| Gulf grouper | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Perciformes |
| Family: | Serranidae |
| Subfamily: | Epinephelinae |
| Genus: | Mycteroperca |
| Species: | M. jordani |
| Binomial name | |
| Mycteroperca jordani | |
| Synonyms [2] | |
The Gulf grouper (Mycteroperca jordani) is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grouper from the subfamily Epinephelinae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and sea basses. It is endemic to Mexico.
The Gulf grouper has an elongate, robust and compressed body which is no deeper at the origin of the dorsal fin than it as the origin of the anal fin. [3] It standard length is 3.1 to 3.4 times its depth. The preopercle is rounded, lacking a lobe, and has a finely serrated margin. [4] The dorsal fin contains 11 spines and 16-17 soft rays while the anal fin contains 3 spines and 10–11 soft rays. [2] The caudal fin is straight to concave. [3] The colour of the adults is normally a uniform dark brown or grey, although they have the ability to quickly change colour and to adopt a pattern resembling that of juveniles. In the larger adults, the margin of the pectoral fin is white and the dorsal, anal and caudal fins have a narrow white edge. The juveniles are greyish brown marked with large, dark grey roughly rectangular blotches on the upper part of the body and fins. [4] The maximum published total length for this species is 198 centimetres (78 in) and the maximum published weight is 91 kilograms (201 lb). [2]
The Gulf grouper is found in the eastern Pacific Ocean where it is endemic to Mexican waters from San Carlos, Baja California Sur south to Mazatlán. It is found throughout the Gulf of California and around the Revillagigedos Islands. It has been recorded as a vagrant off San Diego in the 1940s and 1950s. [1] Abundance of the Gulf Grouper has declined significantly since the mid-20th century due to commercial fishing. According to the NOAA fisheries, Bahía Magdalena has the only known population of Gulf Groupers along the coast of the Baja California peninsula.
The Gulf grouper is found over rocky reefs, kelp beds and sea mounts. The adults are normally found at depths between 5 and 30 metres (16 and 98 ft) but has been recorded as deep as 45 metres (148 ft) during the summer months, and even as deep as 100 metres (330 ft) on reefs. The juveniles are found in shallow rocky reefs and artificial reefs, and also in estuaries, mangroves and bays around the islands and along the northern and central coastlines of the Gulf of California. [1] They have been reported to prey on juvenile hammerhead sharks. [4] The more usual prey is other fish, lobsters and slipper lobsters. It is thought that these fish attain sexual maturity at six to seven years when they are around 98 centimetres (39 in) in total length. The adults form spawning aggregations numbering more than 40 in the period from April to June. In the southern Gulf of California these aggregations cover areas larger than 1,000 square metres (11,000 sq ft). The aggregations have been recorded over rocky reefs or around seamounts where there are steep drop-offs and numerous of gorgonians and black coral. Aggregations have also been recorded over sandy substrates next to reefs. They spawn in pairs and a male will pair with a number of females. There are around three to five females for each male. This species is thought to be a protogynous hermaphrodite as the males are normally considerably larger than females, the sex ratios are weighted towards females, they spawn as pairs, the males are aggressively territorial and there is no evidence of sperm competition. [1]
Gulf groupers at a young age tend to prey on different types of fish and invertebrates such as crabs and shrimp. As Gulf Groupers mature, they tend to primarily prey on different fish species. Mature adults tend to hunt during dawn and dusk when the sun is not too bright on the water. According to scientists at NOAA fisheries, the Gulf grouper has a large mouth to completely swallow prey whole and the size of their mouth determines the type of fish that they consume. Mature Gulf groupers like to stay in hideouts outside of the reproduction period of the year. Reproduction period starts in April and ends in June where they gather in packs to form spawning areas that are typically in reefs.
The Gulf grouper typically lives for about 48 years. Female Gulf groupers become sexually mature at 6 years old when they can start reproducing offspring. The Gulf grouper is known as being protogynous hermaphroditic, which is when an organism matures as a female but later transitions into a male or vice versa.[ citation needed ] The Gulf grouper aggregate into larger groups once a year to form spawning grounds for reproduction. The groupers at maturity like to inhabit rocky reefs and different kinds of structure from 16 to 100 feet down. The juvenile gulf groupers stay closer to the shallow coast such as the mangroves.
The Gulf grouper was first formally described as Epinephelus jordani in 1889 by the American academic Oliver Peebles Jenkins (1850–1935) and the ichthyologist Barton Warren Evermann (1853–1932) with the type locality given as Guaymas in the state of Sonora in western Mexico. [5] The specific name honours the American ichthyologist David Starr Jordan (1851–1931). [6]
The Gulf grouper is considered to be one of the most valuable groupers caught in the Gulf of California by commercial and recreational fisheries. It is thought that overfishing has caused the population to decline by at least 50% over the past 80 years, or so, and so the IUCN have listed it as Endangered. [1] The Gulf grouper population suffers due to toxic chemical runoff such as a gas spill that can greatly affect the water quality for the fish. Contaminants in the water can get into the gills of the groupers and cause great risk to the health of the groupers. Over time the habitats of the Gulf grouper have been degraded because of pollution and commercial activities. Reefs play an important role in the reproduction process for the Gulf grouper, but the increase in offshore developments have restricted the Gulf grouper from getting to spawning grounds. The Gulf grouper needs a healthy reef to help to support the juvenile gulf grouper so they can grow efficiently. Recreational fishermen sometimes capture the gulf grouper on accident that can cause the fish to possibly get injured. In some cases, the injuries received from recreational fishermen to the gulf grouper can result in the grouper dying.
