Five new species of Stellifer are described from the Caribbean Sea and tropical southwestern Atlantic. Among the previously recognized stelliferine genera, Stellifer is unique by having a pair of variably developed appendages on the posterior margin of the anterior gas chamber, which is lacking in Bairdiella, Corvula, Elattarchus, Odontoscion and Ophioscion. However, recent genetic studies indicated that Stellifer and Ophioscion are not monophyletic. The genus Ophioscion Gill, 1863 is recognized herein as a junior synonym of Stellifer Oken, 1817. Of the five new species described, Stellifer cervigoni n. sp., S. collettei n. sp., and S. musicki n. sp. have a pair of knob-like diverticula along the posterior margin of the anterior gas chamber, which is absent in S. macallisteri n. sp., and S. menezesi  n. sp. Stellifer cervigoni n. sp. is found along the southern Caribbean coast of Colombia and Venezuela; it can be distinguished from other species by having a jet-black roof of mouth and inner opercular lining. Stellifer collettei n. sp. is found from Surinam to southeastern Brazil, while S. musicki n. sp. is endemic to northern Brazil. Stellifer macallisteri n. sp. has an oblique, terminal mouth and it is found in Colombia, Venezuela and Dominican Republic. Stellifer menezesi n. sp. has a subterminal mouth and is found from northeastern to southeastern Brazil. These results bring the number of valid species of Stellifer in the Atlantic to 18, and a key to the identification of these species is included.

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Given the importance and applicability of these biometric relations, the present work aimed to verify the existence of correlations between the length of saggitae otoliths and the body size of seven south‐western Atlantic marine fish species and to generate equations to estimate the body size of these species through otolith measurements. Fifty otoliths of Centropomus parallelus, Centropomus undecimalis, Lutjanus analis, Lutjanus jocu, Lutjanus synagris, Chaetodipterus faber and Mugil curema were collected for analysis. Significant relations between otolith length and total length and otolith width and total length were found for all the species. The highest coefficient of determination was observed for Centropomus undecimalis and Lutjanus synagris, for both relations, and the lowest was observed for Mugil curema. The results show that estimates of body size of the species through biometric analyses of otoliths are reliable. Based on this, the equations generated to obtain the total length of the fish using biometric otolith data can be used in dietary studies of top predators and in paleontological recostructions of modern fish.

Sciaenidae species (croakers and drums) are known for specializations in their sensory apparatus, such as otoliths and lateral line. Within this family, some Stelliferinae members remain taxonomically unresolved due to their cryptic aspects and low phenotypic disparities. Stellifer punctatissimus comprises a species complex putatively formed by three species on morphological grounds, but molecular data have indicated only two evolutionary lineages. Herein, we tested the hypothesis that this complex is composed of Stellifer gomezi (GM), S. menezesi (MN), and S. punctatissimus (PC), using the otolith shape and morphology to differentiate them. Seventy-seven sagittal otoliths (GM = 30, MN = 30, PC = 17) were photographed to outline the otolith contour by Elliptical Fourier descriptors. Ten otoliths for each group were used to detect shape variation in the sulcus acusticus through semilandmarks. Differences in otolith shape contour were recorded among the species by PERMANOVA (Pseudo-F = 4.02, df = 2, p < 0.001) and corroborated by the Linear Discriminant Analysis, which demonstrated three partially segregated groups with satisfactory re-classification rates. A larger sulcus acusticus (GM and MN), rounded projection (PC), and distinct rectangularity pattern were also recorded. Our results support the morphological hypothesis and thus contribute to narrowing the taxonomic gaps in Sciaenidae.

Tropical sandy beaches have low primary productivity, thus depend on external food sources. Generally, allochthonous macrophytes, form the basis of these food webs, and also may influence factors such as fish’s abundance, richness, species composition, and biomass. However, the role of macrophytes to the feeding ecology of fishes in tropical sandy beaches is uncertain. We aim to explain if this microhabitat acts as restaurants for fishes by performing stomach content and prey availability analyses using Ophioscion punctatissimus as a model because it has an association with detached macrophytes mainly on sandy beaches along the northeastern Brazilian coast. The most consumed prey was crustaceans, mainly amphipods, which were eaten in a specialist way, especially by the smaller fishes. The prey availability along with electivity index suggested that this species choose amphipods. Seasonal variations may indicate that the fishes did not locate their preferential prey as an effect of the availability, this can be also explained by factors such as palatability, and optimal foraging theory. Here, we redefined the O. punctatissimus trophic guild as zooplanktivorous, highlighting macrophytes as restaurants for fishes in tropical sandy beaches as they are the main source of food, adding another function to this microhabitat in this environment.