Fish Identification Photos: Black Croaker, Chinese Croaker, Cheilotrema saturnum: The Black Croaker is characterized by its oblong body and oblique forehead profile. It has a pointed snout without barrels and the mouth is underneath. A key to identification is the presence of a thick second anal spine and the straight caudal fin.

The Black Croaker has a dark gray to purplish-black appearance, silver belly, dark gray fins, and dark spots. There is a short white blotch below the first dorsal fin, a pale white bar at midbody, and a black blotch on the gill cover.

The Black Croaker is found in all Mexican waters along the Pacific coast of Baja California, throughout the Sea of Cortez, and along the coast of mainland Mexico to Acapulco. It appears to be absent from around Mexico's oceanic islands.

The Black Croaker grows to a length of 2 feet and is generally found around inshore rocky reefs and in caves in the first 100 feet of the water column. Care must be taken to distinguish the Black Croaker from the Spotfin Croaker, Roncador stearnsi (second anal spine small). Due to its rarity, the Black Croaker is of limited sportfishing or commercial interest.

The Black Croaker is a member of the Sciaenidae Family, a series of croakers or drums caught from the surf. At present there are 270 known species of Sciaenidae, of which 30 are found in the Sea of Cortez. The Black Croaker is the only known member of the Cheilotrema Genus. Description courtesy John Snow.

Black Croaker, Cheilotrema saturnum: Donated to Mexfish.com by the commercial panguero Mexican fishermen of Todos Santos, Baja California Sur, Mexico, June 2007. Size 15 inches. The collection above, made at 23.24.88 degrees north and 110.13.88 degrees west, documents a significant range extension for this species. Identifiation reconfirmed by H.J. Walker, Scripps Institute of Oceanography, La Jolla, Calif., and Dr. Milton Love, University of California, Santa Barbara, Calif. Description and photo courtesy of John Snow. Black Croaker, Cheilotrema saturnum: Caught drifting ghost shrimp on the shallows bottom, San Diego Bay, off J Street, Chula Vista, Calif., Sept. 13, 2003. Description and photo courtesy Dean Mitchell. Fish identification courtesy of Dr. Milton Love.