Species: Menticirrhus paitensis, Paita kingfish, Paita king-croaker


Menticirrhus paitensis Hildebrand, 1946
Paita kingfish, Paita king-croaker
Body elongate, very 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; 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, 6-9; preopercle weakly serrated; dorsal rays X-XII + I, 22-25, spines short, longest spine reaching only 1st soft ray; anal rays I, 7, spine weak; pectoral 21-23, reach past end of pelvics; tail S shaped; scales of head and body rough, scales on breast ~ same size as those on upper body; soft dorsal and anal fins without scaly sheath; pored lateral-line scales 76-98.
Pale grey-green, sides and belly paler; fins dusky with outer parts darker; inside pectoral dark.
Size: 40 cm.
Habitat: coastal bays
Depth: 1-20 m?.
The SE Gulf of California to Peru.

High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
-
- Marine
- Marine Only
- Inshore/Offshore
-
- Inshore
- Inshore Only
- Water Column Position
-
- Bottom only
- Bottom
- Habitat
-
- Sand & gravel
- Soft bottom only
- Mud
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Beach
- FishBase Habitat
-
- Demersal
- Feeding Group
-
- Data
- Carnivore
- Diet
-
- Data
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Mobile benthic worms
- Mobile benthic gastropods/bivalves
- Egg Type
-
- Pelagic larva
- Pelagic
- No data
- Global Endemism
-
- Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) endemic
- East Pacific endemic
- All species
- Regional Endemism
-
- Continent
- Mexican + Panamic provinces endemic
- All species
- Continental TEP endemic
- Continent only
- TEP endemic
- Residency
-
- Resident
- Climate Zone
-
- Equatorial (Costa Rica to Ecuador + Galapagos, Clipperton, Cocos, Malpelo)
- Northern Tropical (Mexican Province to Nicaragua + Revillagigedos)
- South Temperate (Peruvian Province )
- IUCN Red List
-
- Least concern
- Listed
- CITES
-
- Not listed
- Length Max
-
- 40
- Depth Range Min
-
- 1
- Depth Range Max
-
- 20