High-hat, Pareques acuminatus
High-hat, Pareques acuminatus, Juveniles. Underwater photographs taken in coastal waters off Akumal, Quintana Roo, December 2020. Photographs and identification courtesy of Bob Hillis, Ivins, Utah.
High-hat, Pareques acuminatus. Fish caught from coastal waters off Broward County, Florida, July 2021. Length: 11 cm (4.2 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Ben Cantrell, Sebastian, Florida.
High-hat, Pareques acuminatus. Fish caught from coastal waters off Boca Raton, Florida, December 2022. Length: 15 cm (5.9 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of James Lafontaine, Long Island, New York.
High-hat, Pareques acuminatus. Aquarium fish photographed within the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Tucson, Arizona, February, 2022.
The High-hat, Pareques acuminatus, is a member of the Croaker or Sciaenidae Family, that is known in Mexico as payasito largo. Globally, there are seven species in the genus Pareques, of which five are found Mexican waters, three in the Atlantic and two in the Pacific Ocean. They obtained their common name from their tall black dorsal fin.
The High-hat has a deep oblong body that has a strong arched back. They are white in color with 3 to 5 broad black stripes and narrow stripes across the body. The first dorsal fin has a black bar and a white rear margin. Juveniles have black and white stripes on the body, a bar across the snout between the eyes, two spots below and black on the upper pectoral fins. Their head is low and the snout overhangs their horizontal mouth that is equipped with villiform teeth. Their chin has 5 pores and their snout has 10 pores. Their anal fin has 2 spines (2nd spine is slender) and 7 or 8 rays; their caudal fin is rounded; their first dorsal fin has 8 to 10 spines and is elevated; their second dorsal fin has 1 spine and 37 to 41 rays and has a long base; and, their pelvic fins are long reaching the anus (and very elongated in juveniles). They have 14 to 20 short and slender gill rakers. They are covered with rough scales. Their lateral line extends from to the end of the caudal fin.
The High-hat is found within shallow coastal reefs with water temperatures between 22oC (72oF) and 28oC (82oF) under rock ledges in small groups during the daylight hours and retreat to sand and mud bottoms at night being found at depths up to 113 m (370 feet). Juveniles are found in coastal lagoons. They reach a maximum of 25 cm (9.8 inches) in length. They are night time predators that prey on crabs, benthic invertebrates, shrimp, worms and zooplankton. Reproduction is oviparous with a very short larval stage. The High-hat 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 High-hat 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 High-hat is most likely confused with the Spotted Drum, Equetus punctatus (spotted anal, caudal and dorsal fins).
From a conservation perspective the High-hat is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. Long term they are threatened by habitat degradation caused by human coastal development. They are pray for the newly introduced highly invasive very predatory Red Lionfish, Pterois volitrans. They are utilized extensively by the aquarium trade being peaceful and non-aggressive but require large fish-only tanks. They can be raised in captivity. Otherwise, they are also too small to be of interest to most.