Common names: croaker (English), corvinata (Espanol), ronco (Espanol), cholesca (Espanol)
 
Bairdiella ensifera (Jordan & Gilbert, 1882)


Sword-spine croaker



Body elongate, oblong, compressed; head narrow, cavernous but firm to touch; snout short, blunt; mouth large (reaching to under rear edge of eye), a little oblique, opens at front;  chin without barbells, with 5 pores; teeth conical, in rows; lower gill rakers 16-18, total 24-26, longest raker longer than ½ gill filament behind it; preopercular margin strongly serrated with 8-12 spines, including 2-3 strong spines at angle, the lowermost directed downwards and forward; dorsal fin X, I, 22-24, deeply notched between spines and rays; anal fin II, 8-9, second anal spine extremely strong, reaching tail fin base when depressed; tail fin bluntly pointed; scales rough, except smooth around eyes and on fins; pored lateral-line scales 47-55.

Color silvery with dark spot on axil of pectoral fins; pectoral, pelvic, anal and tail fins yellowish; tip of lower jaw with black lining.

Size: grows to about 35 cm.

Inhabits coastal seas, estuaries, and river mouths; feeds on crustacean larvae, shrimps, and fishes.


Depth: 1-20 m?

Southern Mexico to Peru.