The barred sand bass (''Paralabrax nebulifer'') is a species of fish in the family

Serranidae The Serranidae are a large family of fishes belonging to the order Perciformes. The family contains about 450 species in 65 genera, including the sea basses and the groupers (subfamily Epinephelinae). Although many species are small, in some ca ...

, the sea basses and groupers. It is native to

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

and

Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...

, where it lives in the coastal waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean.

Description

This species can reach a length of and a weight of . The body is elongated and compressed. It is gray-white in color with dark vertical bars and a whitish belly. It has a large mouth and a slightly protruding lower jaw. Similar species include the spotted sand bass (''P. maculatofasciatus''), which can be distinguished by small spots all along the body. The barred and spotted sand bass have an elongated third dorsal spine, distinguishing them from the similar

kelp bass ''Paralabrax clathratus'', the kelp bass, bull bass or calico bass, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a sea bass from the subfamily Serraninae, classified as part of the family Serranidae which includes the groupers and anthias. It is foun ...

(''P. clathratus''), which has dorsal spines of equal length.California Marine Sportfish Identification: Sea Bass
California Department of Fish and Wildlife. 2018.

Range

Barred sand bass occur from

Santa Cruz, California Santa Cruz ( Spanish for "Holy Cross") is the county seat and largest city of Santa Cruz County, in Northern California. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 62,956. Situated on the northern edge of Monterey Bay, Santa Cruz is a po ...

Magdalena Bay Magdalena Bay ( es, Bahía Magdalena) is a long bay in Comondú Municipality along the western coast of the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. It is protected from the Pacific Ocean by the unpopulated sandy barrier islands of Isla Magdalena ...

in Baja California Sur.

Natural history

This species lives in shallow waters up to 600 feet deep. It is most commonly caught in 60 to 90 feet of water. It lives on sandy bottoms. The barred sand bass eats other fish, especially plainfin midshipman, and some invertebrates. Juveniles eat many types of small invertebrates and small fish. The species forms spawning aggregations in the warmer months and is a pelagic spawner, releasing eggs freely into the water. Like other species of genus ''Paralabrax'', the barred sand bass can change sex, with individuals turning from female to male as they age and grow larger, but most do not.Baca-Hovey, C. and L. D. Cooper
Reproductive biology of the barred sand bass (''Paralabrax nebulifer'').
Southern California Coastal Water Research Project 1999-2000 Annual Report. This is a popular sport fish in Southern California. Population studies have been performed by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.Barred Sand Bass Spawning Movements and Habitat Characterization.
California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Populations are stable, likely due to recreational fishing regulations and a ban on commercial fishing of the species. It may also benefit from marine protected areas along the California coast.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barred Sand Bass Paralabrax Fish described in 1854 Taxa named by Charles Frédéric Girard Fauna of California Fish of Mexico