Teleostei (teleosts) >
Carangaria/misc (Various families in series Carangaria) >
Centropomidae (Snooks)
Etymology: Centropomus: Greek, kentron = sting + Greek, poma, -atos = cover, operculum (Ref. 45335).
More on authors: Jordan & Gilbert.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; brackish; pelagic-neritic. Tropical; 30°N - 7°S, 116°W - 76°W
Eastern Pacific: Southern Gulf of California to Colombia, Ecuador and to Peru.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 37.4 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 95327); common length : 25.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 55763); max. published weight: 626.00 g (Ref. 124487)
Body elongate and somewhat compressed; dorsal profile slightly concave above the eyes; lateral line extending to posterior edge of caudal fin; second anal spine, when folded down, reaching or surpassing origin of caudal fin; pectoral and pelvic fins sub-equal; first gill arch with 26 to 31 gill rakers; back blue gray; belly white; lateral line pale; membranes between dorsal spines and between second and third anal spines pale (Ref. 55763).
Body shape (shape guide): fusiform / normal.
Adults are found mainly in estuaries but also enter freshwater to an elevation of 50 m. Diet consists primarily of fish, crustaceans and mollusks (Ref. 36880).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Bussing, W.A., 1995. Centropomidae. Róbalos. p. 987-995. In W. Fischer, F. Krupp, W. Schneider, C. Sommer, K.E. Carpenter and V. Niem (eds.) Guia FAO para Identification de Especies para lo Fines de la Pesca. Pacifico Centro-Oriental. 3 Vols. FAO, Rome. (Ref. 9284)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: commercial; gamefish: yes
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