Atlantic Croaker have an inferior mouth with 3 to 5 pairs of small barbels on the chin. They have a silver-gray or bronze body with dark oblique wavy bars or lines and are iridescent, especially on their head. The preopercle is strongly serrated. They have an elongated body with a short, high first dorsal fin and a long, low second dorsal fin. During spawning they take on a bronze hue and its pelvic fins turn yellow.