Diagnostic Description
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Transparent body, more or less reddish, with chromatophores along bases of median fins and on head. Vertebrae 26-28 (Ref. 232). Males with longer dorsal and anal fins than females (Ref. 35388).
Life Cycle
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Single spawner, all oocytes in the ovaries grow at a similar rate (Ref. 57814). However, a recent study showed that this species breeds at least twice during its short lifespan with batches of oocytes at different vittelogenic stages in the ovary (Ref. 81039). Reproduction is of the abbreviate iteroparous type with more than one spawning per reproductive season (in spring and summer in older females, in summer and autumn in the yougner ones) (Ref. 81039).
Migration
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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.
Morphology
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Dorsal spines (total): 4 - 6; Dorsal soft rays (total): 113; Analspines: 1; Analsoft rays: 11 - 15
Trophic Strategy
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Occurs inshore, over sand, mud, eel-grass, etc., from the surface to 70-80 m (Ref. 4696).
Biology
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Benthic and free swimming (Ref. 92840). A neotenic, pelagic species inhabiting inshore and estuarine waters, over sand, mud and eel-grass (Ref. 4343). Adults feed on zooplankton, especially copepods, cirripede larvae and mysids (Ref. 4343). They spawn in summer in empty bivalve shells (Ref. 35388). Probably migrate to deeper water to spawn during summer (Ref. 57814). Adults die after breeding (Ref. 4696) which does not qualify as a manifestation of semelparity but abbreviate iteroparity according to a recent study (Ref. 81039). Eggs are pear-shaped (Ref. 4696).
Importance
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fisheries: commercial