see text Menticirrhus is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Sciaenidae, the drums or croakers.

The head is long and low with a somewhat conical snout which protrudes past the horizontal mouth.

The preoperculum may be smooth or weakly serrated and the gill cover is incised at its angle.

[9] The largest species in the genus is the California kingcroaker (M. undulatus) which has a maximum published total length of 71 cm (28 in) and the smallest is the Paita kingcroaker (M. paitensis) which has a maximum published total length of 40 cm (16 in).

[8] Menticirrhus fishes are found in the eastern Pacific between California and Peru and in the western Atlantic from Massachusetts in the north to northern Argentina.