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Lagodon is a monospecific genus of marine belonging to the family , which includes the seabreams and porgies. The only species in the genus is Lagodon rhomboides, the pinfish, red porgy, bream, pin perch, sand perch, butterfish or sailor's choice. This fish is found in the Western Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico.


Taxonomy
Lagodon was first proposed as a genus in 1855 by the American John Edwards Holbrook with Sparus rhomboides as its only species. Sparus rhomboides was first formally described in 1766 by in the Systema naturae sive regna tria naturae giving the type locality as "America", although it is considered to be . In 1940 Henry Weed Fowler described a new species, Salema atkinsoni, the type having been caught off , which he placed in a subgenus of he named Sphenosargus. This taxon is now regarded as a of L. rhomboides. This taxon is placed in the family Sparidae within the order by the 5th edition of Fishes of the World.
(2025). 9781118342336, John Wiley & Sons.
Some authorities classify this genus in the subfamily Boopsinae, but the 5th edition of Fishes of the World does not recognise subfamilies within the Sparidae.


Etymology
Lagodon combines lagus, meaning "hare" or "rabbit", with odon, which means "tooth", this is thought to be a reference to the 8 wide, deeply notched -like teeth at the front of each jaw. The specific name rhomboides means "in the form of a ", presumed to be a reference to the shape of the scales in the illustration of two seabreams called Perca marina rhomboidalis fasciata drawn by published in 1754. Other names include pinfish, choffer, pin perch, and butterfish. The name "Choffer" is a very limited regional moniker around Panama City that ends somewhere between Destin & Pensacola.


Description
Lagodon has a moderately deep and compressed oval-shaped body with a small mouth and moderately large eyes. The dorsal profile of the head is steep and leads to a sharp snout. The teeth in the front of the mouth are small and -like and point outwards. There are 12 spines; the first spine is small and points forward and gives this fish its common name of pinfish, and 10 dorsal fin rays. The has three spines and 11 soft rays. This species has an olive back, shading to bluish-silver on the flanks marked with slender yellow and blue horizontal stripes and five or six dark, poorly defined, vertical bars also on the flank. The fins are pale yellow with wide, pale blue edges. There is an obvious black spot on the shoulder, to the rear of the operculum. The pinfish has a maximum published of , although is more typical, and a maximum published weight of .


Distribution and habitat
Lagodon is found in and along the United States coast from to , and down along the Mexican Gulf Coast. It is also found along the northern Yucatán coast and near some northern islands, but it is less common in the portions of its range. The adult pinfish prefers waters between 30 and 50 feet deep, while the juvenile is more common where there is some cover, such as beds, rocky bottoms, , , and . It prefers higher-salinity water. It rarely schools, but it associates with other individuals, especially where food items such as are abundant.


Diet
Lagodon undergoes ontogenetic changes in the morphology of their dentition and gut tracts which affect diet throughout their life history. Juvenile pinfish are carnivorous and primarily eat shrimp, fish eggs, insect larvae, worms, and . As pinfish become older and larger they become increasingly more herbivorous, with plant matter comprising >90% of the diet for pinfish greater than 100mm.


Predators
The pinfish is prey for , , , spotted sea trout, , southern flounder, , , , and bottlenose dolphins.


Reproduction
Lagodon reaches sexual maturity at about one year, when the fish is 80 to 100 mm in length. season is in the fall and winter. Eggs are broadcast in the water by the female, then fertilized by the male. The number of eggs varies from 7,000 to 90,000. They hatch after about 48 hours. Larvae are not protected by adults. The larval stage ends when the fish is about 12 mm in length, and the juvenile reaches maturity when it is about 80 mm. Because this species is eaten by many other animals, its life span is generally short.


Commercial and recreational significance
Lagodon is not generally sought as sport or food in the United States due to its small size and numerous small bones. It is often used as by anglers targeting tarpon, red drum, spotted sea trout, and . Because it is generally considered a nuisance bait-stealer, anglers opt to catch Lagodon in traps in order to improve the efficiency and gather more live bait quickly.

The famous naturalist, Edward O. Wilson, lost the vision in his right eye at the age of seven, when he caught a pinfish and it flew up and struck him in the face.

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