Totoaba
Sign in to saveThe totoaba or totuava (Totoaba macdonaldi) is a species of marine fish endemic to the Gulf of California in Mexico. It is the largest member of the drum family Sciaenidae and is the only extant species in the genus Totoaba. Originally an abundant species, the totoaba is now considered endangered due to human-related threats that contributed to its population decline.
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Article
9 sectionsContents
- Distribution and habitat
- Species description
- Life cycle
- Environmental threat
- Human threats
- Commercial trade
- Conservation status
- References
- External links
The totoaba or totuava (Totoaba macdonaldi) is a species of marine fish endemic to the Gulf of California in Mexico. It is the largest member of the drum family Sciaenidae and is the only extant species in the genus Totoaba. Originally an abundant species, the totoaba is now considered endangered due to human-related threats that contributed to its population decline.
== Distribution and habitat == Although the totoaba population has declined due to nearly 50 years of overfishing, they have maintained their historical distribution range across the Gulf of California, inhabiting the northern part of the Gulf, the south of La Paz, the west of Baja California Sur, and the east of Mármol, Sinaloa. Interestingly, the genus Totoaba appears to have had a slightly wider range on the western North American coast in prehistoric times; a fossil otolith assigned to the extinct species T. fitchi is known from the Oclese Sand Formation in Kern County, California, suggesting that it reached as far north as there during the late part of the Early Miocene.