The spotfin croaker (''Roncador stearnsii'') is a species of marine

ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fish or actinopterygians, is a class of bony fish that comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. They are so called because of their lightly built fins made of webbings of sk ...

belonging to the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Sciaenidae Sciaenidae is a family (biology), family of ray-finned fishes belonging to the Order (biology), order Acanthuriformes. They are commonly called drums or croakers in reference to the repetitive throbbing or drumming sounds they make. The family co ...

, the drums and croakers, and is found in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. It is the only species in the

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

''Roncador''.

Description

The body of the spotfin croaker is elongate, but heavy forward. The upper profile of the head is steep and slightly curved, and abruptly rounded at the very blunt snout. The mouth is underneath the head (subterminal). The color is silvery gray on the back white below, and may have a bluish blotch near the head. There are dark wavy lines on the side, and a distinct large black spot at the base of the

pectoral fin Fins are moving appendages protruding from the body of fish that interact with water to generate thrust and help the fish aquatic locomotion, swim. Apart from the tail or caudal fin, fish fins have no direct connection with the vertebral column ...

, the sake of the fish's name. The subterminal mouth, absence of a fleshy

barbel Barbel may refer to: *Barbel (anatomy), a whisker-like organ near the mouth found in some fish (notably catfish, loaches and cyprinids) and turtles *Barbel (fish), a common name for certain species of fish **''Barbus barbus'', a species of cyprini ...

and the large black spot at the base of the pectoral fin distinguish spotfin croakers from all other California croakers. Small "spotties" are sometimes confused with small white croakers, but a count of the

dorsal fin A dorsal fin is a fin on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates. Dorsal fins have evolved independently several times through convergent evolution adapting to marine environments, so the fins are not all homologous. They are found ...

spines will quickly separate them; the spotfin croaker has 11 or fewer (usually ten), while the white croaker has 12 to 15. So-called "golden croakers" are nothing more than large male spotfin croakers in breeding colors. This fish can reach a maximum size of and , with one fish caught in 1951 reported at . Most spotfin croaker caught are small to medium-sized fish. They can live to a maximum age of 24 years.

Range and ecology

This species occurs from

Mazatlán Mazatlán () is a city in the Mexican list of states of Mexico, state of Sinaloa. The city serves as the municipal seat for the surrounding , known as the Mazatlán Municipality. It is located on the Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast across from th ...

, Mexico, to

Point Conception Point Conception (Chumashan languages, Chumash: ''Humqaq'') is a headland along the Gaviota Coast in southwestern Santa Barbara County, California, United States. It is the point where the Santa Barbara Channel meets the Pacific Ocean, and as ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, including the

Gulf of California The Gulf of California (), also known as the Sea of Cortés (''Mar de Cortés'') or Sea of Cortez, or less commonly as the Vermilion Sea (''Mar Vermejo''), is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean that separates the Baja California peninsula from ...

. In California, they are most commonly found south of Los Angeles Harbor. They live along

beach A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from Rock (geology), rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle beach, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological s ...

es and in

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a ''gulf'', ''sea'', ''sound'', or ''bight''. A ''cove'' is a small, ci ...

s over bottoms varying from coarse sand to heavy mud and at depths varying from , and have been recorded at a maximum depth of . They prefer depressions and holes near shore. Spotfin croaker travel considerably, but with no definite pattern. They move extensively from bay to bay. For example, fish tagged in Los Angeles Harbor were later taken as far south as

Oceanside Oceanside may refer to: Places United States *Oceanside, California ** Oceanside Transit Center *Oceanside, New York Oceanside is a Hamlet (New York), hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in the southern part of the town of Hempst ...

; spotfin tagged in Newport Bay moved to Alamitos Bay and ''vice versa''. Spotfin croakers eat a wide variety of food items, such as

bivalves Bivalvia () or bivalves, in previous centuries referred to as the Lamellibranchiata and Pelecypoda, is a class of aquatic molluscs (marine and freshwater) that have laterally compressed soft bodies enclosed by a calcified exoskeleton consis ...

(clams and mussels,)

marine worms Any worm that lives in a marine environment is considered a sea or marine worm. Marine worms are found in several different phyla, including the Platyhelminthes, Nematoda, Annelida (segmented worms), Chaetognatha, Hemichordata, and Phoronida. ...

