Spotted Drum, Equetus punctatus
Spotted Drum, Equetus punctatus, Juvenile. Underwater photograph taken in coastal waters off Bonaire, December 2019. Photograph and identifications courtesy of Bob Hillis, Ivins, Utah.
Spotted Drum, Equetus punctatus. Underwater photograph taken in coastal waters off Bonaire, December 2019. Photograph and identifications courtesy of Bob Hillis, Ivins, Utah.
The Spotted Drum, Equetus punctatus, is a member of the Croaker or Sciaenidae Family, and is known in Mexico as payasito punteado. There are two global members of the genus Equetus, both of which are found Mexican waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
The Spotted Drum has an oblong body that is deep at the front and tapers to a think caudal fin base. Their body has a black bar through the eye, a black bar that extends across the gill covers and into the pelvic fins, and a long black stripe that extends from the first dorsal fin to the caudal fin base. They have 3 additional bars toward the rear.Their anal, caudal and second dorsal fins have white spots and dashes. Juveniles have an extremely long dorsal fin and their head has a black spot on the tip of the nose and two black bars, their body has one long black stripe that extends from the first dorsal fin to the tail. Their head is low with an overhanging snout and a horizontal small mouth that is equipped with a band of teeth. They have an elongated first dorsal fin with a short base. Their anal fin has 2 spines, the second being strong, and 6 to 8 rays; their caudal fin is blunt with an angular point; and, their first dorsal fin is very high with a short base and has 12 or 14 spines; their second dorsal fin has a long base and 1 spine and 45 to 47 rays; and, their pectoral fins have 17 or 19 rays. They have 15 to 18 short and stout gill rakers. They are covered with rough scales. Their lateral line extends to the center of the caudal fin.
The Spotted Drum is found primarily within coral reefs. They are usually found as secretive solitary individuals under ledges and near small caves at depths up to 30 m (100 feet). They prefer water temperatures between 26.3oC (79oF) and 28.2oC (83oF). They reach a maximum of 27.0 cm (10.6 inches) in length. They are active nocturnally digging through the substrate with their snout feeding on crabs, fishes, shrimps and polychaete worms. During the daylight hours they take shelter and can be found around the bases of corals. They have the ability to make sound as a mating call and to communicate with each other. Reproduction is dioecious with separate sexes and external fertilization. They are oviparous with the eggs left to fend for themselves. The Spotted Drum 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 Spotted Drum can be confused with the High-hat, Pareques acuminatus (black and white striped body; juveniles with extremely long first dorsal fins but lack continuous bars over the head; adults have a band between the eyes) and the Jackknife Fish, Equetus lanceolatus (single black band that runs from the top of the first dorsal fin to and along the mid-body line to the tip of the caudal fin, but does not have spots on the fins; juveniles are yellow with a thick black dash on the nose and with maturity will lose the yellow will transition to white).
The Spotted Drum is a resident of all Mexican waters of the Atlantic including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean, however, they are uncommon in the western sections of Gulf of Mexico.
From a conservation perspective the Spotted Drum is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. Their long-term viability is strongly dependent upon the potential loss of habitat. Degradation of coral reef habitats in the Caribbean has led to a significant decline in the density of coral reef fish for more than a decade. The recent introduction to the Caribbean of the highly invasive Red Lionfish, Pterois volitans, with its aggressiveness and rapid population explosion has reduced the abundance of coral reef fishes. The Spotted Drum are also prone to overfishing in certain areas. They are caught with traps and hand nets and are consumed as a human food on a limited basis but reported to contain ciguatoxin. They are a favorite of divers and can be approached but are shy. They are also a highly valued as an aquarium fish that commands prices on the order of $300 per fish. They are hardy, colorful, docile and has unique finnage and color pattern. The juveniles have a different coloration pattern than the adults. They are, however, somewhat difficult to maintain being finicky eaters and are known to consume crabs, fish, and shrimps within their tank. They have been raised in captivity.