Mottled grouper

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Mottled grouper
Mycteroperca rubra.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Serranidae
Subfamily: Epinephelinae
Genus: Mycteroperca
Species:
M. rubra
Binomial name
Mycteroperca rubra
(Bloch, 1793)
Synonyms [2]
  • Epinephelus ruberBloch, 1793
  • Sparus scirenga Rafinesque, 1810
  • Mycteroperca scirenga(Rafinesque, 1810)
  • Serranus tinca Cantraine, 1833
  • Serranus nebulosus Cocco, 1833
  • Serranus emarginatus Valenciennes, 1843
  • Cerna macrogenis Sassi, 1846
  • Serranus armatus Osório, 1893

The mottled grouper (Mycteroperca rubra) 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.

Contents

Description

The mottled grouper has an oblong, compressed body which has a depth which is less than the length of its head, its standard length is 2.8 to 3.2 times its depth. The preopercle has a serrated margin with the serrations being enlarged at its angle, where there is a rounded lobe below an incision into the margin. [3] The dorsal fin contains 11 spines and 15-17 soft rays while the anal fin contains 3 spines and 11-12 soft rays. [2] The caudal fin is truncate in juveniles and subadults but it is concave in adults with a standard length of more than 50 centimetres (20 in). [3] They are usually reddish brown in colour, often mottled with black or pale grey spots and having a black streak above the upper jaw. The juveniles have a black saddle blotch on the caudal peduncle. This species has a maximum published total length of 144 centimetres (57 in), although a more common total length is 80 centimetres (31 in), while the maximum published weight is 49.7 kilograms (110 lb). [2]

Distribution

The mottle grouper is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and parts of the Mediterranean Sea. In the eastern Atlantic, it is found from southern Portugal and Spain, along the western coast of Africa as far south as Angola. It was formerly found in the southern Mediterranean from southern Spain and Morocco to Egypt and Israel but it has been expanding its range and is now found as far north as Provence in France and the Adriatic Sea. It is absent from the Black Sea and records from the Macaronesian Islands are misidentifications of Island grouper (Mycteroperca fusca) and records from Brazil are similarly misidentifications of the comb grouper M. acutirostris . [1]

Habitat and biology

The mottled grouper is a demersal species which occurs over rocky reefs and adjacent sandy substrates as deep as 200 metres (660 ft). It tens to be commoner at shallower depths from 1 to 30 metres (3.3 to 98.4 ft) in the eastern Mediterranean. It readily takes to artificial reefs such as shipwrecks off Sicily. Juveniles are usually found in shallower inshore waters. It feeds on molluscs and small fishes. It is a protogynous hermaphrodite, the transition from female to male happens when they are nine years oold and have attained a total length of 53 centimetres (21 in). The females reach sexual maturity at a total length of about 27 to 32 centimetres (11 to 13 in) around four and five years of age. Spawning aggregations have been recorded off Israel, Senegal, Turkey and Corsica. [1]

Parasites

Philometra inexpectata, a nematode parasite of the mottled grouper Parasite160002-fig1 Philometra inexpectata.tif
Philometra inexpectata, a nematode parasite of the mottled grouper

As most fish, the mottled grouper harbours a variety of parasites. These include the diplectanid monogenean Pseudorhabdosynochus regius on the gills [5] and the philometrid nematode Philometra inexpectatata in the gonad. [4]

Taxonomy

The mottled grouper was first formally described in 1793 as Epinephelus ruber by the German naturalist Marcus Elieser Bloch (1723-1799) with the type locality given as "Japan", probably an error for Europe or the Mediterranean. [6]

Utilisation

The mottled grouper is not caught commercially because of its scarcity in the Mediterranean but is more commonly caught off Africa. [1]

Related Research Articles

<i>Mycteroperca bonaci</i> Species of fish

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.

Brownspotted grouper Species of fish

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White grouper Species of fish

The white 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. The white grouper is found in the subtropical eastern Atlantic Ocean and the southern Mediterranean Sea.

Malabar grouper Species of fish

The Malabar grouper also known as blackspot rockcod, estuary rockcod, giant rock cod, greasy grouper, Malabar rockcod, Morgan's cod or speckled 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 Indo-Pacific region. It has entered the Mediterranean Sea from the Red Sea by way of the Suez Canal as a Lessepsian migrant.

Blacktip grouper Species of fish

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Hong Kong grouper Species of fish

The Hong Kong 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 and south eastern Asian waters of the Western Pacific Ocean. Its natural habitats are shallow seas and coral reefs.

<i>Mycteroperca</i> Genus of fishes

Mycteroperca is a genus of marine ray-finned fish, groupers from the subfamily Epinephelinae, part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and sea basses. They are predatory fish, largely associated with reefs and are found in tropical and subtropical seas in the Atlantic Ocean and the eastern Pacific Ocean. They are important target species for fisheries.

<i>Hyporthodus</i> Genus of fishes

Hyporthodus is a genus of marine ray-finned fish, groupers from the subfamily Epinephelinae, part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and sea basses. It contains the following species, most of which were previously placed in Epinephelus:

<i>Pseudorhabdosynochus</i> Genus of flatworms

Pseudorhabdosynochus is a genus of monopisthocotylean monogeneans, included in the family Diplectanidae. The type-species of the genus is Pseudorhabdosynochus epinepheli .

<i>Pseudorhabdosynochus regius</i> Species of flatworm

Pseudorhabdosynochus regius is a diplectanid monogenean parasitic on the gills of the mottled grouper .

