Rypticus

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Rypticus
Rypticus bistrispinus.jpg
Rypticus bistrispinus
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Serranidae
Subfamily: Epinephelinae
Tribe: Grammistini
Genus: Rypticus
Cuvier & Valenciennes, 1829
Type species
Anthias saponaceus
Bloch & Schneider, 1801 [1]
Species

10, see text

Synonyms [2]

Rypticus is a genus of marine ray-finned fish, related to the groupers and classified within the subfamily Epinephelinae of the family Serranidae. It is one of several genera of soapfishes. These fish live in the Atlantic and eastern Pacific Oceans in tropical and warmer temperate zones. [3]

Contents

Description

The genus can be distinguished from the rest of the Serranidae by a few morphological details, such as its lack of anal fin spines. It also has only two to four dorsal fin spines; other serranids have more. The mouth is large and the lower jaw protrudes. The coloration varies, but usually a brown stripe runs from the mouth to the front of the dorsal fin. Several species are distinctly spotted. R. bistrispinus has red-brown spots, R. bornoi and R. subbifrenatus have dark brown, rounded spots, R. maculatus has white spots, R. bicolor and R. courtenayi have many rounded, pale cream spots, and R. nigripinnis has ocellated (eye-like) spots, while R. randalli is more blotchy than spotted. [3]

Biology

Like many other soapfishes, Rysticus species secrete large amounts of toxic mucus from their skin in response to stress. The toxin, grammistin, repels predators. [3]

Rypticus species are nocturnal, feeding at night on crustaceans, molluscs, and fish. [3]

These fish are protogynous hermaphrodites, with females able to change sex to male. This is not uncommon among the serranids. Rypticus is unique, though, in that a fish has both male and female reproductive tissues which are separate on the cellular level, but are wrapped around each other in the gonad. [3]

Ecology

Most species live around islands and along the continental shelves. R. nigripinnis and R. randalli can tolerate lower salinities than many serranids, and they are known to inhabit estuaries. [3]

Taxonomy

Ten species in this genus are known. [4] [5] The latest, R. carpenteri , was described in 2012. [6]

Species include:

Conservation

R. courtenayi has the narrowest distribution, being endemic to the Revillagigedo Islands of Mexico. Its range is only about 25 km2. It is listed as a vulnerable species by the IUCN. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Serranidae</span> Family of fishes

The Serranidae are a large family of fishes belonging to the order Perciformes. The family contains about 450 species in 65 genera, including the sea basses and the groupers. Although many species are small, in some cases less than 10 cm (3.9 in), the giant grouper is one of the largest bony fishes in the world, growing to 2.7 m in length and 400 kg (880 lb) in weight. Representatives of this group live in tropical and subtropical seas worldwide.

<i>Epinephelus</i> Genus of fishes

Epinephelus 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 throughout the world. They are important target species for fisheries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brownspotted grouper</span> Species of fish

The brownspotted grouper, also known as the brown spotted reef cod, brown-spotted rockcod, coral grouper or honeycomb 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 has an Indo-Pacific distribution but in the northern Indian Ocean this distribution is discontinuous. It forms part of a species complex with two closely related species in the genus Epinephelus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trumpetfish</span> Genus of fishes

The trumpetfishes are three species of highly specialized, tubularly-elongated marine fishes in the genus Aulostomus, of the monogeneric family Aulostomidae. The trumpetfishes are members of the order Syngnathiformes, together with the seahorses and the similarly built, closely related cornetfishes.

<i>Parapterois heterura</i> Species of fish

Parapterois heterura, the blackfoot firefish, blackfoot firefish, blue-fin lionfish, black-Foot lionfish or gurnard lionfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. It is widely distributed on the southeastern coast of Africa as well as off Japan and in Indonesia where it is usually found in sheltered coastal bays with a soft bottom, such as fine sand or mud. It is found in depths ranging from 40 to 300 metres. This species is a sedentary fish and may even bury itself within the substrate. P. heterura flashes its brightly colored pectoral fins to startle predators and escape, but it may also use these fins to corner prey. This behavior has been demonstrated in other lionfish. This species can be found in the aquarium trade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snowy grouper</span> Species of fish

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.

<i>Pseudanthias</i> Genus of fishes

Pseudanthias is a genus of colourful reef fishes of the subfamily Anthiinae, part of the family Serranidae, the groupers and sea basses. They are found in the Indo-Pacific. The species belonging to this genus have a diet consisting of zooplankton, and are haremic. Fishes currently included in this genus were earlier part of the genus Anthias. Pseudanthias is the largest anthiine genus

Naso maculatus, the scribbled unicornfish or spotted unicornfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Acanthuridae, the surgeonfishes, unicornfishes and tangs. This fish is found in the western Pacific Ocean.

