longfin salema
Xenichthys xanti
Salema of shallow sandy bottoms in the eastern Pacific, with very large eyes and golden stripes. It forms schools and is commercially fished.
Also called: salema-olhuda, ojón, chula, longfin salema
- maximum
- 24 cm
who is the longfin salema
The big-eyed salema belongs to the family Haemulidae, the same family as the salemas and grunts. It reaches 24 cm, and its common size is 18 cm. It lives in the eastern Pacific, from southern Gulf of California to Peru, over sandy bottoms in shallow coastal waters. It has an oblong, spindle-shaped and slightly compressed body, with very large eyes and a projecting lower jaw. It forms schools over shallow sandy bottoms. It is commercially fished, but is not a notable sport fish.
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 longfin salema; in the meantime, see the similar species.
identification
Oblong, spindle-shaped and slightly compressed body, with a small, oblique mouth. The eyes are very large and the lower jaw projects. The flanks are silvery with golden reflections and have five or six longitudinal yellow-gold stripes. There is a dark spot on the upper edge of the gill cover and another on the caudal peduncle. It can be confused with Orthopristis chalcea, which also has golden lines, but wavy and broken. Haemulopsis axillaris, from the same coast, has stripes that follow the scale rows and five or six dark vertical bars.
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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
Found in the eastern Pacific, from southern Gulf of California to Peru, in shallow coastal waters.
Habitat: Sandy bottoms in shallow coastal waters, where it forms schools.
rules for the longfin salema
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.
No danger to anglers. If released, return it to the water carefully.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.01318, b = 3.0; 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: Xenichthys xanti (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Xenichthys xantiNames by country and language.
