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Yelloweye croaker (Odontoscion xanthops) — Sciaenidae

Yelloweye croaker

Odontoscion xanthops
Family: Sciaenidae

The Yelloweye croaker (Odontoscion xanthops) is a brackish-water fish of the family Sciaenidae that grows up to 30 cm.

Length
30 cm
Water
Brackish
Diet
Carnivore
Behaviour
Schooling
Activity
Nocturnal
Body shape
Torpedo-shaped
Substrate
Open water
Danger
Harmless
Edibility
Rarely eaten

Description

The yelloweye croaker is a small croaker (Sciaenidae) from the western Atlantic and Caribbean. The species grows to about 30 cm and has an elongate, silvery body with conspicuous yellow eyes. As a bottom-oriented predator it lives in schools around reefs, wrecks and in coastal and estuarine water and hunts mainly at night for small fish and crustaceans; like other croakers it drums with its swim bladder. It is a local bait and food fish. The fish is harmless to humans.

Frequently asked questions

How do you recognise the Yelloweye croaker?

The Yelloweye croaker has a torpedo-shaped body, is mainly silver-grey and shows a plain pattern.

Where does the Yelloweye croaker live?

The Yelloweye croaker lives in brackish water and is mostly found around open water.

How big does the Yelloweye croaker get?

The Yelloweye croaker grows to a maximum of about 30 cm. On average the species is around 20 cm.

Is the Yelloweye croaker dangerous to humans?

No, the Yelloweye croaker is harmless to humans.

Is the Yelloweye croaker edible?

The Yelloweye croaker is rarely eaten.

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All data

Identification

Dutch name
Geeloog-ombervis verified
English name
Yelloweye croaker verified
Scientific name
Odontoscion xanthops
Family
Sciaenidae
Other names
Yelloweye croaker verified

Appearance

Size class
Medium verified
Max length (cm)
30.0 verified
Average length (cm)
20.0 verified
Body shape
Torpedo-shaped sourced
Dominant colour
Silver / grey sourced
Pattern
Plain sourced
Tail shape
Forked inferred
Mouth position
Terminal sourced
Lips
Thin sourced
Barbels
No sourced
Dorsal fins
One continuous sourced
Dorsal spines
No sourced

Habitat & distribution

Water type
Brackish sourced
Substrate
Open water sourced
Origin
Native verified

Behaviour & biology

Diet
Carnivore sourced
Social behaviour
Schooling sourced
Territorial
No sourced
Activity
Nocturnal sourced
Reproduction
Separate sexes sourced
Sexual dimorphism
No sourced

For anglers

Edibility
Rarely eaten sourced
Fishing method
Hengelsport sourced
Regulations source
FishBase ↗ inferred

Safety

Danger to humans
Harmless sourced

Status & sources

Sources
FishBase via GBIF (DwC-A), CC-BY-NC 4.0

Same genus Odontoscion

More from the family Sciaenidae

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