<i>Odontanthias</i> Genus of fishes

Odontanthias is a genus of marine ray-finned fish in the subfamily Anthiinae and family Serranidae. Depending on the exact species, they reach up to 10–22 cm (3.9–8.7 in) in standard length, and are brightly marked with pink and yellow. They are found at rocky reefs in deep water, mainly below 100 m (330 ft). The genus is almost entirely restricted to the Indo-Pacific; O. cauoh of the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago and O. hensleyi of the Caribbean are the only species known from outside the Indo-Pacific and evidence indicates that the latter belongs in Anthias.

<i>Acanthurus tractus</i> Species of fish

Acanthurus tractus, the five-band surgeonfish, ocean surgeon, or ocean surgeonfish, is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Acanthuridae found in the western Atlantic Ocean, Florida, the Bahamas, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. Until recently, it was considered a synonym of Acanthurus bahianus, but its status as a separate species was resurrected in 2011.

<i>Xenaploactis</i> Genus of fishes

Xenaploactis is a genus of marine ray-finned fish, velvetfishes belonging to the family Aploactinidae. This genus is found in the western Pacific Ocean and the eastern Indian Ocean.

<i>Cephalopholis nigripinnis</i> Species of fish

Cephalopholis nigripinnis, the blackfin grouper, banded-tail coral-cod, blackfin rockcod, darkfin hind or duskyfin rockcod, 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 tropical Indian Ocean.

<i>Chelidoperca</i> Genus of fishes

Chelidoperca, commonly known as perchlet, is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes which is a member of the subfamily Serraninae of the family Serranidae, which includes the groupers and anthias. They are found in the Indo-Pacific region.

<i>Epinephelus faveatus</i> Species of fish

Epinephelus faveatus, the barrel-chested grouper, also known as the Indian 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 associated with reefs in the Indian Ocean.

<i>Lutjanus biguttatus</i> Species of fish

Lutjanus biguttatus, the two-spot banded snapper or two-spot snapper, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a snapper belonging to the family Lutjanidae. It is native to the western Pacific and eastern Indian Oceans.

<i>Pogonoperca</i> Genus of fishes

Pogonoperca is a genus of marine ray-finned fish, related to the groupers and classified within the subfamily Epinephelinae of the family Serranidae. They are found in the Indo-Pacific region.

<i>Pogonoperca ocellata</i> Species of fish

Pogonoperca ocellata, the Indian soapfish or snowflake soapfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, related to the groupers and classified within the subfamily Epinephelinae of the family Serranidae. It is found in the Indian Ocean.

The ocellate soapfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish with a wide Indo-Pacific distribution. It is the only species in the genus Grammistops. It is also known as the ocellated soapfish, ocellated podge, or false-eyed soapfish. The specific name ocellatus refers to the ocellate (eye-like) spot on the operculum.

<i>Diplectrum</i> Genus of fishes

Diplectrum, commonly known as sand perches, is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes which is a member of the subfamily Serraninae of the family Serranidae, which includes the groupers and anthias. There are 12 species distributed in the western Atlantic Ocean and the eastern Pacific Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackspotted gurnard</span> Species of fish

The blackspotted gurnard, also known as the half-spotted gurnard, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Triglidae, the gurnards and sea robins. It is found in the Indo-Pacific region.

References

  1. Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Rypticus". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  2. Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Grammistinae". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Guimarães, R. Z. P. (1999). Revision, phylogeny and comments on biogeography of soapfishes of the genus Rypticus (Teleostei: Serranidae). Bulletin of Marine Science 65(2) 337-79.
  4. Froese, R. and D. Pauly, Eds. Rypticus species. FishBase. 2011.
  5. Bailly, N. (2013). Rypticus Cuvier & Valenciennes, 1829. In: Froese, R. and D. Pauly, Eds. FishBase. World Register of Marine Species. Accessed 9 June 2013.
  6. Baldwin, C. C. and L. A. Weigt. (2012). A new species of soapfish (Teleostei: Serranidae: Rypticus), with redescription of R. subbifrenatus and comments on the use of DNA barcoding in systematic studies. Copeia 2012(1) 23-36.
  7. Smith-Vaniz, B., et al. 2010. Rypticus courtenayi. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. Downloaded on 9 June 2013.