Species: Stellifer melanocheir, Black stardrum


chin with 6 pores
gill rakers 41-43
Stellifer melanocheir Eigenmann, 1918
Black stardrum
Body oblong, compressed; head large, broad, skull cavernous, translucent, spongy to touch, wide between eyes; snout blunt, projecting slightly beyond upper jaw; mouth large, opens almost at front, slight oblique; teeth in villiform bands, those in outer row of upper jaw enlarged; chin with 6 pores, central pair smaller, separated by a bony crest, no barbells; snout with 8 pores; margin of preopercle with 2 strong spines; gill rakers long and slender, 41-46; dorsal rays X + II-III, 22-26, deep notch between spiny and soft parts of dorsal fin; anal fin with short base II, 8-9, 2nd spine strong, as long as 1st ray; pectorals long, pointed, reach past anal origin; pelvic fins with a short filament; tail margin rounded; scales rough on body and nape, smooth on breast, head and fins; soft dorsal and anal fins covered with smooth scales; lateral line pores 45-46.
Yellow brown, sides with grey lines along scale rows; spiny dorsal and all of pectorals except lowest 2 rays black; soft dorsal, tail and anal dark; scales on sides and back with faint dark streaks; roof of mouth pale; inside surface of gill chamber with dark speckling.
Size: 15 cm.
Habitat: shallow coastal, including lagoons.
Depth: 1-30 m?
Colombia and Ecuador.

High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Marine
- Brackish
- Inshore/Offshore
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- Inshore Only
- Inshore
- Water Column Position
-
- Bottom
- Bottom only
- Habitat
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- Sand & gravel
- Estuary
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Mud
- Beach
- Soft bottom only
- FishBase Habitat
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- Bentho-Pelagic
- Feeding Group
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- Carnivore
- No Data
- Planktivore
- Diet
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- Mobile benthic worms
- Pelagic fish larvae
- Pelagic fish eggs
- No Data
- Mobile benthic gastropods/bivalves
- Zooplankton
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Egg Type
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- Pelagic
- No data
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
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- Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) endemic
- East Pacific endemic
- All species
- Regional Endemism
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- Continent only
- TEP endemic
- All species
- Continental TEP endemic
- Panamic province endemic
- Continent
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- 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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- 15
- Depth Range Min
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- 1
- Depth Range Max
-
- 30