<i>Pseudorhabdosynochus sulamericanus</i> Species of flatworm

Pseudorhabdosynochus sulamericanus is a diplectanid monogenean parasitic on the gills of the snowy grouper, Epinephelus niveatus, the Warsaw grouper, Epinephelus nigritus and the Haifa grouper, Epinephelus haifensis. It has been described by Santos, Buchmann & Gibson in 2000 , redescribed by Kritsky, Bakenhaster and Adams in 2015. and again redescribed by Chaabane, Justine, Gey, Bakenhaster & Neifar in 2016.

<i>Pseudorhabdosynochus beverleyburtonae</i> Species of flatworm

Pseudorhabdosynochus beverleyburtonae is a diplectanid monogenean parasitic on the gills of the dusky grouper, Epinephelus marginatus. It has been described by Guy Oliver in 1984 as Cycloplectanum beverleyburtonae, redescribed by Oliver in 1987, transferred to the genus Pseudorhabdosynochus by Kritsky & Beverley-Burton in 1986 as Pseudorhabdosynochus beverleyburtonae, redescribed by Kritsky, Bakenhaster and Adams in 2015, and redescribed in 2016 by Chaabane, Neifar, Gey & Justine.

<i>Pseudorhabdosynochus hayet</i> Species of flatworm

Pseudorhabdosynochus hayet is a diplectanid monogenean parasitic on the gills of the mottled grouper .

<i>Pseudorhabdosynochus oliveri</i> Species of flatworm

Pseudorhabdosynochus oliveri is a diplectanid monogenean parasitic on the gills of the dusky grouper.

<i>Pseudorhabdosynochus bouaini</i> Species of flatworm

Pseudorhabdosynochus bouaini is a diplectanid monogenean parasitic on the gills of groupers. It has been described in 2007 by Lassad Neifar & Louis Euzet. The species has been redescribed by Amira Chaabane, Lassad Neifar, and Jean-Lou Justine in 2017.

<i>Pseudorhabdosynochus dolicocolpos</i> Species of flatworm

Pseudorhabdosynochus dolicocolpos is a diplectanid monogenean parasitic on the gills of groupers. It has been described in 2007 by Lassad Neifar & Louis Euzet. The species name refers to the size of the vagina and is derived from the Greek words “dolicos” meaning long and “colpos” vagina. The species has been redescribed by Amira Chaabane, Lassad Neifar, and Jean-Lou Justine in 2017.

<i>Pseudorhabdosynochus enitsuji</i> Species of flatworm

Pseudorhabdosynochus enitsuji is a diplectanid monogenean parasitic on the gills of groupers. It has been described in 2007 by Lassad Neifar & Louis Euzet. The name of the species honours French parasitologist Jean-Lou Justine . The species has been redescribed by Amira Chaabane, Lassad Neifar, and Jean-Lou Justine in 2017, from the type-material and additional specimens.

<i>Pseudorhabdosynochus sinediscus</i> Species of flatworm

Pseudorhabdosynochus sinediscus is a diplectanid monogenean parasitic on the gills of groupers. It has been described in 2007 by Lassad Neifar & Louis Euzet. The name refers to the absence of squamodiscs and is derived from the Latin “sine”, indicating absence, and “discus”, contraction of “squamodiscus”.

<i>Pseudorhabdosynochus sosia</i> Species of flatworm

Pseudorhabdosynochus sosia is a diplectanid monogenean parasitic on the gills of groupers. It has been described in 2007 by Lassad Neifar & Louis Euzet. According to Neifar & Euzet, the name of the species refers to Sosia, who in Plautus’ comedy Amphitryon confronts his double, and to the resemblance of the vagina of P. sosia to that of P. beverleyburtonae.

<i>Pseudorhabdosynochus riouxi</i> Species of worm

Pseudorhabdosynochus riouxi is a species of diplectanid monogenean parasitic on the gills of dusky grouper Mycteroperca marginata. It was described by Guy Oliver in 1986 as Cycloplectanum riouxi, then transferred to the genus Pseudorhabdosynochus by Santos, Buchmann & Gibson in 2000. The species has been redescribed by Chaabane et al. in 2017.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Pollard, D.A.; Francour, P. (2018). "Mycteroperca rubra". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2018: e.T14054A42691814. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T14054A42691814.en . Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2019). "Mycteroperca rubra" in FishBase. December 2019 version.
  3. 1 2 Heemstra, P.C. & J.E. Randall (1993). FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 16. Groupers of the world (family Serranidae, subfamily Epinephelinae). An annotated and illustrated catalogue of the grouper, rockcod, hind, coral grouper and lyretail species known to date (PDF). FAO Fish. Synopsis. 125. FAO, Rome. pp. 275–276. ISBN   92-5-103125-8.
  4. 1 2 Moravec, František; Chaabane, Amira; Justine, Jean-Lou; Neifar, Lassad (2016). "Two gonad-infecting species of Philometra (Nematoda: Philometridae) from groupers (Serranidae) off Tunisia, with a key to Philometra species infecting serranid gonads". Parasite. 23: 8. doi:10.1051/parasite/2016008. ISSN   1776-1042. PMC   4783587 . PMID   26956219. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  5. ↑ Chaabane, Amira; Neifar, Lassad; Justine, Jean-Lou (2015). "Pseudorhabdosynochus regius n. sp. (Monogenea, Diplectanidae) from the mottled grouper Mycteroperca rubra (Teleostei) in the Mediterranean Sea and Eastern Atlantic". Parasite. 22: 9. doi:10.1051/parasite/2015005. ISSN   1776-1042. PMC   4325681 . PMID   25674913. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  6. ↑ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Epinephelus ruber". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 27 July 2020.
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