littlehead porgy
Calamus proridens
Porgy of sponge and coral bottoms in the Gulf of Mexico and Cuba, sought after in sport fishing.
Also called: peixe-pena-corcunda, pluma jorobada, pez de pluma rayado, littlehead porgy
- maximum
- 46 cm
who is the littlehead porgy
The hunchback porgy belongs to the family Sparidae and reaches 46 cm. It lives on reefs and on sponge and coral bottoms, down to 59 m, from northeastern Florida to the Bay of Campeche, Mexico. In Latin America it occurs in Cuba and Mexico. It reaches sexual maturity between 17 and 22 cm and feeds mainly on invertebrates. In Cuba it is called pez de pluma rayado, and in Mexico, pluma jorobada. It is commercially fished and sought after by sport fishing.
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 littlehead porgy; in the meantime, see the similar species.
identification
Porgy with a compressed body and a spiny dorsal fin, typical of the genus Calamus. Habitat is the main trait for recognizing it: it lives over sponge and coral bottoms, which separates it from the Gulf porgy, which lives on sand and mud bottoms, and from the knobby porgy, which stays on hard bottoms. All three belong to the same genus and occur in Mexico.
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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
In Latin America it occurs in Cuba and Mexico, from the Gulf of Mexico to the Bay of Campeche.
Habitat: Sponge and coral bottoms, from reefs down to 59 m.
rules for the littlehead porgy
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.
Not dangerous to anglers. Since it is a bottom fish, release it carefully to avoid barotrauma in fish brought up from deep water.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.01288, b = 2.83; 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: Calamus proridens (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Calamus proridensNames by country and language.
