Walleye Surfperch
Hyperprosopon argenteum
Physical Description
- Has an oval, vertically flattened body.
- Has a small head with very large eyes and a small, upwardly slanted mouth.
- Silver body coloring, with faint dark gray coloration on top of back and black tips of their fins.
- Juveniles have narrow golden vertical bars on their sides.
Range
- Vancouver Island, British Columbia to Point San Rosarito, Baja California, Mexico.
Habitat
- Live in shallow water like bays.
- Live in sandy beaches, near rocks, around piers, and in the surf.
Reproduction
- They bear live young.
- They mate in pairs in early winter.
- Gestation lasts up to one year, with each female giving birth to 5-12 young that are 1.5 inches each. Larger females produce larger litter sizes.
Diet
- Small crustaceans, amphipods, copepods, terrestrial moth flies.
- Visual nocturnal hunter, hence its large eyes.
Predators
- California halibut is their main predator.
- They are also eaten by bottlenose dolphins, various seabirds, and harbor seals.
Interesting Facts
- They are often found in dense schools of hundreds of fish.
Sources: California Department of Fish and Wildlife; Pierfishing.com; Fishbase; Moring 1984; Hobson and Chess 1986; Mexican-Fish.com
Photo: Ken Jones