Spotted Whiff, Citharichthys macrops
Spotted Whiff, Citharichthys macrops. Aquarium fish photographed in the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Naples, Florida, January 2019.
The Spotted Whiff, Citharichthys macrops, is a member of the Sand Flounder or Paralichthyidae Family, and is known in Mexico as manchado. Globally, there are twenty-four members of the genus Citharichthys, of which sixteen are found in Mexican waters, eight in the Atlantic and eight in the Pacific Ocean.
The Spotted Whiff has a relatively deep oval body that is 50% to 54% of standard length. Their eye side and fins are pale yellowish brown and covered with regularly arranged spots and blotches. Some fish have a pair of dark spots near the base of the caudal fin. Their head has a medium-sized mouth that ends under the center of their lower eye. They have close set eyes on the left side separated by a long, narrow concave ridge. They have enlarged front teeth and one series of fixed teeth on each jaw. Their anal fin has 59 to 63 anal rays; their caudal fin has 10 to 12 rays and is bluntly pointed; their dorsal fin has 59 to 63 dorsal rays; their pectoral fins are found on both side of the body; and pelvic fins have 6 rays and short basis and are symmetrically positioned on the belly. They have 13 to 16 long slender gill rakers on the lower arch and 5 or 6 long slender gill rakers on the upper arch. They are covered with rough scales on both sides of their body. Their lateral line is straight on eye side and well developed on both sides.
The Spotted Whiff is a demersal shallow-water species that is found hard over sandy substrate at depths up to 30 m (100 feet). They reach a maximum of 20 cm (7.9 inches) in length. They consume a wide variety of crustaceans and small fish and are preyed upon by various marine mammals, larger fish, and sea birds. Reproduction is oviparous with each female producing numerous eggs several times a year during prolonged spawning periods. The Spotted Whiff 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 Spotted Whiff is a resident of all Mexican waters of the Atlantic Ocean including the Gulf of Mexico and the east coast of the Yucatán Peninsula in the Caribbean.
The Spotted Whiff is similar to a series of other Citharichthys found in Mexican waters include the Anglefin Whiff, Citharichthys gymnorhinus (large eyes; 9 to 11 gill rakers on the lower arch); the Bay Whiff, Citharichthys spilopterus (very small eyes; body depth <45%); the Gulf Stream Flounder, Citharichthys arctifrons (body depth 34 – 43% of standard length); Horned Whiff, Citharichthys cornutus (very large eyes); the Veracruz Whiff, Citharichthys abbotti (eyes widely separated without a bony ridge between); and, the Voodoo Whiff, Citharichthys uhleri (eyes widely separated; covered with small white specs)
From a conservation perspective the Spotted Whiff is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are taken as a by-catch of deep- water trawls. They are small in stature and of limited interest to most.