Gulf Kingfish, Menticirrhus littoralis
Gulf Kingfish, Menticirrhus littoralis. Fish caught from coastal waters off Sebastian, Florida, June 2021. Length: 23 cm (9.0 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Ben Cantrell, Sebastian, Florida.
Gulf Kingfish, Menticirrhus littoralis. Fish caught off the Tybee Island Fishing Pier, Georgia, October 2009. Length: 25 cm (10 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Kenneth Tse, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Gulf Kingfish, Menticirrhus littoralis. Fish caught off the Sanibel Island Pier, Sanibel Island, Florida, October 2009. Length: 26 cm (10 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Eli (obsessiveangling.wordpress.com).
The Gulf Kingfish, Menticirrhus littoralis, is a member of the Croaker or Sciaenidae Family, that is also known as the Gulf Kingcroaker and in Mexico as berragato del Golfo. Globally, there are nine members in the genus Menticirrhus, of which eight are found in Mexican waters, three in the Atlantic and five in the Pacific Ocean.
The Gulf Kingfish has a slender elongated body with a flat underside and a rounded cross-section. They have an overall silvery-white coloration with pale to dusky fins with a black tip on the upper caudal lobe. Their head is long with an overhanging conical snout that projects beyond a horizontal mouth. They have a short thick barbel under their chin with a pore at the point and two pairs at the base. Their anal fin has 1 weak spine and 6 to 8 rays and a short base; their caudal fin is “S” shaped; their first dorsal fin has 10 or 11 spines; their second dorsal fin has 1 spine and 22 to 26 rays; and their pectoral fins have 20 to 23 rays and are short. They have 3 to 12 short knobby gill rakers. They are covered with small rough scales. Their lateral line extends to the end of the caudal fin.
The Gulf Kingfish is a demersal species that is found over sandy and mud bottoms along the shore, in the surf zone, and in inshore bays at depths up to 50 m (165 feet), normally in water that is 22.5oC (72oF) to 27.7oC (82oF). They are small in stature, reaching a maximum of 48 cm (19 inches) in length and 1.73 kg (3 lbs 13 oz) in weight. As of January 1, 2024, the International Game Fish Association world record stood at 1.73 kg (3 lbs 13 oz) with the fish caught in coastal waters off North Carolina in February 2020. Juveniles are found in estuaries with lower salinity levels. They feed primarily on benthic invertebrates, including shrimps and other small crustaceans. They also eat amphipods, polychaete worms, mollusks, and small fish. Their chin barbel is used to locate prey on the bottom. Larvae feed on zooplankton. The Gulf Kingfish 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 Gulf Kingfish 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 Gulf Kingfish can be easily confused with the Northern Kingfish, Menticirrhus saxatilis (5 or 6 oblique bars; dark stripe under lateral line; 8 anal fin rays) and the Southern Kingfish, Menticirrhus americanus (long pectoral fins; dusky silver color; 8 or 9 faint oblique bars).
From a conservation perspective the Gulf Kingfish is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. However, their populations have been estimated to have declined by 25% of the last twenty years. They are a common and popular fish with recreational anglers. They are a target of both artisanal and commercial fishermen with fish being caught with gill nets and trawl nets and as a by-catch of shrimp trawls. They are considered to be excellent table fare and Are marketed fresh.