, and extensively feed on small

crustacean Crustaceans (from Latin meaning: "those with shells" or "crusted ones") are invertebrate animals that constitute one group of arthropods that are traditionally a part of the subphylum Crustacea (), a large, diverse group of mainly aquatic arthrop ...

s. Adults have also been observed eating

brittle stars Brittle stars, serpent stars, or ophiuroids (; ; referring to the serpent-like arms of the brittle star) are echinoderms in the class Ophiuroidea, closely related to starfish. They crawl across the sea floor using their flexible arms for locomot ...

and

sea stars A sea is a large body of salt water. There are particular seas and the sea. The sea commonly refers to the ocean, the interconnected body of seawaters that spans most of Earth. Particular seas are either marginal seas, second-order section ...

. Larval fish eat invertebrate eggs and

zooplankton Zooplankton are the heterotrophic component of the planktonic community (the " zoo-" prefix comes from ), having to consume other organisms to thrive. Plankton are aquatic organisms that are unable to swim effectively against currents. Consequent ...

. They use the large pavement-like pharyngeal (throat) teeth to crush their food.

Reproduction

Male spotfin croakers first mature and

spawn Spawn or spawning may refer to: * Spawning, the eggs and sperm of aquatic animals Arts, entertainment and media * Spawn (character), a fictional character in the comic series of the same name and in the associated franchise ** ''Spawn: Armageddon' ...

when two years old and about long. Most females mature when three years old and long. All are mature by the time they are four years old and have reached a size of . The spawning season runs from June to September and may take place offshore, since no ripe fish have been caught in the surf zone. (Juveniles of appear in the surf in the fall.) Roncador stearnsii La Jolla

Fishing information

Although some are caught throughout the year, late summer is best for spotfin croaker fishing. Near dawn and dusk are often the most productive times to target this fish. Good fishing seems to depend on runs (when the fish are actively searching for food.) When a "croaker hole" is found and a run is on, good fishing can be had by all present whether in a bay, from a

pier A pier is a raised structure that rises above a body of water and usually juts out from its shore, typically supported by piling, piles or column, pillars, and provides above-water access to offshore areas. Frequent pier uses include fishing, b ...

or in the surf.

Commercial fishing Commercial fishing is the activity of catching fish and other seafood for Commerce, commercial Profit (economics), profit, mostly from wild fisheries. It provides a large quantity of food to many countries around the world, but those who practice ...

for the species is prohibited, yet they are very commonly taken in recreational fisheries. Here are excerpts on historical spotfin croaker fishing from an article by Ed Reis "Crazy Croakers" in the August 2010 issue of Pacific Coast Sportfishing: :"Croakers do not get much ink in the fishing news these days, but there was a time when they were a major item in newspaper catch reports (''in Southern California''). A hundred years ago they were incredibly abundant and drew the attention of many pier and surf fishermen,.... :"...Spotfins ... furnished wide-open action when schooled up in "croaker holes" along the beaches or near piers. I enjoyed some fabulous encounters as a youngster fishing at Santa Monica. The wooden sand groin nearest the beach home of actress Marion Davies was a productive spot, as were the coastal inlets and estuaries. :"Mission Bay at San Diego was once famous for its spotfin fishing, but since its transformation by

dredging Dredging is the excavation of material from a water environment. Possible reasons for dredging include improving existing water features; reshaping land and water features to alter drainage, navigability, and commercial use; constructing d ...

and the huge increase in watercraft traffic, there is not much doing with spotfins these days. In the 1950s I had great luck at Imperial Beach, both in the surf and in the backwater sloughs. San Onofre was a destination for weekend campers, dedicated to surf fishing in the legendary croaker holes found there. Newport's bay was also renowned for it croakers. For whatever reason, spotfins are seldom found in San Diego's big bay, and after 11 years of concentrated bay fishing, I have taken only one. :"They favor clams, mussels, and worms for food and grow to over nine pounds in weight. Large males assume a brassy color during spawning and were called "golden croakers" and thought by some old-timers to be a separate species..."

References

*Reis, Ed, "''Crazy Croakers''", Pacific Coast Sportfishing, August 2010 {{Taxonbar, from=Q1301037 Sciaenidae Western North American coastal fauna Fish of the Gulf of California Fish described in 1876