Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; brackish; demersal; depth range 1 - 20 m (Ref. 36453). Tropical; 30°N - 44°S, 98°W - 26°W
Western Atlantic: Florida, USA and northern Gulf of Mexico to northern Argentina.
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm 11.1 range ? - ? cm
Max length : 33.1 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 80009); common length : 17.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 5217); max. published weight: 29.50 g (Ref. 118626)
Adults occur mainly in brackish or hyper-saline lagoons (Ref. 5217), on sandy-muddy bottoms of estuaries and in the littoral zone where it hides itself leaving just its eyes out. Can easily disguise itself in the environment. Feed on worms, crustaceans and small fishes. Juveniles have a brief planktonic life, moving quickly to the benthic stage. Growth rate is relatively slow (Ref. 35237).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Robins, C.R. and G.C. Ray, 1986. A field guide to Atlantic coast fishes of North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, U.S.A. 354 p. (Ref. 7251)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: commercial; aquarium: commercial
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