Hypoplectrus nigricans | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Perciformes |
Family: | Serranidae |
Subfamily: | Serraninae |
Genus: | Hypoplectrus |
Species: | H. nigricans |
Binomial name | |
Hypoplectrus nigricans | |
Synonyms [2] | |
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Hypoplectrus nigricans, the black hamlet, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a sea bass from the subfamily Serraninae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the groupers and anthias. It is native to shallow parts of the central Western Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea. [3] It grows to about 15 cm (6 in) in total length. It is a simultaneous hermaphrodite, with a breeding strategy known as egg trading. One fish acts as a female and lays a batch of eggs which the other fertilises. The following night, the roles are reversed.
Hypoplectrus nigricans is a small fish growing to a total length of 85 to 150 mm (3.3 to 5.9 in). The morphology and colouring of the fish varies across its range. Fish from Puerto Rico have greyish bodies, translucent pectoral fins, pointed pelvic fins and a caudal fin shaped like a crescent moon. Fish from Mexico and Belize are slightly smaller and have a darker body colour with dark pectoral fins, blunt pelvic fins and a short, square-cut caudal fin. [4]
The species is native to the central West Atlantic Ocean. Its range extends from southeastern Florida and the Bahamas, through the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico to Santa Marta in Colombia and to the islands off the coast of Venezuela. It is a reef fish, inhabiting reefs with both stony corals and soft corals. [1]
As a simultaneous hermaphrodite, H. nigricans has an unusual reproductive strategy known as egg trading. [5] The fish is usually solitary, but at breeding time two fish come together at night. Courtship is initiated by one fish which temporarily takes a female role. The other fish acts as the male and fertilises a batch of eggs produced by the first fish. The following night their roles are reversed, and the second fish lays eggs and the first fish fertilises them. The two fish continue alternating roles in this way over the course of several nights. The pair usually stay together for the series of transfers, but sometimes each finds a different partner. [5]
H. nigricans has a wide range and is a common fish. No particular threats have been identified and its population seems to be steady, so the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern". [1]
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 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 western Atlantic. It is associated with reefs and is a quarry species for commercial and recreational fisheries.
The longhead catshark or smoothbelly catshark is a species of catshark, family Scyliorhinidae, with a patchy distribution in the Indo-Pacific from Mozambique to southern Japan to northern Australia. It is found in water between 500 and 1,140 m deep. This species grows to 59 cm (23 in) long and is characterized by its extremely long and narrow snout, short abdomen, and long anal and caudal fins. In addition, a large area of the anterior ventral portion of its body lacks dermal denticles. The longhead catshark is oviparous and the only known cartilaginous fish that is normally hermaphroditic, with the majority of individuals having both the functional reproductive organs of one sex and the undeveloped reproductive organs of the opposite sex.
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 Arabian carpetshark is a species of carpet shark in the family Hemiscylliidae, inhabiting coral reefs and other shallow coastal habitats from the Persian Gulf to India. Reaching 78 cm (31 in) long, this shark is characterized by a slender, plain brown body, and by two dorsal fins with straight trailing margins and the second smaller but longer-based than the first. The Arabian carpetshark feeds on bony fishes and invertebrates. Reproduction is oviparous with an annual cycle; females deposit egg capsules four at a time and the young hatch after 70–80 days. This small shark is often captured as bycatch but rarely used by humans. It has been assessed as Near Threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), as there is increasing fishing pressure and habitat degradation within its range. It does well in aquariums and has been bred in captivity.
Hypoplectrus gemma, the blue hamlet, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a sea bass from the subfamily Serraninae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the groupers and anthias. It is found in the western Atlantic Ocean and occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade.
Epinephelus albomarginatus, the white-edged grouper, white-edged rockcod or captain fine, 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 southwestern Indian Ocean and it is associated with coral reefs. It is a target species for commercial and recreational fisheries.
Epinephelus andersoni, the catface grouper, brown-spotted grouper, catface rockcod or brown spotted rockcod, 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 southwestern Indian Ocean where it is associated with reefs.
The yellow grouper, also known as the banded 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 eastern Asian waters of the Western Pacific Ocean. Its natural habitats are shallow seas and rocky reefs.
The masked hamlet is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a sea bass from the subfamily Serraninae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the groupers and anthias. This species is found in the western Atlantic Ocean in the Caribbean Sea and has been recorded from the coast of Central America from Quintana Roo in Mexico to Bocas del Toro in Panama and from Jamaica to Puerto Rico, as well as in the Turks and Caicos and the Cayman Islands. Its specific name refers to Providencia Island, Colombia where the type was collected. It was also recorded from other islands in the Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina. They are a unique species in the Hypoplectrus genus, defined by their unique color morph. Their behavior is largely similar to that of other hamlets, especially in their diet and egg-trading spawning patterns.
Cephalopholis fulva, the coney or the butterfish, 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 western Atlantic. It is associated with reefs and is a quarry species for commercial and recreational fisheries. It can be found in the aquarium trade.
Stegastes planifrons is a damselfish from the Western Atlantic. It occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade.
Hypoplectrus puella, the barred hamlet is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a sea bass from the subfamily Serraninae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the groupers and anthias. This species is from the Western Central Atlantic. It occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade.
Hypoplectrus unicolor, the butter hamlet or yellowtail hamlet, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a sea bass from the subfamily Serraninae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the groupers and anthias. It occurs in the western central Atlantic Ocean and occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade.
Hypoplectrus gummigutta, commonly called the golden hamlet, is a species of marine ray-finned fish. They are sea bass from the subfamily Serraninae and the greater family Serranidae, which also includes the groupers and anthias. The golden hamlet was first described in 1852 by zoologist Felipe Poey (1799-1891) as Plectropoma gummigutta before being given its accepted name: Hypoplectrus gummigutta. It is found in the western Atlantic Ocean and occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade.
Hypoplectrus indigo, the indigo hamlet, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a sea bass from the subfamily Serraninae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the groupers and anthias. It is found in the central western Atlantic Ocean. It occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade.
The shy hamlets are small Western Atlantic serranids of the genus Hypoplectrus, which belong to the subclass perciformes in the class Actinopterygii. To this date, seventeen species of the genus have been recognized, a third of which have been discovered in the past few years.
The longfin grouper, also known as the longfin rockcod, bar-breasted rock-cod, Gilbert's rock-cod, honeycomb rockcod, spotted groper or wirenet cod, 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.
Monacanthus ciliatus, commonly known as the fringed filefish, the cuckold or the leather-fish, is a species of bony fish commonly found in shallow water in the western Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.
Anthias anthias, the swallowtail sea perch or marine goldfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish from the grouper and sea bass family Serranidae. It is native to the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea where it is associated with reefs. It is found in the aquarium trade.
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