Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) >
Perciformes (Perch-likes) >
Sciaenidae (Drums or croakers)
Etymology: Cynoscion: Greek, kyon = dog + Greek, odous = teeth + Greek, skion, skiaina = barbel, red mullet (Ref. 45335).
Environment / Climate / Range
Ecology
Marine; brackish; demersal; oceanodromous (Ref. 51243); depth range 10 - 26 m (Ref. 54407). Subtropical; 17°C - 27°C (Ref. 54461), preferred 13°C (Ref. 107945); 47°N - 27°N, 82°W - 59°W
Western Atlantic: Nova Scotia, Canada to northern Florida, USA.
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?, range 14 - 22.5 cm
Max length : 98.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 40637); common length : 50.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 3702); max. published weight: 8.9 kg (Ref. 40637)
Dorsal
spines
(total): 11;
Dorsal
soft rays
(total): 25-29;
Anal
spines: 2;
Anal
soft rays: 11 - 13. Body greenish grey above and silvery below, back with small spots forming undulating dotted lines. Pelvic fins and anal fin yellowish other fins pale, sometimes with a yellowish tinge. Inside of opercle dark, visible externally. Mouth large, oblique, lower jaw projecting. Upper jaw with a pair of large canine-like teeth at tip. Chin without barbels or pores. Snout with only 1 marginal pore. Gas bladder with a pair of nearly straight, horn-like appendages. Soft portion of dorsal fin covered with small scales up to 1/2 of fin height (Ref 51721).
Occurs usually in shallow coastal waters over sand and sandy mud bottoms. Juveniles are euryhaline. During summer the fish move to their nursery and feeding grounds in river estuaries. Feeds mainly on crustaceans and fishes. Oviparous, with high fecundity (Ref. 54406). Utilized fresh and frozen; eaten steamed, pan-fried, broiled, microwaved and baked (Ref. 9988).
Robins, C.R. and G.C. Ray, 1986. A field guide to Atlantic coast fishes of North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, U.S.A. 354 p. (Ref. 7251)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 115185)
CITES (Ref. 94142)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: commercial; gamefish: yes; aquarium: public aquariums
Tools
Special reports
Download XML
Internet sources
Estimates of some properties based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82805): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Trophic Level (Ref.
69278): 3.8 ±0.2 se; Based on diet studies.
Resilience (Ref.
69278): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=0.26-0.3; Fec = 45,000).
Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Moderate to high vulnerability (45 of 100) .
