DRUMS
SCIAENIDAE
Spotted Drum
Equetus punctatus
    Ecological Descriptors
Habitat Size (cm) Diet Behaviour Sex 
Co 25 Cru, Wor, Cor Noct I, Ter F
 
Spotted Ribbonfish
Synonyms:
Spotted Drum Adult
Spotted Drum Juvenile with Adult
Spotted Drum Adult
Description:
Adults: Body deep at front, tapering to a thin tail base. Head low and snout overhangs horizontal mouth. Elongated first dorsal fin black anteriorly and white posteriorly.
Second dorsal, anal and tail fins black with white spots. Body white, with 3 broad, black oblique bars, one through eye, eye from nape to pelvic fin and one from the 1st dorsal that angles back to form a stripe that runs to base of tail fin. Upper back with 2 black stripes.
Juveniles: Juveniles have an extremely long dorsal fin. Head with a black spot on the nose (differentiates from similar Jacknife fish Equitus lanceolatus) -and two vertical black bars. Body with one long black stripe from the first dorsal fin to the tail.

Ecology
Occurs primarily on coral reefs. Secretive and usually solitary and territorial, under ledges or near small caves during the day, swimming in repetitive patterns from 3 to 30m (10 to 100ft).
Feeds at night on crabs, shrimps, soft coral and worms/ polychaetes.Drums are named due to the repetitive throbbing or drumming sounds they make by beating their abdominal muscles against the swim bladder, as a mating call and to communicate with each other.

Life Cycle
Spotted drums are dioecious, with separate sexes, and fertilization is external. They are oviparous, in that the young are hatched after the parent has laid the eggs. They belong to the reproductive guild of nonguarders and egg scatterers in open water; there is
no parental care for the young.
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Spotted Drum Adult