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Stromateus stellatus Cuvier, 1829
SPOTTED BUTTERFISH
Life   Vertebrata   Fish   Stromateidae   Stromateus



Stromateus stellatus
© Copyright Photographer/SFTEP, 2002 · 0
Stromateus stellatus

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Overview
Main identification features Body ovate, elongate (depth 40% of length), compressed; snout blunt, rounded, longer than eye; mouth small, not reaching to under eye; dorsal and anal fins with long bases, their front lobes only slightly raised; dorsal with VII-VIII weak spines, 40-43 rays, with rearmost rays longest; anal III + 38; pectoral longer than head; pelvic fins under thorax in juvenile, absent in adult; tail deeply forked.

Silvery grey-brown, paler below, upper half of body and tail base with numerous pupil-sized round dark spots; dorsal grey, with black margin (wider anteriorly); tail and pectoral dark grey, anal pale grey.

Size: to 30 cm.

Habitat: pelagic, coastal.

Depth: 0-100 m?.

Ecuador to central Chile.


Attributes

Abundance: Common.

Cites: Not listed.

Climate Zone: Equatorial (Costa Rica to Ecuador + Galapagos, Clipperton, Cocos, Malpelo); South Temperate (Peruvian Province ).

Depth Range Max: 100 m.

Depth Range Min: 0 m.

Diet: pelagic jellyfish/ctenophores; zooplankton; Pelagic crustacea; pelagic fish larvae.

Eastern Pacific Range: Northern limit=-2; Southern limit=-9; Western limit=-82; Eastern limit=-79; Latitudinal range=7; Longitudinal range=3.

Egg Type: Pelagic; Pelagic larva.

Feeding Group: Carnivore; Planktivore.

FishBase Habitat: Bentho-Pelagic.

Global Endemism: TEP non-endemic; East Pacific endemic; All species.

Habitat: Water column; Soft bottom (mud, sand,gravel, beach, estuary & mangrove).

Inshore Offshore: Inshore; Inshore Only.

IUCN Red List: Not evaluated / Listed.

Length Max: 30 cm.

Regional Endemism: Continent only; Continent; Temperate Eastern Pacific, primarily; Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) non-endemic; Peruvian province, primarily; All species.

Residency: Vagrant.

Salinity: Marine; Marine Only.

Water Column Position: Mid Water; Near Bottom; Bottom; Bottom + water column;

Names
Scientific source:
Links to other sites


References
  • Abbott, J.F., 1899., The marine fishes of Peru., Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 51:324-364.
  • Béarez, P., 1996., Lista de los Peces Marinos del Ecuador Continental., Revista de Biologia Tropical, 44:731-741.
  • Cuvier, G., 1829., Le Règne Animal, distribué d'après son organisation, pour servir de base à l'histoire naturelle des animaux et d'introduction à l'anatomie comparée. Edition 2., Règne Animal (ed. 2), 2:1-532.
  • Hildebrand, S.F., 1946., A descriptive catalog of the shore fishes of Peru., Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus., 189:1-530.
  • Horn, M.H., 1973., Systematic Comparison of the Stromateid Fishes Stromateus Brasiliensis Fowler and Stromateus stellatus Cuvier from Coastal South America with a Review of the Genus., Bulletin of British Museum of Natural History, Zoology., :319-339.
  • Jimenez-Prado, P., Béarez, P., 2004., Peces marinos del Ecuador continental / Marine fishes of continental Ecuador., SIMBIOE/NAZCA/IFEA tomo 1 y 2.


Acknowledgements

I thank Ashley MacDonald and John Pickering, University of Georgia, for technical support in building this page.


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