Short Silverbiddy

Gerres erythrourus

The Short Silverbiddy, also known as the deep-bodied mojarra, is a species of ray-finned fish belonging to the family Gerreidae. This fish is characterized by its silvery body with indistinct fine dark stripes along the scale rows above and several rows immediately below the lateral line. It has a deep body shape, with a maximum depth of 1.9-2.3 times its standard length. The dorsal fin features nine spines and ten soft rays, while the anal fin has three spines and seven soft rays. The pectoral fins extend beyond the level of the anal fin, and the caudal fin is short and deeply forked. The ventral and anal fins are yellow with white tips. This species is found in marine and brackish waters across the Indo-West Pacific region, from Madagascar to India, north to the Yellow Sea, and east to Fiji. It inhabits estuaries, coastal waters, and lagoons, typically within a depth range of 1 to 40 meters. The Short Silverbiddy forms schools on sandy bottoms and is known for its oceanodromous behavior, migrating from mangroves and sand flats to outer reef edges during spawning around the full moon. The diet of the Short Silverbiddy varies with age. Juveniles primarily feed on zooplankton, while larger individuals consume small polychaetes, bivalves, crustaceans, and small fish. It is an important species for local commercial fisheries in many tropical countries. The IUCN has assessed this species as being of Least Concern.