Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; reef-associated; depth range 2 - 100 m (Ref. 13628), usually ? - 70 m (Ref. 55314). Subtropical; 35°N - 8°N, 99°W - 60°W (Ref. 55314)
Western Atlantic: North Carolina, USA and northern Gulf of Mexico to Yucatan, Mexico; northern coast of South America (Ref. 5217). Absent in the West Indies.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 44.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 7251); common length : 35.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 5217)
Inhabits silty, sandy, or rubble bottoms (Ref. 9710). Feeds on fishes (Ref. 13628). Possesses electric organs located in a specialized pouch behind the eyes. Can discharge up to 50 volts (Ref. 10576).The electric organ discharge (EOD) rate depends on the temperature: about 500 Hz at 35°C and 50 Hz at 15°C (corresponding to the annual temperature range of the habitat of this species) (Ref. 10011). Cleithral spine with venom gland (Ref. 57406).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Robins, C.R. and G.C. Ray, 1986. A field guide to Atlantic coast fishes of North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, U.S.A. 354 p. (Ref. 7251)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2 (Global))
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Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804) |
PD50 = 0.5625 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high]. |
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Bayesian length-weight
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a=0.00617 (0.00257 - 0.01480), b=3.11 (2.90 - 3.32), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref. 93245). |
Trophic level (Ref. 69278) |
4.2 ±0.0 se; based on diet studies. |
Resilience (Ref. 120179) |
Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.). |
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153) |
Moderate vulnerability (42 of 100). 🛈 |
Nutrients (Ref. 124155) |
Calcium = 29.8 [13.9, 50.8] mg/100g; Iron = 0.545 [0.308, 0.918] mg/100g; Protein = 19.4 [18.3, 20.4] %; Omega3 = 0.148 [0.084, 0.260] g/100g; Selenium = 17.9 [8.5, 37.2] μg/100g; VitaminA = 82.4 [30.0, 236.4] μg/100g; Zinc = 0.644 [0.409, 0.959] mg/100g (wet weight); |