spot croaker
Leiostomus xanthurus
Small croaker of sand and mud bottoms, which moves up into estuaries in summer and autumn. It has a commercial fishery, is considered a sport fish and is sometimes used as bait.
Also called: corvina-manchada, croca, verrugato croca, spot croaker
- maximum
- 36 cm
- record/max.
- 0.5 kg
who is the spot croaker
The spot croaker is a fish of the family Sciaenidae, with a small, spindle-shaped body, reaching 36 cm and up to 450 g. It lives in coastal waters down to 60 m, on sandy or muddy bottoms, and concentrates in estuaries in summer and autumn, when it uses these habitats to feed and breed. Juveniles usually stay in estuaries all year. It eats worms, small crustaceans and organic detritus. It has a commercial fishery, is considered a sport fish and is sometimes used as bait.
Essential profile. Identification, where it occurs and rules, with data from FishBase and the cited regulations. Season, time of day, technique and bait are added once we have a good source for the spot croaker; in the meantime, see the similar species.
fun facts
- A small specimen was found in Tokyo Bay, Japan, probably carried in a ship's ballast water.
identification
Small, spindle-shaped body, typical of croakers, reaching 36 cm. The most striking mark is a round dark spot on the shoulder, just behind the gill opening, and the tail is yellowish (the scientific name means yellow tail). It lives on sandy or muddy coastal bottoms, down to 60 m, and enters estuaries in summer and autumn.
Loading the next 7 days…
Each card shows the day's index (0 to 100) and, below it, a strip with the index for each hour, from 0h to 23h. from poor to excellent.
Essential profile: the index uses a general fish model (weather, sun, moon and tide), without a season or time of day specific to this species.
where found
It lives in the northern Atlantic, from Massachusetts (USA) to northern Mexico, but does not occur in southern Florida. In Latin America it occurs only in Mexico.
Habitat: Sandy or muddy bottoms of coastal waters, down to 60 m, and estuaries in summer and autumn.
rules for the spot croaker
Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.
We found no species-specific rule beyond the region's general rules.
catch and release
catch and release Releasing the fish alive, quickly and with a wet hand. During a closed season it isn't always allowed: what the regulation says applies.
It is harmless to handle. Being small, release what you are not going to keep.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00912, b = 3.1; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa da própria espécie)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
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sources and references
Essential profile: size, length-weight, depth, countries and conservation come from FishBase and the cited regulations, and the texts were written from those sources. Season, time of day, sensitivities, technique and baits and lures are not included yet, because we did not find a good source for this species.
- scientific FishBase: Leiostomus xanthurus (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Leiostomus xanthurusNames by country and language.
