Wormlined Croaker, Ophioscion vermicularis
Wormlined Croaker, Ophioscion vermicularis. Fish caught out of the surf at Km 65, Cerritos Beach, Baja California Sur, August 2005. Length: 25 cm (9.8 inches). Identification courtesy of Dr. Ross Robertson, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama.
The Wormlined Croaker, Ophioscion vermicularis, is a member of the Croaker or Sciaenidae Family, this is also known as the Vermiculated Croaker, and in Mexico as corvineta cococha. Globally, there are ten species in the genus Ophioscion, of which five are found in Mexican waters, all in the Pacific Ocean.
The Wormlined Croaker has an oblong slightly compressed body with a low head and snout. They have a dark dusky gray coloration with silvery reflections. They have a yellow line under the pupil of their eyes and a pair of “nostrils” that are very close to their eyes. They have a series of prominent dark stripes that follow the scale rows. Their fins are dusky to black. They have a slightly projecting horizontal mouth. Their gill covers are finely serrated with 15 to 17 short spines. Their chin does not have a barbel. Their snout has 10 pores, 5 of which are found on their chin. Their anal fin has a short base with 2 spines and 8 rays with the second spine being stout and of equal length to the first ray; their caudal fin is “S-shaped” with the upper tip being pointed; their first dorsal fin has 10 spines; their second dorsal fin has 1 spine and 26 to 28 rays; and, their pectoral fins are long. They have 22 to 25 short gill rakers. They are covered with rough scales.
The Wormlined Croaker is a demersal species that is found over sandy bottoms along the shore, in the surf zone, and in inshore bays at depths up to 20 m (65 feet). They reach a maximum of 35 cm (14 inches) in length. The Wormlined Croaker 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.
In Mexican waters the Wormlined Croaker is a resident of the Pacific but has a limited distribution being found from Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur, southward along the southwest coast of Baja and from Mazatlán, Sinaloa, southward along the coast of the mainland to Guatemala. They are a rare species in Mexican waters and are much more common in coastal waters of Panama (being omnipresent in the Panama Fish Market) and Northern Peru.
The Wormlined Croaker is most likely confused with the Shortnose Stardrum, Stellifer chrysoleuca (rounded caudal fin; no prominent stripes).
From a conservation perspective the Wormlined Croaker is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. I have had the good luck of catching several Wormlined Croakers off the beach north of Cabo San Lucas and south of Todos Santos, Baja California Sur, utilizing cut squid affixed to small hooks and bottom rigs. They appear to be quality food fish but somewhat rare and small in stature.