Restrictions have been placed on fishermen being able to fish for the Gulf grouper because the species is seen as Endangered by the IUCN. Fishing for the Gulf grouper species is prohibited in the United States. Scientists that are part of the NOAA have gone to implement different ways to improve the quality of the habitats that are meant to support the Gulf grouper. The Magnuson-stevens fishery conservation and management act is supported by the NOAA to conserve fish habitats in the United States federal waters.
The Atlantic goliath grouper or itajara, also known as the jewfish, is a saltwater fish of the grouper family and one of the largest species of bony fish. The species can be found in the west ranging from northeastern Florida, south throughout the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, and along South America to Brazil. In the west Pacific it ranges from Mexico to Peru. In the east, the species ranges in West Africa from Senegal to Cabinda. The species has been observed at depths ranging from 1 to 100 meters.
Mycteroperca bonaci, the black grouper, black rockfish or marbled rockfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grouper from the subfamily Epinephelinae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and sea basses. Other fish are sometimes called the black grouper including the similar gag grouper, the misty grouper, and the critically endangered Warsaw grouper. This species is found in the western Atlantic Ocean from the northeastern United States to Brazil.
The giant grouper, also known as the Queensland grouper, brindle grouper or mottled-brown sea bass, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grouper from the subfamily Epinephelinae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and sea basses. It has a wide Indo-Pacific distribution and is one of the largest extant species of bony fish.
Gag grouper, Mycteroperca microlepis, also known as velvet rockfish, the gag, or charcoal belly, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grouper from the subfamily Epinephelinae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and sea basses. It comes from warmer parts of the West Atlantic, including the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. It is a drab, mottled-gray fish lacking the distinguishing features of most other groupers. Its pattern of markings resemble the box-shaped spots of the black grouper. It lacks the streamer-points on the tail fin that scamp and yellowmouth grouper have and lacks yellow coloration around the mouth.
The yellowfin grouper is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grouper from the subfamily Epinephelinae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and sea basses. It is found in the warmer waters of the western Atlantic Ocean.
The orange-spotted grouper, also known as the brown-spotted rockcod, estuary cod, estuary rockcod, goldspotted rockcod, greasy cod, North-west groper, orange spotted cod or blue-and-yellow grouper, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grouper from the subfamily Epinephelinae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and sea basses. It has an Indo-Pacific distribution and is found in marine and brackish waters.
The speckled hind, also known as the calico grouper, kitty mitchell or strawberry grouper, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grouper from the subfamily Epinephelinae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and sea basses. It is found in Bermuda and off eastern coast of North America. Its natural habitats are open seas, shallow seas, subtidal aquatic beds, and coral reefs. It is threatened by habitat loss.
Epinephelus marginatus, the dusky grouper, yellowbelly rock cod or yellowbelly grouper, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grouper from the subfamily Epinephelinae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and sea basses. This species is the best known grouper species of the Mediterranean Sea and North Africa coast.
The snowy grouper is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grouper from the subfamily Epinephelinae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and sea basses. It is found in the western Atlantic Ocean.
The Venezuelan grouper is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grouper from the subfamily Epinephelinae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and sea basses. It is found in northern South America and the Greater Antilles.
The sailfin grouper, also known as the bacalao grouper, colorado grouper or yellow grouper, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grouper from the subfamily Epinephelinae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and sea basses. It is found off islands in the eastern Pacific.
The sawtail grouper is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grouper from the subfamily Epinephelinae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and sea basses.. It is endemic to the western coasts of Mexico. The sawtail grouper commonly lives on fields of large boulders with gorgonians and black corals.
The mottled grouper is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grouper from the subfamily Epinephelinae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and sea basses. It is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.
The tiger grouper is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grouper from the subfamily Epinephelinae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and sea basses. It is found in the warmer waters of the western Atlantic Ocean.
The leopard coral grouper, also known as the common coral trout, leopard coral trout, blue-dotted coral grouper or spotted coral grouper, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grouper from the subfamily Epinephelinae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and sea basses. It is found in the Western Pacific Ocean.
The potato grouper, also called the potato cod or potato bass, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grouper from the subfamily Epinephelinae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and sea basses. It has a wide Indo-Pacific distribution.
Cephalopholis panamensis, the Pacific graysby or Panama graysby, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grouper from the subfamily Epinephelinae which is in the family Serranidae which also includes the anthias and sea basses. It is found in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.
Mycteroperca rosacea, the leopard grouper or golden grouper, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grouper from the subfamily Epinephelinae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and sea basses. It is found in the Eastern Central Pacific that occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade.
The scamp grouper, also known as scamp, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grouper from the subfamily Epinephelinae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and sea basses. It is found in the western Atlantic Ocean.
The yellowmouth grouper, also known as the crossband rockfish, grey mannock, hamlet, harlequin rockfish, princess rockfish, rockfish, salmon grouper, salmon rock fish or scamp, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grouper from the subfamily Epinephelinae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and sea basses. It is found in the Caribbean and in the tropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean. It is also found in pockets in Brazil. It is a fairly large fish and it gets its name from the yellow around its mouth.
