Fish · La Saladita, Guerrero

Cortez Sea Chub

Kyphosus elegans

Spanish: chopa de Cortés

Cortez Sea Chub (Kyphosus elegans)
Photographed by edgar-f-maldonado on iNaturalist · CC-BY-NC

Kyphosus elegans, the Cortez sea chub or Cortez chub, or in Spanish Chopa, Chopa de Cortés, Hacha or Palma, is a species of sea chubs found in the Eastern Pacific, from the Gulf of California to Ecuador, including the Galapagos Islands. It is a minor commercial fish. Most often recorded in Jun, Jan, Feb.

TaxonomyActinopterygii › Centrarchiformes › Kyphosidae
Local records6 research-grade observations within about 50 km of La Saladita (the survey box also takes in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Troncones)
Global records514 on iNaturalist
Recorded here2025 – 2026
Months recorded near La Saladita
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Recent local sightings

Interactive card with more photos, sounds and similar species Fish guide iNaturalist Wikipedia

Cite as: “Cortez Sea Chub (Kyphosus elegans) at La Saladita”, La Saladita Field Guide, lasaladita.com/species/kyphosus-elegans/, updated 2026-09-26. Observation counts and months come from iNaturalist research-grade records within about 50 km of 17.8375°N, 101.7606°W (the survey box also takes in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Troncones); summary text from Wikipedia where present.