Reef Croaker, Odontoscion dentex

Reef Croaker, Odontoscion dentex. Fish caught in coastal waters of Boca Raton, Florida, February 2025.  Length:  25 cm (10 inches).  Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of James Lafontaine, Long Island, New York.

The Reef Croaker, Odontoscion dentex is a member of the Croaker or Sciaenidae Family. They are also known as the Brown Large Eyed Croaker and in Mexico as caimure de roca and bombache de roca. Globally, there are three species in the genus Odontoscion, of which two are found in Mexican waters, one in the Atlantic and one, this species, the Pacific Ocean.

The Reef Croaker has a short, oblong moderately compressed body. They are a brownish silver in color with dark spots on the scales and a large black spot on the base of the pectoral fins. The inside of the gill cover is dark. Their anal fin has a short base with 2 spines and 8 or 9 10 rays; their caudal fin is straight or slightly rounded; their first dorsal fin has 10 or 11 spines; their second dorsal fin has 23 to 26 rays. Their head is low with a conical snout with a fairly large mouth that is slightly oblique with a lower projecting jaw that is equipped with a large of large teeth and a pair of canines at the tip of the lower jaw and large eyes with a small knob at the tip of the jaw. They have 19 to 25 long gill rakers. Their lateral line ends at the center of the caudal fin and they are covered with rough scales.

The Reef Croaker is found in shallow coastal reefs and adjacent sand mud-bottoms at depths up to 30 m (100 feet). They reach a maximum of 30 cm (12 inches) in length. They are found as individuals or in schools. They are active nocturnally and found under shelters and in caves during the day. They feed on small fishes and shrimps. In turn they are known to be preyed upon by the  and the Tiger Grouper, Mycteroperca tigris. The Reef Croaker 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 Reef Croaker is widely distributed in the Atlantic Ocean and abundant regionally that in Mexican waters is found within the Gulf of Mexico and from Veracruz, eastward along the northern coast of the  Yucatán Peninsula and south to Belize.

The Reef Croaker is most likely confused with the Barbeled Drum, Ctenosciaena gracilicirrhus (very large eye; pointed caudal fin) and the Striped Croaker, Corvula sanctaeluciae (body covered with pale stripes; yellow anal and pelvic fins).

From a conservation perspective the Reef Croaker is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely abundant populations. They are caught with hook and line, spears, and traps and are retained by artisanal fisherman for human consumption.