Shorefishes of the Eastern Pacific online information system

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Species: Menticirrhus elongatus, Pacific king-croaker, Slender kingfish, Slender king-croaker

All Families:   All Genera:   All Species:

elongate, slender
D1: X, 3rd spine passes origin D2
C: S shape
pectoral 17-20
A 7
soft D & A - scaled
breast scales v small

Menticirrhus elongatus (Günther, 1864)

Slender kingfish, Pacific king-croaker, Slender king-croaker

Body elongate, slender, rounded in cross-section, belly flat; head long, low; snout ~ conical, projecting beyond horizontal mouth; teeth villiform, no canines, outer row teeth of upper jaw scarcely enlarged if at all, molar teeth in throat;  slits and pores above mouth; short thick barbel on chin with a pore at its point and several more at its base; gill rakers short, 7-10; preopercle weakly serrated; dorsal rays X + I, 22-24, 3rd  spine reaches past origin of second dorsal; anal rays I, 7, spine weak; pectoral fins 19 (17-20), reaching beyond tips of depressed pelvic fins;  tail margin S-shaped with pointed upper lobe; scales of head and body rough; scales on breast smooth, much smaller than scales on rest of body; inner ¾ of soft dorsal and anal fins with scaly sheath; pored lateral-line scales 49-60.

Silvery, greyish blue on upper back; dorsal and anal fins dusky.

Size: attains a length of 47 cm.

Inhabits coastal waters, frequently off sandy beaches.

Depth: 1-70 m.

Southern Baja California, most of the Gulf of California to Peru.


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Salinity
  • Brackish
  • Marine
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore
  • Inshore Only
Water Column Position
  • Bottom
  • Bottom only
Habitat
  • Soft bottom only
  • Sand & gravel
  • Estuary
  • Beach
  • Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
FishBase Habitat
  • Demersal
Feeding Group
  • Data
  • Carnivore
Diet
  • Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
  • Mobile benthic worms
  • Data
  • Mobile benthic gastropods/bivalves
Egg Type
  • No data
  • Pelagic
  • Pelagic larva
Global Endemism
  • All species
  • East Pacific endemic
  • Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) endemic
Regional Endemism
  • All species
  • Continent only
  • Continent
  • 3 provinces (Cortez + Mexican + Panamic) endemic
  • TEP endemic
  • Continental TEP endemic
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • North Temperate (Californian Province &/or Northern Gulf of California)
  • Northern Tropical (Mexican Province to Nicaragua + Revillagigedos)
  • Northern Subtropical (Cortez Province + Sinaloan Gap)
  • Equatorial (Costa Rica to Ecuador + Galapagos, Clipperton, Cocos, Malpelo)
  • South Temperate (Peruvian Province )
IUCN Red List
  • Listed
  • Least concern
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 47
Depth Range Min
  • 1
Depth Range Max
  • 70