Northern Kingfish, Menticirrhus saxatilis
Northern Kingfish, Menticirrhus saxatilis
Northern Kingfish, Menticirrhus saxatilis. Fish caught off the Gulf State Park Pier, Gulf Shores, Alabama, July 2019. Length: 30 cm (12 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Luke Ovgard, Klamath Falls, Oregon.
Northern Kingfish, Menticirrhus saxatilis. Fish caught from coastal waters off Placida, Florida, March 2017. Length: 33 cm (13 inches). Catch photo and identification of George Brinkman, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
The Northern Kingfish, Menticirrhus saxatilis, whose common Spanish name is berragato ratón, is a species in the Croaker or Sciaenidae Family, known collectively as berrugatas and corvinas in Mexico. This fish is also known as the Northern Kingcroaker. Globally, there are only nine species in the genus Menticirrhus, eight of which are found in Mexican waters, three in the Atlantic and five in the Pacific.
The Northern Kingfish have elongated compressed bodies that are deepest in the pectoral fin area. Dorsally they vary in color from dusky gray to almost black with silvery and metallic reflections transitioning to off-white ventrally. The sides have irregular dark bars with the first two of which run obliquely backwards and upwards and those behind the first dorsal run forward and downward forming a blotch or two dark “V’s”. There is also a dark bar below the lateral line that runs from in front of the anal fin to the base of the caudal fin. The fins are dusky to blackish and with the exception of the second dorsal they are all tipped in off-white. The juveniles are much darker in color and a uniform dark brown. Their head has a blunt nose, an overhanging snout and a projecting upper jaw, and the small horizontal fleshy mouth lacks canines. They have a small barbel on the lower chin. The anal fins, located below the middle of the second dorsal fin, have one spine and 8 rays; the caudal fin has a slightly concave upper lobe and a rounded lower lobe; the two dorsal fins are separated with the first being triangular, tall with a short base and 10 spines (the third of which is longest with a filamentous tip); the second has a long low tapering base with one spine and 24 to 27 rays; and, large pointed pectoral fins. They have 3 to 12 short gill rakers that are absent in larger fish and they are covered with small scales. They are atypical for members of their family not having an air bladder and unable to make croaking sounds.
The Northern Kingfish is a schooling species that are commonly found demersally over sand and mud substrate in the surf zone and in estuaries; the juveniles are found in estuaries and tidal creeks and have the ability to tolerate low salinities. They are normally found in mixed schools with other Menticirrhus species. They are highly migratory moving southerly and off-shore to depths of 400 feet during the colder months. They reach a maximum length of 46 cm (18 inches) and 1.4 kg (3.0 pounds) in weight. The Northern Kingfish are benthic feeders consuming invertebrates including small crustaceans (crabs, shrimps, mollusks, and worms), small fishes and detritus. The eggs are pelagic with short two-day incubation times. The juveniles settle out in estuaries and coastal areas in the spring and leave for deeper waters in the fall.
In Mexican waters the Northern Kingfish are found in all waters of the Atlantic with the exception that they are absent from along the east coast of the Yucatan.
The Northern Kingfish can be confused with Gulf Kingfish, Menticirrhus littoralis (uniform silver color without bars), the Southern Kingfish, Menticirrhus americanus (reddish-orange fins, no bar under the rear portion of the lateral line) and the Weakfish, Cynoscion regalis (lacks a chin barbel).
The Northern Kingfish are not fished or sold commercially but are a targeted species for surf fishermen. They are considered to excellent table fare. From a conservation they are currently considered to be of Least Concern being abundant with stable populations that are wildly distributed. Although not fished commercially they are caught as a bycatch of shrimp trawls, and if retained, are sold in local markets. They can also be adversely affected by red tides.