Argentine Croaker

Body oblong, elongated and compressed. Tip of snout blunt; mout small and inferior, nearly horizontal; teeth on both jaws villiform, forming bands. Preopercular margin finely serrated. A stout, rigid barbel at tip of lower jaw, its tip rounded; two pairs of large mental pores on ventral side of head laterally. Tip of snout with 8 pores. Scales ctenoid. Lateral line with 48 scales, extending to posterior margin of caudaal fin. First branchial arch with 20-24 short gillrakers. Swimbladder well developed in adults. Dorsal fin with 11 spines and 21-25 soft rays; a deep notch or almost divided in two; a short spine in front of soft dorsal. Anal fin with 2 spines and 7-8 soft rays. Pectoral fin with 18 rays. Posterior margin of caudal fin slightly concave. Colour upper part of body with many dark longitudinal strips; no well defined dark spot at bases of pectoral fins.

Western Atlantic Ocean; southeast of Brazil to northern Argentina.

Maximum 72 cm; common to 30-35 cm.

Coastal waters over mud bottom from shorelinefrom 10 to about 100 m depth. Especially abundant at depths of about 100 m.

Commercially important middle sized drum. Body length about 35 cm of standard length.

Upper part of body with many dark longitudinal stripes; no well defined dark spots at bases of pectoral fins (Ref. 27363).

Oceanodromous. Migrating within oceans typically between spawning and different feeding areas, as tunas do. Migrations should be cyclical and predictable and cover more than 100 km.

Dorsal spines (total): 11; Dorsal soft rays (total): 21 - 25; Analspines: 2; Analsoft rays: 7 - 8

Especially abundant at about 100 m depth (Ref. 27363). Found over sand and mud bottoms (Ref. 47377). Caught below 165 m depth and at temperatures over 15.2°C in Brazil (Ref. 54164).

Especially abundant at about 100 m depth (Ref. 27363). Found over sand and mud bottoms (Ref. 47377).

fisheries: highly commercial; price category: low; price reliability: reliable: based on ex-vessel price for this species