Cassava croaker

📖 Overview

Found in coastal waters over muddy, sandy or rocky bottoms. Smaller individuals found in shallow waters, but rarely entering estuaries. Feed on fish (fry of the long-finned herring in Ref. 114789), shrimps and crabs . Spawn from November to March in waters of 22 to 25°C in the Gulf of Guinea. Most economically important demersal fish in West African waters.

🔬 Taxonomy

🐟 Physical Description

Dorsal spines (total): 11; Dorsal soft rays (total): 28 - 33; Anal spines: 2; Anal soft rays: 7. Diagnosis: large fish, elongate and compressed . Eyes small , 5.7-6.4 times in HL, but this character is difficult to use for identification because of allometry . Snout short; mouth large and oblique; lower jaw prominent; both jaws with bands of villiform teeth (upper jaw with teeth in outer row larger and sharper, including a pair of large median canines, lower jaw with teeth in inner row larger and sharper); 6 pores on chin and 5 marginal pores on snout . 9-12/1/4-6 (total 12-18) gill rakers on 1st gill arch; gill rakers short, about as long as gill filament at angle between lower and upper part of gill arch . Dorsal fin long and deeply notched , with 10 spines in the first part and 1 spine and 28-33 soft fin rays in second part . Second anal fin spine rather short and slender, attaining about 2/3 of the length of 1st soft ray and comprised over 3 times in head length; caudal fin pointed; scales weakly ctenoid on body, cycloid on snout and suborbital region; lateral line extending to end of caudal fin; swim bladder carrot-shaped, its front end with a pair of appendices subdividing into an anterior group of short branches and 2 posterior groups of long, slender tubules, one of them ventral, the other dorso-lateral and longer, bordering the bladder throughout its length . Coloration: silvery grey, with series of small dark spots following scale rows, oblique on anterior part of back and sides, horizontal posteriorly; black spot at tip of spinous part of dorsal fin; pelvics and anal fin more or less dark yellowish; caudal fin dark; inside of gill cover black .: fusiform / normal; Cross section: compressed.

🌀 Behaviour

Behavioural data for Cassava croaker is currently being reviewed.

🦐 Diet

Diet information for Cassava croaker is currently being compiled.

🥚 Reproduction

🌍 Habitat & Distribution

Marine; demersal; depth range 0 - 70 m . Tropical; 27°N - 22°S west coast of Africa, from Morocco to Angola, but rare north of Senegal (Ref.

🌿 Ecology

📐 Morphometrics

🌡️ Water Parameters & Tolerance

🛡️ Conservation Assessment

📊 Population Risk & Fisheries

🌐 Names & Taxonomy

Scientific Synonyms

🐠 Related Species

🔍 Similar Species

🗺️ Global Occurrence Map

Occurrence records from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) - 679 records indexed .

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