Common snook
Centropomus undecimalis (Bloch, 1792)
Also calledAlmindelig snook (dan) · Brochet de mer (fra) · Brochet de mer, Crossie blanc, Loubine (fra) · Camuripema (por) · Gewöhnlicher Snook (deu) · Loubine (fra) · Robalo-branco (por) · Róbalo blanco (spa) · robalo blanco (spa) · robalo jednopruhý (ces) · róbalo común (spa) · Обыкновенный робало (rus)
The common snook (Centropomus undecimalis) is a species of marine fish in the family Centropomidae of the order Carangiformes. The common snook is also known as the sergeant fish or robalo. It was originally assigned to the sciaenid genus Sciaena; Sciaena undecimradiatus and Centropomus undecimradiatus are obsolete synonyms for the species.
One of the largest snooks, C. undecimalis grows to a maximum overall length of 140 cm (4.6 ft). The common length is 50 cm (1.6 ft). The IGFA world record is 24.32 kg (53 lb 10 oz) caught in Parismina Ranch, Costa Rica, by Rafael Montalvo. Of typical centropomid form, it possesses drab coloration except for a distinctive black lateral line. It can also have bright yellow pelvic and caudal fins, especially during spawn.
Descriptions from checklists and floras indexed by GBIF
Centropomus undecimalis (Bloch 1792)
Centropomus undecimalis (Bloch 1792) . Common Snook; Róbalo Blanco, Róbalo Común Vouchers: UCR 0364-001 (3); LSUMZ 15344 (2) and 15376 (4). Distribution: Western Atlantic Ocean; from South Carolina, USA, to southern Brazil; entering estuaries and littoral lagoons and ascending river courses; (Nicaragua) Co, Es, BF, To, Sa, SJ, RF and LN (Atlantic); 0–75 masl; Per, Dia, Amp. Occurrence and conservation status: Nat; LC (2019), population trend unknown. Literature: Astorqui (1975: 149; brief description, including illustrations and an identification key, and information on distribution and ecology), Villa (1982: 160; detailed description, including illustrations and an identification key, and information on distribution and ecology), Bussing (1998: 272; brief description, including illustrations and an identification key, and information on distribution, with a map, and ecology), González-Alemán (2006: 35; brief description, including an illustration, and information on distribution and ecology), Gros & Miguel-Frithz (2010: 107; brief description, including illustrations, and information on distribution and ecology, plus indigenous science and ethnoichthyology), van den Berghe (201
Continental fishes of Nicaragua: diversity, distribution and conservation status; with an annotated and illustrated checklist of species and an identification guide to families
discussion
References: Bussing (1966: 237; listed, information on distribution), Bussing (1987: 171; 1998: 272; brief description, including illustrations and an identification key, information on distribution, with a map, and ecology), Angulo et al. (2013: 999; listed, including taxonomic information and distributional data) and Robertson & Van Tassell (2019: 3462; detailed description, including illustrations, information on distribution, with a map, and ecology).
New records and range extensions to the Costa Rican freshwater fish fauna, with an updated checklist
distribution
Distribution: Global: Western Atlantic Ocean; from South Carolina, USA, to southern Brazil; entering estuaries and littoral lagoons and ascending river courses; Costa Rica: To, Pa, Ma and Si (Atlantic), 0 – 50 m. a. s. l., Per, Dia.
New records and range extensions to the Costa Rican freshwater fish fauna, with an updated checklist
description
Description. Morphometrics and meristics data are summarized in Tables 8, 9 and 10 on the basis of 113 specimens, 77 – 755 mm TL (233.4 mm average). Body elongate, head moderately compressed, head height 20.4 % SL (17.1 % – 28.7 %); body relatively low, deepest body depth 22.9 % SL (17.5 % – 30.0 %); largest specimen measured 628 mm SL. Lower jaw protractile, longer than upper jaw, extending beyond tip of snout. Snout narrow and long comprising in average 11.8 % (9.7 % – 14.4 %) of SL; eye relatively small, preoperculum margin heavily serrated in adults; operculum margin smooth, without spines, bordered by a membrane that extends beyond origin of pectoral fin. 2 – 6 small spines in dorsal part of operculum. Dorsal fins separated by a small gap, not connected by membrane, first dorsal fin VII – VIII, second dorsal fin I, 10 – I, 11. Pectoral fin with 14 – 16 rays, longest ray 18.3 % SL (13.4 % – 25.4 %), extending beyond origin of pelvic fin. Pelvic fin I, 5, longest pelvic ray not reaching anus. Anal fin III, 7 (rarely III, 6 or III, 8), longest spine, when adpressed, not reaching caudal-fin base. Caudal fin deeply forked; lateral line dark with ctenoid scales extending onto caudal
Taxonomy of Centropomus Lacépède, 1802 (Perciformes: Centropomidae), with focus on the Atlantic species of the genus
From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), quoted section by section
Range & habitat
The common snook is an estuarine and freshwater-dependent fish species. Within estuaries, juvenile common snook are most often found inhabiting areas such as coastal wetland ponds, island networks, and creeks. Despite being a euryhaline species of fish, the common snook shows a tendency to gravitate towards lower-salinity conditions in the early stages of its life. By being able to adapt and thrive in both high- and low-salinity conditions through osmoregulation, common snook display a high level of habitat plasticity. Common snook are opportunistic predators whose feeding habits indicate a positive relationship between their size and the size of their prey, meaning that as the snook grows, it feeds on larger and larger prey. Common snook occasionally engage in cannibalism. This usually occurs during the winter when adults and juveniles are in close proximity to one another within their estuarine habitats. This form of cannibalism where the juveniles are fed on by the adults is referred to as intercohort cannibalism. The adult common snook that cannibalize juveniles most likely target them because the juveniles may be the largest of the available prey, so are nutritionally efficient to prey upon.
What it does
The common snook is a protandric hermaphrodite fish species. Its spawning season spans from April to October. The peak spawning occurs during July and August. Spawning typically occurs in near-shore waters with high salinities. Following the spawning period, the juveniles then migrate to the brackish waters of the nearby estuarine environments. When these juveniles mature, they return to the higher-salinity waters of the open ocean to join the breeding population.
Where it has been recorded
Recorded sightings
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geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Centropomus undecimalis in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
From the GBIF Backbone Taxonomy and occurrence records (GBIF.org), with Wikipedia and the Source Library. GBIF species 2369643.