Graceful Mojarra: Facts & Habitat

About Graceful Mojarra

Graceful mojarra are slender, silvery fish of soft-bottomed Pacific coastal waters.

Natural history

They are especially associated with brackish settings. FishBase lists crabs and shrimp as foods and describes jaws that can project forward. The body is compressed from side to side, while the fins are mostly transparent except for dark tips on the dorsal spines.

The species account places the range from southern California to Peru. Its southern California occurrence is near the northern edge of that distribution, rather than evidence of an equally abundant population along the entire coast. USGS describes records north of Baja California as rare.

Sources: Eucinostomus gracilis species summary; Graceful Mojarra species profile

Guide sources

Research reviewed 2026-10-19.

Eucinostomus gracilis species summary — FishBase
Graceful Mojarra species profile — U.S. Geological Survey

Native range

Marine; Anaheim Bay in southern California to Peru; rare north of Baja (Miller and Lea 1972; Eschmeyer et al. 1983).

Introduction history

Small numbers of fish were stocked twice in December 1950. Stock obtained from San Felipe, Mexico (Walker et al. 1961).

Range

Where it lives

72.2%of mapped records

Share of 18 GBIF observation records with a state location, across 5 states.

Share of records by state

Habitat

Water and movement

Water: WoRMS records this species in fresh water, brackish water and the sea.
USGS NAS habitat: Marine
US status: Native transplant — native to part of the United States, moved to other waters inside it.
Migration: Migratory
Pattern: Diadromous — moves between fresh water and the sea
SemiAnadromous — spawns in fresh water, grows in an estuary

Classification

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Superclass: Actinopterygii
Class: Teleostei
Order: Perciformes
Family: Gerreidae
Genus: Eucinostomus
Species: Eucinostomus gracilis
ITIS TSN: 169021
WoRMS AphiaID: 276419
GBIF key: 2369476
Outside the US: ITIS also files it in Mexico.

Common questions about Graceful Mojarra

What is the scientific name of Graceful Mojarra?

The scientific name is Eucinostomus gracilis, in the family Gerreidae. Classification follows ITIS.

Does Graceful Mojarra live in fresh water or salt water?

WoRMS records this species in fresh water, brackish water and the sea.

Where has Graceful Mojarra been recorded in the United States?

GBIF has observations in 5 states, with the most records in Florida, Texas, Louisiana. The map shows observation records, which do not establish the complete natural range.

Closest relatives