Guianan snook (Centropomus mexicanus)

Scientific name: Centropomus mexicanus Bocourt, 1868

Guianan snook (Centropomus mexicanus)

The Guianan snook (Centropomus mexicanus) is a brackish-water fish of the family Centropomidae. Native range: Western Atlantic, eastern Mexico and Greater Antilles to Venezuela and Porto Alegre in Brazil.

Biology

Occurs in mouths of rivers and the littoral zone; spawns on banks; feeds on small fish and crustaceans. Juveniles bear conspicuous black tip on the dorsal fin and often join foraging groups of similarly sized and looking flagfin mojarras, Eucinostomus melanopterus. The snooks mingle with the mojarras and prey on fishes and shrimps attracted to the digging activity of the mojarras. The resemblance to a fish harmless to shrimps and small fishes allows the snook to approach this otherwise wary prey, an example of aggressive mimicry.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Centropomus mexicanus
Family
Centropomidae (Snooks)
Order
Perciformes (Perch-like fish)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
47.5
Common length
35.0
Environment
Marine; brackish; demersal
Climate
Tropical
Distribution
Western Atlantic: eastern Mexico and Greater Antilles to Venezuela and Porto Alegre in Brazil.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: commercial; gamefish: yes
Resilience
Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (tm=3-4; Fec=800,000)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

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