Occurs usually over mud and sandy mud bottoms in coastal waters and in estuaries where the nursery and feeding grounds are located. Feeds mainly on worms, crustaceans and fishes. An excellent foodfish. Sold fresh and frozen; eaten fried, broiled, microwaved and baked (Ref. 9988).

Western Atlantic.

Western Atlantic: Massachusetts, USA (excluding Florida) and northern Gulf of Mexico to northern Mexico. Possibly from southern Brazil to Argentina. Uncertain in southern Gulf of Mexico, Lesser Antilles and southern Caribbean (Ref. 26938).

American species, found for the first time in Belgian (and even European) waters in the night of 16 to 17 August 1998, a second time in 2001 in the Zeeschelde

Western Atlantic: from 42.35°N to Massachusetts, USA (excluding Florida) and northern Gulf of Mexico to northern Mexico; possibly from southern Brazil to Argentina. Uncertain in southern Gulf of Mexico, Lesser Antilles and southern Caribbean

Belgian Exclusive Economic Zone, Gulf of Maine, Gulf of Mexico, North West Atlantic, Schelde estuary, Wimereux

occurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations

United States

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

Global Range: Atlantic coast from Massachusetts to Florida, and northern Gulf of Mexico to Mexico. Also possibly from southern Brazil to Argentina (Robins and Ray 1986).

Maximum size: 500 mm TL

55.0 cm TL (male/unsexed; (Ref. 40637)); max. published weight: 2,580 g (Ref. 40637); max. reported age: 5 years (Ref. 12193)

Length: 67 cm

Depth: 0 - 100m.
Recorded at 100 meters.

Habitat: demersal.

demersal; brackish; marine; depth range ? - 100 m

benthic

Occurs usually over mud and sandy mud bottoms in coastal waters and in estuaries where the nursery and feeding grounds are located.

Depth range based on 2437 specimens in 1 taxon.
Water temperature and chemistry ranges based on 745 samples.

Environmental ranges
  Depth range (m): 0 - 273
  Temperature range (°C): 6.832 - 25.997
  Nitrate (umol/L): 0.286 - 18.243
  Salinity (PPS): 32.865 - 36.329
  Oxygen (ml/l): 3.453 - 6.359
  Phosphate (umol/l): 0.093 - 1.177
  Silicate (umol/l): 0.756 - 11.723

Graphical representation

Depth range (m): 0 - 273

Temperature range (°C): 6.832 - 25.997

Nitrate (umol/L): 0.286 - 18.243

Salinity (PPS): 32.865 - 36.329

Oxygen (ml/l): 3.453 - 6.359

Phosphate (umol/l): 0.093 - 1.177

Silicate (umol/l): 0.756 - 11.723
 
Note: this information has not been validated. Check this *note*. Your feedback is most welcome.

Habitat Type: Marine

Comments: Coastal waters and estuaries. Demersal species preferring sand or mud bottoms. Know to enter fresh water. Juveniles more restricted to estuaries. Spawns offshore; eggs are pelagic (Manooch 1984).

The Atlantic croaker or hardhead Micropogonias undulatus was previously only found along the east coast of the American continent, where it is one of the most common benthic fish. With its benthic lifestyle it is very unlikely that the species crossed the Atlantic Ocean by itself. Thus,via transport in ballast water of ships could be the origin of an introduction in Europe. Since 1998, the Atlantic croaker is found in low numbers in both Belgium and The Netherlands.

Non-Migrant: No. All populations of this species make significant seasonal migrations.

Locally Migrant: Yes. At least some populations of this species make local extended movements (generally less than 200 km) at particular times of the year (e.g., to breeding or wintering grounds, to hibernation sites).

Locally Migrant: No. No populations of this species make annual migrations of over 200 km.

Moves offshore to spawn (Lee et al. 1980).

Comments: Schools search flats and bars for food on incoming tide; eats mainly benthic crustaceans and polychaetes.

May undergo large yearly fluctuations in population size (Lee et al. 1980).

Spawns over prolonged period from late August off Chesapeake Bay to March off Cape Canaveral; peak spawning months in southeastern U.S. are September-November; sexually mature in 2 years (Manooch 1984).

The following is a representative barcode sequence, the centroid of all available sequences for this species.


There are 9 barcode sequences available from BOLD and GenBank.  Below is a sequence of the barcode region Cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI or COX1) from a member of the species.  See the BOLD taxonomy browser for more complete information about this specimen and other sequences.


Download FASTA File

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 9
Specimens with Barcodes: 23
Species With Barcodes: 1

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: N5 - Secure

Rounded Global Status Rank: G5 - Secure

Not Evaluated

fisheries: commercial; gamefish: yes

Comments: The only other member of this genus in the western Atlantic is M. FURNERI, a Caribbean and South American species (Lee et al. 1980).