About Genyonemus lineatus (Ayres, 1855)
The white croaker (Genyonemus lineatus) has an elongate, somewhat compressed body. Its head is oblong and bluntly rounded, with a subterminal mouth located underneath the head. The species is colored incandescent brownish to yellowish on the back, fading to silvery on the underside, and its fins range from yellow to white. It also has small barbels on the lower lip. It is one of five California croaker species with subterminal mouths. It can be told apart from California corbina and yellowfin croaker by the lack of a single fleshy barbel at the tip of its lower jaw. It can be distinguished from all other subterminal-mouthed croakers by the 12 to 15 spines in its first dorsal fin; none of the other species have more than 11 spines in this fin. White croakers feed on a wide range of items, including live and dead fishes, squid, shrimp, octopus, worms, small crabs, and clams. The maximum age of white croakers has not been confirmed, but it is thought that some individuals live 15 years or longer. Individuals first spawn when they are between 2 and 3 years old. At this age, they measure only 12 to 15 cm (4.7 to 5.9 in) long and weigh less than 45 grams (0.099 pounds). The largest recorded white croaker specimen measured 41.4 cm (16.3 in), and no weight was recorded for this individual. A 36.8 cm (14.5 in) individual was recorded to weigh 640 grams (1 lb 6½ oz).
