Butterfish

Diagnosis: body fusiform and compressed; snout pointed; mouth strongly protrusible; nostrils contiguous, positioned nearer to eye than to snout tip; dorsal fin deeply notched; tips of pectoral fins not reaching to anal-fin origin; scales cycloid on head and finely ctenoid on body; scales of interocular space reaching anterior border of eyes; tip of spinous dorsal fin with a black spot, underlined by a whitish band (Ref. 57394).Coloration: back olivaceous, sides silvery; a characteristic black spot at tip of spiny part of dorsal fin; young individuals may show dark vertical bars on back and sides (Ref. 57394).

Amphidromous. Refers to fishes that regularly migrate between freshwater and the sea (in both directions), but not for the purpose of breeding, as in anadromous and catadromous species. Sub-division of diadromous. Migrations should be cyclical and predictable and cover more than 100 km.Characteristic elements in amphidromy are: reproduction in fresh water, passage to sea by newly hatched larvae, a period of feeding and growing at sea usually a few months long, return to fresh water of well-grown juveniles, a further period of feeding and growing in fresh water, followed by reproduction there (Ref. 82692).

Dorsal spines (total): 9; Dorsal soft rays (total): 10; Analspines: 3; Analsoft rays: 7 - 8

Feeds on fish, shrimps, mollusks, zooplankton and detritus (Ref. 28587).

A coastal species entering estuaries, lower courses of coastal rivers, and lagoons (Ref. 4323, 7352, 57394). Found over sand or mud bottoms (Ref. 3722, 57394). Feeds on fish, shrimps, mollusks, zooplankton and detritus (Ref. 28587); including other benthic crustaceans and polychaetes. Forages at daytime in small groups, hovering close to the bottom and either picks off prey on the substrate or digs into it sifting the mouthed sediment through its opercular openings. Its conspicuous black tip on dorsal fin is mimicked by juvenile guianan snooks, Centropomus mexicanus, an example of aggressive mimicry (Ref. 43465). Marketed fresh but not highly esteemed (Ref. 3722).

fisheries: minor commercial; price category: medium; price reliability: very questionable: based on ex-vessel price for species in this family