Longspine Croaker

Longspine Croaker, Umbrina analis

Longspine Croaker, Umbrina analis. Fish caught within the coastal waters of Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur, October 2016. Length: 25 cm (10 inches).

Longspine Croaker, Umbrina analis. Fish caught in coastal waters off Puerto Adolfo Lopes Mateos within Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur, October 2016. Length: 25 cm (10 inches).

Longspine Croaker, Umbrina analis. Fish caught with a cast net off in coastal waters off Puerto Adolfo Lopes Mateos within Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur, October 2017. Length: 26 cm (10 inches).

The Longspine Croaker, Umbrina analis, is a member of the Croaker or Sciaenidae Family, that is also known as the Longspine Drum, and is known in Mexico as berrugata espinuda. Globally, there are eighteen species in the genus Umbrina, of which seven are found in Mexican waters, one in the Atlantic and six in the Pacific Ocean.

The Longspine Croaker has a moderately elongated oblong slightly compressed body that has a horizontal lower body profile. They have a uniform silvery coloration with a series of undulating oblique dark lines along their scale rows. Their fins are generally pale and their anal and pelvic fins have yellow tinges. They have high backs that are strongly curved at the front. Their head is broad, conical, and low and features a snout that is longer than the eye diameter and that opens in the front under a projecting snout. Their gill covers are finely serrated. Their chin has one short barbel with a pore at its tip and 2 pairs of pores at its base. Their gut cavity is pale. Their anal fin has a short base with 2 spines and 6 rays with the second spine (after which it is named) being stout and equal in length to the first ray; their caudal fin has a straight margin; their first dorsal fin has 10 spines, a notch, and the second dorsal fin has a long base, 1 spine and 24 to 26 rays; and, their pectoral fins are short. They have 13 to 16 gill rakers and are covered with rough scales.

The Longspine Croaker is a demersal species that is found over sandy bottoms, in the surf zone, and in inshore bays at depths up to 50 m (165 feet). They reach a maximum of 35 cm (14 inches) in length. The Longspine Croaker The Acapulco Damselfish is poorly studied with very limited information available about their lifestyle and behavioral patterns including specific details on age, growth, longevity, movement patterns, diet, habitat use, and reproduction.

The Longspine Croaker is a resident of Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean but has a limited range being found from Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur, southward along the southwest coast of Baja, from Loreto, Baja California Sur, southward along the east coast of Baja, and along the coast of the mainland from Acapulco, Guerrero, south to Guatemala.

The Longspine Croaker can be confused with the Cortez Croaker, Umbrina wintersteeni (second anal spine half the length of first anal fin ray; rounded caudal fin), the Surf Croaker, Umbrina xanti (thin second anal spine three-fourths length of first anal fin ray), and the Yellowfin Croaker, Umbrina roncador (second anal spine three-fourths length of first anal fin ray).

From a conservation perspective the Longspine Croaker is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely ranging populations. They are rare and small in stature, however, they are viewed by locals as excellent table fare.