Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) > Perciformes
(Perch-likes) > Gerreidae
Etymology: Diapterus: Greek, di = two + Greek, pteron = wing, fin (Ref. 45335).
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Marine; demersal; depth range 1 - 30 m. Tropical; 32°N - 13°S, 114°W - 75°W
Eastern Pacific: Mazatlan, Mexico to Callao, Peru.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 30.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 55763); common length : 15.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 55763)
Body diamond-shaped, compressed, and deep (depth contained 1.9 to 2.0 times in standard length); predorsal profile very compressed; mouth strongly protractile; preopercular border serrate; dorsal fin not notched to its base; second anal spine long and stout; body silver or gold with blue iridescent highlights; pelvic and anal fins yellow with dark rays (Ref. 55763).
Common in coastal waters. Juveniles inhabit lagoons of mangrove areas and tidal streams; adults are found over soft bottoms of deeper waters. May enter brackish waters (Ref. 37955). Feeds on benthic invertebrates and fishes. Its flesh is considered of good quality (Ref. 9303). Depth range assumed (RF).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
González-Acosta, A.F., P. Béarez, N. Álvarez-Pliego, J. De La Cruz-Agüero and J.L. Castro-Aguirre, 2007. On the taxonomic status of Diapterus peruvianus (Cuvier, 1830) and reinstatement of Diapterus brevirostris (Sauvage, 1879) (Teleostei: Gerreidae). Cybium 31(3):369-377. (Ref. 75986)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 119314)
CITES (Ref. 115941)
Threat to humans
Common namesSynonymsMetabolismPredatorsEcotoxicologyReproductionMaturitySpawningSpawning aggregationFecundityEggsEgg development
ReferencesAquacultureAquaculture profileStrainsGeneticsAllele frequenciesHeritabilityDiseasesProcessingMass conversion
Estimates of some properties based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref. 115969
): 21 - 28.5, mean 25.9 (based on 54 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82805
= 0.5625 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01175 (0.00725 - 0.01904), b=3.07 (2.93 - 3.21), in cm Total Length, based on LWR estimates for this species & (Sub)family-body (Ref. 93245
Trophic Level (Ref. 69278
): 3.7 ±0.2 se; Based on diet studies.
Resilience (Ref. 69278
): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Vulnerability (Ref. 59153
): Low to moderate vulnerability (26 of 100) .