Queen croaker (Seriphus politus)

Scientific name: Seriphus politus Ayres, 1860

The Queen croaker (Seriphus politus) is a marine fish of the family Sciaenidae. Native range: Eastern Pacific, Yaquina Bay in Oregon, USA to southern Baja California, Mexico. Recorded from British Columbia, Canada.

Biology

Occur inshore, often over sandy bottoms. Common in bays and tidal sloughs, around pilings. Moves to deeper water at night. Form schools. Feed on small shrimps, marine worms and fishes. Pelagic spawners.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name: Seriphus politus
Family: Sciaenidae (Drums or croakers)
Order: Perciformes (Perch-like fish)
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length: 30.0
Depth range: 1–21 m (3–69 ft)
Environment: Marine; demersal; depth range 1 - 21 m, usually 1 - 8 m
Climate: Subtropical
Distribution: Eastern Pacific: Yaquina Bay in Oregon, USA to southern Baja California, Mexico. Recorded from British Columbia, Canada.
Conservation status (IUCN): Least Concern (LC)
Threat to humans: Harmless
Uses: Fisheries: minor commercial; bait: usually
Resilience: Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (tm=2; Annual fecundity = 300,000)

Sources

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

Last updated 27 September 2026