Bay Whiff, Citharichthys spilopterus
Bay Whiff, Citharichthys spilopterus, Juvenile. Fish caught from coastal waters off West Palm Beach, Florida, April 2014. Length: 7.2 cm (2.8 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of James Lafontaine, Long Island, New York.
The Bay Whiff, Citharichthys spilopterus, is a member of the Sand Flounder or Paralichthyidae Family, and is known in Mexico as lenguado pardo. Globally, there are twenty-four members of the genus Citharichthys, of which nine are found in Mexican waters, eight in the Atlantic and eight in the Pacific Ocean.
The Bay Whiff have an oval moderately elongated body that is flattened laterally that is less than 45% of standard length. with both eyes found on the left side of the body. They are an overall brown color dorsally with scattered pale and dark brown spots dorsally. The inner half of the anal and dorsal fins of most fish have a row of dark spots and a dark spot on the caudal peduncle. Their head profile is concave with small eyes set close together on the left side with a medium sized oblique nearly vertical mouth that ends under the lower eye that is equipped with one series of teeth on each jaw. Their anal fin has 67 to 73 rays, their caudal fin is rounded with 12 rays; their dorsal fin has 76 to 84 rays and originates before the upper eye, their pectoral fins have 6 rays and short bases and are found on both sides of the body, and their pelvic fins have 6 rays and short basis and are symmetrically positioned on the belly. They have 11 or 12 long slender gill rakers on the lower arch and 3 or 4 long, slender gill rakers on the upper arch; their lateral line is well developed. They are covered with rough scales on the dorsal side and smooth scales on the blind side.
The Bay Whiff is widely distributed demersal species that are common and locally abundant being found in shallow coastal waters, including hyper-saline lagoons, bays, brackish and fresh water estuaries over soft substrate at depths up to 75 m (250 feet). They reach a maximum of 21 cm (7.9 inches) in length and 99.4 grams (3.5 oz) in weight. They consume zooplankton, zoobenthos and small fishes. In turn they are preyed upon by various marine mammals, larger fish, and sea birds. Reproduction is oviparous with distinct pairing with each female producing numerous eggs several times a year during prolonged spawning periods. The Bay 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 Bay 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 gymnorhinusc(large eyes; 9 to 11 gill rakers on the lower arch); the Gulf Stream Flounder, Citharichthys arctifrons (body depth less than 40%); Horned Whiff, Citharichthys cornutus (very large eyes); the Spotted Whiff, Citharichthys macrops (body and fins covered with dense regularly arranged spots); the Veracruz Whiff, Citharichthys abbotti (eyes widely separated); and, the Voodoo Whiff, Citharichthys uhleri (eyes widely separated; covered with small white specs). They are also similar to the Fringed Flounder, Etropus corssotus and the Shoal Flounder, Syacium gunteri, but both have bodies that are at least 50% deep.
From a conservation perspective the Bay Whiff is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are considered to be an ecologically important component of the demersal fish assemblage in tropical coastal areas. They are taken as a by-catch of demersal trawl fisheries and retained by artisanal fishermen for human consumption. They can also be caught off the beach with cast nets. In several US states their catch is heavily regulated.