17 fine serrae, those at angle not enlarged; dorsal fin continuous but deeply notched, X + I, 26-28, second dorsal spine strong and 2/3 length of third; anal rays II, 8, 2nd spine thick, as long as first ray; pectoral fins 19-20, relatively long, usually reaching slightly past tips of depressed pelvic fins; tail margin S shaped, upper tip pointed; scales on body and all or most of head rough; inner 2/3 of soft dorsal and anal with a scaly sheath; pored lateral-line scales 48-50.
Dusky grey with silvery reflections; prominent oblique blackish stripes following scale rows on body; fins dusky brown to blackish.
Size: to at least 35 cm.
Inhabits coastal waters.
Depth: 1-20 m.
The Gulf of California to northern Peru
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
- Near Bottom
- Bottom + water column
- Habitat
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- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Estuary
- Sand & gravel
- Water column
- Soft bottom only
- FishBase Habitat
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- Demersal
- Feeding Group
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- Carnivore
- Data
- Diet
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- Mobile benthic gastropods/bivalves
- Mobile benthic worms
- No Data
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Egg Type
-
- Pelagic
- No data
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
-
- All species
- Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) endemic
- East Pacific endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- Continent
- Continent only
- All species
- TEP endemic
- 3 provinces (Cortez + Mexican + Panamic) endemic
- Continental TEP endemic
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Northern Subtropical (Cortez Province + Sinaloan Gap)
- Northern Tropical (Mexican Province to Nicaragua + Revillagigedos)
- Equatorial (Costa Rica to Ecuador + Galapagos, Clipperton, Cocos, Malpelo)
- IUCN Red List
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- Listed
- Least concern
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 35
- Depth Range Min
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- 1
- Depth Range Max
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- 20