Morphology Data of Cynoscion acoupa
Identification keys
Abnormalities
Main Ref. Chao, N.L., 2003
Appearance refers to
Bones in OsteoBase

Sex attributes

Specialized organs
Different appearance
Different colors
Remarks

Descriptive characteristics of juvenile and adult

Striking features
Body shape lateral fusiform / normal
Cross section
Dorsal head profile
Type of eyes
Type of mouth/snout
Position of mouth
Type of scales
Diagnosis

Body nearly uniform silvery, dark greenish above. Without conspicuous spots on side but with diffuse dark areas along base of dorsal fin and on margin of spinous dorsal fin, ventral side of head, lower margin of pectoral, pelvic, and caudal fins often yellowish orange. Inside of opercle dusky. Mouth large, oblique. Lower jaw slightly projecting. Upper jaw with a pair of large canine-like teeth at tip. Lower jaw with a row of enlarged inner-row teeth, gradually increasing in size posteriorly. Chin without barbels or pores. Snout with 2 marginal pores. Pectoral fins about equal in length to pelvic fins. Gas bladder with a pair of long, straight, horn-like appendages. Sagitta earstone thin and elongate. Soft portion of dorsal fin unscaled except 2 or 3 rows of small scales along its base (Ref 51271).

Ease of Identification

Meristic characteristics of Cynoscion acoupa

Lateral Lines 1 Interrupted: No
Scales on lateral line
Pored lateral line scales
Scales in lateral series
Scale rows above lateral line
Scale rows below lateral line
Scales around caudal peduncle
Barbels
Gill clefts (sharks/rays only)
Gill rakers
on lower limb
on upper limb
total 10 - 16
Vertebrae
preanal
total

Fins

Dorsal fin(s)

Attributes
Fins number 1notched No
Finlets No. Dorsal   0 - 0
Ventral  0 - 0
Spines total 11 - 11
Soft-rays total 17 - 22
Adipose fin absent

Caudal fin

Attributes more or less truncate; more or less normal

Anal fin(s)

Fins number 1
Spines total 2 - 2
Soft-rays total 7 - 9

Paired fins

Pectoral Attributes  more or less normal
Spines     
Soft-rays   
Pelvics Attributes  more or less normal
Position    thoracic  before origin of D1
Spines     
Soft-rays   
Main Ref. (e.g. 9948)
Glossary ( e.g. cephalopods )
Comments & Corrections
Back to Search
cfm script by eagbayani, 17.10.00, php script by rolavides, 13/03/08 ,  last modified by sortiz, 06.27.17