Common Name
Spotted Seatrout
Year Described
Cuvier, 1830
Identification
Dorsal Fin: IX-X; 1, 25-28
Anal Fin: II, 10-11
Pectoral Fin:
Gill Rakers: 9-12 (first arch)
Color
Body gray to silvery, grading to pale on the belly. Spots on body numerous and random (not following scale rows). Dorsal and caudal fins dusky with black spots. Rest of fins dusky to yellowish. Smaller fish with larger black spots.
Size
Maximum size to 70cm TL.
Habitat
Shallow coastal waters (1-18m) and estuaries over soft bottoms.
Range
New York to the Bay of Campeche, Mexico (continental coasts only).
References
Chao, N.L. 2002. Sciaenidae (pp. 1583-1653). In: Carpenter. 2002. The living marine resources of the Western Central Atlantic. Vol. 3: Bony fishes part 2 (Opistognathidae to Molidae). FAO Species Identification Guides for Fisheries Purposes. American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Special Publication No. 5. FAO of the U.N., Rome.