Gulf kingcroaker (Menticirrhus littoralis) is a saltwater, brackish species recorded in the United States. It is found at depths of ≥ 10 m.
Scientific name: Menticirrhus littoralis · Water: Saltwater, Brackish
Size: up to 48.3 cm
The Gulf kingcroaker is a demersal sciaenid that usually occurs in coastal waters over sandy and muddy bottoms, with juveniles abundant in the surf zone, and it sometimes enters estuaries. It feeds mainly on worms and crustaceans, and it is an excellent food fish. It is recorded from 10 m downwards, with no maximum depth recorded for it, and it also enters brackish water. Its range is the western Atlantic, from Virginia and the continental coast of the Gulf of Mexico to Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil. Maximum length is about 48.3 cm total length, commonly about 30 cm, and it matures at about 23 cm. It is a minor commercial species and a gamefish, with a low price category. Fishing vulnerability is low to moderate at 34 of 100 and resilience medium, and climate vulnerability is high at 56 of 100. IUCN lists it as least concern.
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