Teleostei (teleosts) >
Eupercaria/misc (Various families in series Eupercaria) >
Sciaenidae (Drums or croakers)
Etymology: Argyrosomus: Greek, argyros = silvered, silver + Greek, soma = body (Ref. 45335); coronus: Named for Corana Griffiths, wife of the first author; noun in apposition..
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; brackish; benthopelagic; oceanodromous (Ref. 51243); depth range ? - 100 m (Ref. 11025), usually 20 - 40 m (Ref. 36731). Tropical
Southeast Atlantic: South Africa to Angola.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 200 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 36731); max. published weight: 77.0 kg (Ref. 11025)
Dorsal spines (total): 11; Dorsal soft rays (total): 26 - 30; Anal spines: 2; Anal soft rays: 7; Vertebrae: 25. Swim bladder carrot-shaped with 28-38 arborescent appendages. Drumming muscles present in both sexes; urinary bladders large; sagitta typically Argyrosomus; pectoral fin axillary fold without scales; peritoneum unpigmented; anterior part of lateral line slightly curved.
Occurs in estuaries, the surf zone and further offshore. In southern Angola, it is caught mainly in depths of 20-40 m. Becomes more abundant in Argyrosomus catches going northwards, indicating its preference for warmer waters. Fish up to 13,000 g were found to be immature. Adults are rarely found in Namibia but are said to be abundant in southern Angola, where the lack of permanent estuaries there suggests that this habitat type does not play an important role in the life history of this species (Ref. 11025).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturities | Reproduction | Spawnings | Egg(s) | Fecundities | Larvae
Griffiths, M.H. and P.C. Heemstra, 1995. A contribution to the taxonomy of the marine fish genus Argyrosomus (Perciformes: Sciaenidae), with descriptions of two new species from southern Africa. Ichthyol. Bull., J.L.B. Smith Inst. Ichthyol. No. 65, 40 p. (Ref. 11025)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: minor commercial; gamefish: yes
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Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5020 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00575 (0.00278 - 0.01190), b=3.11 (2.93 - 3.29), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 4.4 ±0.7 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref.
120179): Very Low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Very high vulnerability (90 of 100).