Listing ID #7436469
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- Elongated and silvery fish
- Typically grows to 10 or 11 inches long
- Blue-green or yellow sheen
- Strongly compressed and elongate body
- Posterior portion of the upper jaw reaches the rear edge of the eye
- Snout is moderately pointed
- Eyes are small
- Dorsal and anal spines are connected to venomous glands
- Bases of the anal and second dorsal fins are approximately equal in length
- Pectoral fins are shorter than the length of the head
- Caudal peduncle is slender with an inconspicuous keel on each side
- Lateral line is slightly arched over the pectoral fin and straight afterwards with small scales embedded in the skin
- Skin is corrugated with numerous short longitudinal ridges giving this fish a leathery appearance
Coloration:
- Blue-green dorsal surface
- Silvery to white flanks and belly occasionally with 7-8 irregular broken silvery bands and white interspaces along the sides
- Some individuals may also have yellowish highlights and the lower belly and cheeks
- Dorsal fin spines are dusky or dark with translucent membranes
- Second dorsal and anal fins are typically clear but may have dusky markings on the lobes
- Caudal fin and pectoral fins are clear to yellowish in color
Dentition:
- Juveniles have outwardly-hooked spatulate teeth
- As the fish matures and there is a change of diet, the teeth become conical in shape
- Adult leatherjackets have small teeth with two closely spaced rows in the upper jaw containing teeth that are irregular in the outer raw and smaller anteriorly
- Lower jaw has two rows of conical teeth at lengths of longer than 16cm fork length
Size, Age, and Growth:
- Maximum reported length is 13.8 inches (35 cm) total length (TL)
- More commonly observed reaching 10.6 inches (27 cm) TL
- Maximum published weight is 10.1 ounces (287 g)
Food Habits:
- Diet consists of small fish including silver perch, Irish mojarra, and anchovies
- Also feeds on shrimps and mysids as well as macroalgae (found in gut contents)
- Juvenile leatherjackets feed on ectoparasites and fish scales through cleaning activities of other fish such as the redfin needlefish
Reproduction:
- Spawns in shallow inshore waters from early spring to midsummer
Predators:
- Larger fish including sharks are potential predators of the leatherjacket
Parasites:
- Isopod Cymothoa spinipalpa has been documented as a buccal cavity parasite of the leatherjacket
- Other reported parasites of this species include the metazoan Metacamopia oligoplites n. sp. found on the gill filaments and the trematode Tergestia pectinata