Pacific Spotfin Mojarra, Eucinostomus dowii
Pacific Spotfin Mojarra, Eucinostomus dowii. Fish caught off the Ocean Beach Pier, San Diego, California, May 2006. Length: 2.5 cm (1.0 inch).
Pacific Spotfin Mojarra, Eucinostomus dowii. Fish caught from coastal waters off Mazatlán, Sinaloa, October 2021. Length: 12 cm (4.7 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Bart, The Netherlands (worldangler.eu).
Pacific Spotfin Mojarra, Eucinostomus dowii. Fish provided by the commercial bait salesmen of Puerto Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, January 2011. Length: 18 cm (7.1 inches). Fish identification courtesy of Dr. Ross Robertson, Tropical Research Smithsonian Institute, Panama.
Pacific Spotfin Mojarra, Eucinostomus dowii. Fish caught from coastal waters within Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur, May 2018. Length: 25.5 cm (10 inches).
Pacific Spotfin Mojarra, Eucinostomus dowii. Fish caught from coastal waters off Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, November 2020. Length: 17 cm (6.7 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Luke Ovgard, Klamath Falls, Oregon.
Pacific Spotfin Mojarra, Eucinostomus dowii. Fish caught from coastal waters within Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur, May 2018. Length: 25.5 cm (10 inches), 14.8 cm (5.8 inches) and 13.0 cm (5.1 inches).
The Pacific Spotfin Mojarra, Eucinostomus dowii, is a member of the Mojarra and Gerreidae Family, that is also known as Dow’s Mojarra and the Spotfin Mojarra, and in Mexico as mojarra manchita. Globally, there are eleven species in the genus Eucinostomus, and all eleven are found in Mexican waters, seven in the Atlantic and four in the Pacific Ocean.
The Pacific Spotfin Mojarra has an elongated oval body that has a depth that is 33% to 37% of standard length. They have a silvery white body with no other distinguishing marks. Their head has a straight upper profile and a concave lower profile, their mouth is highly extensible, pointing downward when protruded, and their snout is pointed. They have smooth gill covers. Their anal fin has 3 slender spines and 7 rays with the second spine being short but the strongest; their caudal fin is deeply forked; their dorsal fin is elevated at the front and has 9 spines and 10 rays; and, their pectoral fins are short and pointed and do not reach the anal fin origin. Their lateral line is slightly arched. Their head and body are covered with rough scales.
The Pacific Spotfin Mojarra is found in shallow coastal areas including mangrove estuaries and fresh water lagoons at depths up to 114 m (375 feet). They have a maximum of 25.5 cm (10.0 inches) in length, established by the fish I caught photographed above. The Pacific Spotfin Mojarra is poorly studied with very limited information available about their lifestyle and behavioral patterns including specific details on age, growth, longevity, movement patterns, diet, habitat use, and reproduction.
The Pacific Spotfin Mojarra is a resident of all Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean.
The Pacific Spotfin Mojarra can be confused with the Darkspot Mojarra, Eucinostomus entomelas (oval body; black gill chamber and pectoral fins) and the Graceful Mojarra, Eucinostomus gracilis (slender body; slender second anal spine).
From a conservation perspective the Pacific Spotfin Mojarra is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are small in stature and of limited interest to most.
NOTE. There are eighteen members of the Mojarra or Gerreidae Family currently Included in this website, ten are from Mexican waters of the Pacific and eight from the Atlantic. They are all very similar in appearance and difficult to identify. As an aide to this challenge I have assembled a Mojarra Body Depth Chart that presents these seventeen mojarras from thin bodied to deep bodied which is useful in identification work. In addition, I have also assembled a Mojarra Maximum Length Chart which I have also helpful in the identification work for these eighteen mojarras. Both charts can be found at the end of the Mojarra Family Page.