Lagodon facts for kids
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The pinfish (scientific name: Lagodon rhomboides) is a type of fish found in the ocean. It belongs to the Sparidae family, which includes other fish like seabreams and porgies. The pinfish is the only species in its group, called a monospecific genus. People sometimes call it by other names, such as red porgy, bream, or sailor's choice. You can find this fish in the Western Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.
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About the Pinfish's Name
Scientists give every living thing a special two-part name. This helps everyone know exactly which animal they are talking about. The pinfish's scientific name is Lagodon rhomboides.
The name Lagodon comes from two old words. Lagus means "hare" or "rabbit," and odon means "tooth." This name likely refers to the pinfish's front teeth. They are wide and notched, a bit like a rabbit's teeth.
The second part of the name, rhomboides, means "shaped like a rhombus." A rhombus is a diamond shape. This part of the name probably refers to the shape of the fish's scales. An artist named Mark Catesby drew a picture of a similar fish in 1754. His drawing showed scales that looked like rhombuses.
What Does a Pinfish Look Like?
The pinfish has a body that is shaped like a flattened oval. It is not very thick from side to side. It has a small mouth and fairly large eyes. The top of its head slopes steeply down to a pointed snout.
At the front of its mouth, the pinfish has small, flat teeth that point outwards. These teeth are like tiny incisors. It has a long fin on its back called the dorsal fin. This fin has 12 sharp spines. The very first spine is small and points forward. This tiny spine is actually why the fish is called a "pinfish"! The dorsal fin also has 10 soft rays. The fin on its belly, called the anal fin, has 3 spines and 11 soft rays.
Pinfish have an olive-green back. Their sides are a bluish-silver color. They have thin yellow and blue stripes that run along their body. You might also see 5 or 6 faint dark bars on their sides. Their fins are light yellow with wide, pale blue edges. There is a clear black spot on the fish's shoulder, just behind its gill cover.
Pinfish can grow up to about 40 centimeters (about 16 inches) long. However, they are usually around 18 centimeters (about 7 inches) long. The heaviest pinfish ever recorded weighed about 1.5 kilograms (about 3.3 pounds).
Where Pinfish Live and What They Like
Pinfish live in the ocean near the coast. You can find them from Massachusetts down to Texas in the United States. They also live along the northern coast of Mexico and near some islands in the northern Caribbean. They are less common in very warm, tropical areas.
Adult pinfish usually prefer deeper waters, about 30 to 50 feet deep. Younger pinfish like places where they can hide. They are often found in seagrass beds, rocky areas, near jetties, pilings (like under docks), and in mangrove forests. Pinfish like water that is saltier.
They don't usually swim in large groups called schools. However, they do gather with other pinfish when there is a lot of food around, like barnacles.
What Pinfish Eat
What a pinfish eats changes as it grows bigger. Young pinfish are mostly meat-eaters. They munch on small shrimp, fish eggs, insect larvae, worms, and tiny crustaceans called amphipods.
As pinfish get older and larger, they start eating more plants. For pinfish that are bigger than 100 millimeters (about 4 inches), plants make up more than 90% of their diet!
Who Eats Pinfish?
Pinfish are a food source for many other animals in the ocean. Some of their predators include:
- Alligator gar
- Longnose gar
- Ladyfish
- Spotted sea trout
- Red drum
- Southern flounder
- Pelicans
- Grouper
- Cobia
- Snook
- Bottlenose dolphins
Pinfish Life Cycle and Reproduction
Pinfish become old enough to reproduce when they are about one year old. At this age, they are usually 80 to 100 millimeters (about 3 to 4 inches) long. They lay their eggs in the fall and winter.
The female pinfish releases her eggs into the water. Then, the male pinfish fertilizes them. A female can lay anywhere from 7,000 to 90,000 eggs! The eggs hatch after about two days. The baby pinfish, called larvae, are not protected by their parents. The larval stage ends when the fish is about 12 millimeters (less than half an inch) long. A young pinfish becomes an adult when it reaches about 80 millimeters. Because so many other animals eat pinfish, they usually do not live for a very long time.
Pinfish and People
Pinfish are not usually caught for sport or food in the United States. This is because they are small and have many tiny bones. However, they are very popular as live bait for catching bigger fish. Anglers (people who fish) use pinfish to catch tarpon, red drum, spotted sea trout, and flounder.
Sometimes, anglers think pinfish are a bit of a bother. They can steal bait meant for other fish! So, people often use special traps to catch pinfish quickly for bait.
A famous scientist named Edward O. Wilson had an interesting experience with a pinfish. When he was seven years old, he caught a pinfish. It flew up and accidentally struck him in the face, causing him to lose sight in one eye.
