Halfmoon (Medialuna californiensis) is a saltwater species recorded in the United States. It is mainly found over reef, rocky, seagrass, at depths of 3–40 m.
Scientific name: Medialuna californiensis · Water: Saltwater
Size: up to 48 cm
The halfmoon (Medialuna californiensis), also known as the blue perch, is a sea chub of the eastern Pacific, native to the western coast of North America from Vancouver Island to the Gulf of California, although it is rare north of Point Conception in California. It is frequently seen high in the water column over rocks and at middle depths over kelp, favouring rocky reefs, kelp forests, floating kelp pads and oil rigs, commonly between 3 and 40 m, and it is an omnivore that grazes kelp, red algae and green algae while also taking small invertebrates such as crustaceans, sponges and sea anemones. It schools, matures at about two years and 20 cm, and spawns from June through October as a broadcast spawner, with juveniles schooling with young opaleye beneath floating kelp. In the United States it is a familiar southern California pier, breakwater and boat catch on light tackle with seaweed, squid or shrimp baits, and it reaches a maximum recorded total length of 48 cm.
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