Spotted sea bass is an East Asian coastal fish that usually keeps dark spots into adulthood. Some adults have few or no spots, so the pattern alone cannot identify it. It has not been recorded living wild in the United States.
Appearance
Appearance
Most have many dark spots about the size of the pupil on the upper body and sometimes below it. The body is long and silver, much like that of the Japanese seabass (Lateolabrax japonicus).
Where it lives
Typical habitats
East Asian coasts
River mouths
Range
Its recorded range runs from Korea and China south toward Vietnam. It has not been recorded living wild in the United States.
Behavior
Diet
In China’s Yangtze River estuary, it feeds mainly on fish in summer.
Name and classification
About the name
This fish has also been called Lateolabrax maculatus, though researchers differ on which fish that name applies to.