Mycteroperca fusca | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Perciformes |
Family: | Serranidae |
Subfamily: | Epinephelinae |
Genus: | Mycteroperca |
Species: | M. fusca |
Binomial name | |
Mycteroperca fusca (Lowe, 1838) | |
Synonyms [2] | |
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Mycteroperca fusca, the Island grouper or comb grouper, is a species of grouper from the family Serranidae which is endemic to the Macaronesian Islands in the eastern Atlantic. It is classified as Vulnerable in The IUCN Red List of Endangered Species.
Mycteroperca fusca is a large species which has a brownish or dark grey body colour when adult which is marked with irregular pale blotches and spots as well as a prominent maxillary streak. When stressed M. fusca is capable of reversing its body colour and pattern. Juveniles are mottled greenish brown, with prominent white spots on the head and the body, with the dorsal, anal and caudal fins have white streaks andtranslucent golden pectoral fins. The body is oblong and compressed with a depth that is 3.0-3.3 times the standard length. There is a convex interorbital area and it possesses enlarged serrations on the preopercle at its angle, forming a rounded lobe below a shallow indentation on the vertical limb. There are a few small serrations on the subopercle and interopercle. In the juveniles the anterior and posterior nostrils are slightly unequal but in adults with the posterior nostrils are three times larger than the anterior nostrils. The lower jaws protrude well beyond the upper jaws. [3]
The meristic formula is D, XI,14-16; A III, 10 - 12. The maximum length is 80 cm. [3]
Mycteroperca fusca is an insular species from the Canary Islands, Azores, Madeira and Cape Verde. [3] In 2010, two individuals were reported in the Mediterranean Sea off Israel. [4] [5]
Mycteroperca fusca is a demersal species which is found near the seabed in rocky regions at depths from 1 to 200 m. The juveniles are frequently found in tidal pools. [1] It prefers areas with crevices, caves and seaweed to provide cover. It is a protogynous hermaphrodite, i.e. the females change to males, and aggregations of spawning fish have been reported. Spawning begins in February in the Canary Islands and continues through to July. They can live for 30–40 years. They are predatory feeding on crustaceans, cephalopods and fish, its main prey are Chromis limbata , Thalassoma pavo , Boops boops and Similiparma lurida and this species is an active hunter, exploring its territory in search of prey. [6]
Mycteroperca fusca has a limited range where it is rare especially in areas which are subjected to heavy fishing pressure. A number of studies have shown a negative correlation between the abundance of M. fusca and the amount of fishing pressure, suggesting that overexploitation has significantly reduced the population. It may also be threatened by competition and parasites from the invasive non-native European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax), which has escaped from aquaculture in the Canaries, and African hind Cephalopholis taeniops , which has thought to have arrived in the Canaries in ships' ballast water from West Africa. [6]
The garfish, also known as the garpike or sea needle, is a pelagic, oceanodromous needlefish found in brackish and marine waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean, Caribbean, Black, and Baltic Seas.
The gag grouper, 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 yellow-edged lyretail also known as the yellowedge coronation trout, fairy cod, lunar tail rock cod, lunartailed cod, lyre-tail cod or moontail seabass,, 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 and is more common than the congeneric white-edged lyretail.
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.
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.
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 fangtooth moray sometimes also known as tiger moray or bird-eye conger is a moray eel of the family Muraenidae found in warmer parts of the eastern Atlantic Ocean, including the Canary Islands, Madeira and various other islands. It entered the Mediterranean Sea from the Atlantic and is now found occasionally in the eastern Basin, from Levantine waters and off Turkey, Greece, Croatia and Sicily.
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.
Chromis chromis, the damselfish or Mediterranean chromis, is a small species of ray-finned fish of the family Pomacentridae from the Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean.
The coral hawkfish, the pixy hawkfish or sharp-headed hawkfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a hawkfish belonging to the family Cirrhitidae. It is native to tropical reefs of the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. It occasionally is found in the aquarium trade.
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.
Decapterus russelli, also known as the Indian scad, northern mackerel scad, round scad, Russell's mackerel scad, slender scad, or three lined grunter, is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Carangidae. It naturally occurs in the Indian and the western Pacific Oceans and has colonised the eastern Mediterranean through the Suez Canal. It is an important species in coastal fisheries throughout its range.
Sphyraena sphyraena, also known as the European barracuda or Mediterranean barracuda, is a ray-finned predatory fish of the Mediterranean basin and the warmer waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
Umbrina ronchus, the fusca drum, slender baardman, roncador, fusca croaker or slender tasselfish, is a species of croaker or drum from the family Sciaenidae which is found in the western Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.
Sphyraena viridensis, the yellowmouth barracuda or yellow barracuda is a predatory ray-finned fish from the family Sphyraenidae, the barracudas. It is found in the warmer waters of the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean. It is often confused with the European barracuda.
Terapon puta, the spiny-checked grunter, three-lined grunter, small-scaled banded grunter, small-scaled terapon, squeaking perch or two-lined grunter, is a species of fish from the Indo-Pacific region, it is a member of the grunter family, Terapontidae. It has also spread into the eastern Mediterranean Sea from the Red Sea through the Suez Canal, a process known as Lessepsian migration.
Stephanolepis diaspros, commonly known as the reticulated filefish or the reticulated leatherjacket, is a species of bony fish, a ray-finned fish in the family Monacanthidae. Its natural range is the western Indian Ocean but it is also one of the species which has colonised the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal by Lessepsian migration from the Red Sea.
The broomtail grouper or mangrove grouper is a species of ray-finned fish from the family Serranidae which is found in the eastern Pacific along the western coast of the Americas from California to Peru.
Mycteroperca acutirostris the comb grouper, western comb grouper or wavy-lined grouper, is a species of grouper from the family Serranidae from the warmer waters of the western Atlantic Ocean.
Herklotsichthys punctatus, the spotback herring or spotted herring, is a species of herring from the family Dorosomatidae. It is endemic to the Red Sea and likely entered the Mediterranean Sea via the Suez Canal and is now common on the Levantine Basin.