Pinfish
Species Facts
Science Name: Lagodon rhomboides
Size: Grows to about 4.5 in (11.4 cm).
World Record: 1.51 kg (3 lb 5 oz)
Description

Both males and females have a silvery sheen all over, five to six vertical bars on the side. They have an olive back, with yellow and white pigmentation and blue, green, and purple iridescence. Its anterior dorsal fin has 12 rigid, spiny rays capable of superficially puncturing human skin (hence the common name pinfish) giving way posteriorally to 12 more short soft rays.

Distribution and Habitat

The pinfish is found in Bermuda and along the United States coast from Massachusetts and abundantly in Texas, and down along the Mexican Gulf Coast. It is also found along the northern Yucatan coast and some northern Caribbean islands, though it is less common throughout the tropical portions of its range. Adult pinfish prefer protected waters between 30 and 50 feet deep, while juveniles are common over seagrass beds or other structure such as rocky bottoms, jetties, pilings, and in mangrove areas where there is cover from predators. They prefer water that has a higher salinity. Pinfish rarely school, but can be found near each other, especially along structure which supports barnacles and mollusks.

Sources

wikipedia.org