Photo Credit: Dan Marotta – Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute
| Family | Scientific Name | Author | Year | Common Name |
| Sciaenidae | Menticirrhus saxatilis | (Bloch and Schneider) | 1801 | Northern Kingfish |
Menticirrhus saxatilis
Unique Characters: Side with 7 or 8 distinct oblique bars, second and third bars form a V below spinous dorsal fin, a longitudinal stripe below lateral line extending to tip of caudal fin. Single barbel on tip of lower jaw. Body elongate and rounded in cross-section, belly flat. Body silvery grey with dark oblique bars on sides; breast scales not much reduced in size. Pectoral fin longer, reaching to or beyond tip of pelvic fin. Anal fin with 1 short spine. Spinous dorsal fin high, when depressed back, its tip reaching beyond base of fourth soft dorsal-fin ray.
Southern Kingfish
Menticirrhus americanus
Gulf Kingfish
Menticirrhus littoralis
Southern Kingfish Menticirrhus americanus. Single barbel on tip of lower jaw. Body elongate and rounded in cross-section, belly flat. Anal fin with 1 short spine. Body silvery grey with dark oblique bars on sides; breast scales not much reduced in size. Pectoral fin longer, reaching to or beyond tip of pelvic fin. Side with 8 or 9 diffused saddle-like bars or dark blotches, second and third bars form a faint V below nape and spinous dorsal fin. No stripes connecting eyes or below lateral line. Spinous dorsal fin lower, when depressed back not reaching to base of second soft ray.
Gulf Kingfish Menticirrhus littoralis. Single barbel on tip of lower jaw. Body elongate and rounded in cross-section, belly flat. Anal fin with 1 short spine. Body uniformly silvery; breast scales (below pectoral-fin base and pelvic-fin origin) much smaller than those along lateral line. Pectoral fin short, usually not reaching to tip of pelvic fin.
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