Common Name
Ramose Grunt
Year Described
Poey, 1860
Identification
Dorsal Fin: XIII, 11-13
Anal Fin: III, 6-7
Gill Rakers: 7-9 (lower limb of first arch)
Lateral Line Scales: 53-55
Body oblong and compressed with a convex profile and projecting snout. Eye relatively large. Mouth moderate (maxillary does not reach beyond anterior margin of eye). Soft dorsal and anal fins scaleless. Preopercle serrate. No notch between spiny and soft dorsal fin. Soft dorsal fin short and low. Second anal fin spine strong. The pectoral fins are relatively small.
Color
Body silvery, grading to whitish on the belly and dark gray dorsally. Juveniles with several faint bronze stripes. Lateral line black. Fins bronze to brown.
Size
Maximum size to 35cm TL.
Habitat
Coastal waters, estuaries, mangrove swamps, and the lower reaches of rivers. Found in turbid waters over soft bottoms.
Range
Southern Central America to Brazil
References
Bussing, W.A. 1998. Peces de las aguas continentales de Costa Rica [Freshwater Fishes of Costa Rica]. 2nd Ed. San José Costa Rica: Editorial de la Universidad de Costa Rica. 468 p.
Froese, R. & D. Pauly. Editors. 2013. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org
Other Notes
This species and R. crocro are frequently confused with each other. The limits of their ranges are not known, but specimens from Costa Rica are all identified as R. crocro (Bussing, 1998). R. ramosus may be restricted to South American waters.
Used to be classified in the genus Pomadasys.