Stellifer stellifer
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| Stellifer stellifer | ||||||||||||
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The umber fish species Stellifer stellifer (little star umber) is named after the highlights that show its small scales "glittering" ( stellifer , Latin: "star bearer, starry"). This phenomenon is clearly evident (outside the water) in many Sciaenids through the stronger arching of the scales (see Fig. Eagle fish ) and unusually strong "guanine" storage (actually hypoxanthine , which causes the strong reflection), as the shadow fish are mostly nocturnal, but should also stay in the near-surface (bright, if often cloudy) biotope during the day and be protected as much as possible.
features
Other names of the maximally 20 cm and usually 12 cm long fish refer to the large head-sensory canals, because they emphasize the cover bones in which they run and (spongy) expand, so that one speaks of "hard heads" (hardheads, cabeçon de coco and the like). The large, terminal mouth points diagonally downwards, the maxillary reaches behind the rear edge of the eye. There are no barbels , but there are six sensory pores on the chin. The rear edge of the forelegs has three (occasionally four on one side) distinct spines. There are comb scales (ctenoid scales) on the body , and round scales (cycloid scales) on the head and chest. The color is silvery-gray and becomes darker towards the back.
The bases of the dorsal fins, the anal and caudal fin are often more or less clearly scaled. The caudal fin is usually pentagonal. The pelvic fins are pale to yellowish. The outer third of the other fins are gray, their tips are dark in color.
Fin formula of S. stellifer : D1 X-XI, D2 I / 22–23, A II (2nd spike long) / 8–9.
Occurrence, habitat and way of life
Stellifer stellifer occurs along the Caribbean and South American coasts of the West Atlantic from Venezuela to southern Brazil and Trinidad and Tobago. The preference for estuaries (brackish water - mangrove) is clear, not only among the young fish. The species is most common in warm coastal waters and over muddy or sandy soil. Stellifer stellifer feeds on small, planktonic crustaceans and fish.
Fishing
Thanks to their small size, these species do not play a role in fishing - but there are also larger "stardrums" up to 30 cm long (e.g. Stellifer chrysoleuca ), which then produce larger (older) crabs and the like. Ä. eat ( pharyngeal bite). The species is caught as bycatch in bottom trawling and by fishermen near the beach.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d L.N. Chao: Sciaenidae . In: KE Carpenter (Ed.): The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Atlantic. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes and American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists . tape 5 , no. 3 . FAO, Rome 2002, p. 1645 ( fao.org [PDF]).
- ↑ Stellifer stellifer at ITIS Catalog of Life: 2008 Annual Checklist (accessed December 22, 2009)
- ↑ M. Barletta, A. Barletta-Bergan, U. Saint-Paul, G. Hubold: The role of salinity in structuring the fish assemblages in a tropical estuary. In: Journal of Fish Biology, 2005, 66, p. 52 ( Online ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice .; PDF ; 819 kB)
Web links
- Stellifer stellifer on Fishbase.org (English)