Anisotremus virginicus
Porkfish
Collection Details
Specimens
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Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Haemulidae (Grunts)
Anisotremus
Anisotremus virginicus (Porkfish)
Description
This species account was compiled from
Composite (multiple sources) (McEachran, J.D. and J.D. Fechhelm. Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. University of Texas Press, Austin.)
and processed using AI-assisted text extraction.
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Characters
Dorsal profile of head is very steep and nearly straight. Nares are close set, posterior margin of anterior naris is extended as a flap, and posterior naris is small and oval shaped. Jaw teeth are villiform to setiform and arranged in bands that narrow to a single row posteriorly, with some teeth of outer series enlarged and sharp pointed. Preoperculum is finely serrated on posterior margin, with serrae enlarged near slightly produced angle. Gill rakers on first arch number 11 on upper limb and 13 to 15 on lower limb. Measurements are expressed as percent of SL: head length 32%–33%, snout length 10%–13%, eye diameter 9%–12%, upper jaw length 9%–11%, body depth 48%–53%. Pectoral fin has 17 or 18 rays. Dorsal fin is slightly incised between spinous and rayed sections and has 12 spines and 16 or 17 rays. Anal fin has 9 rays. Caudal fin is forked. Scale rows between first dorsal fin spine and lateral line number 10 or 11, and scales encircling caudal peduncle number 24 to 26. Lateral line scales number 56 to 60. Lacks scales on dorsal and anal fin membranes.
Body is patterned with broad silvery white stripes alternating with narrow yellow stripes. Head has an oblique black band running from corner of mouth through eye to forehead and a nearly vertical band passing from first dorsal fin base to upper section of pectoral fin base. Spinous section of dorsal fin and pelvic fin is dusky to black, and other fins are yellow. Juveniles are yellowish, with two dark stripes on body and caudal spot in addition to head stripes of adults.
Distribution
Western Atlantic from Florida and Bermuda to Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico, the Bahamas, and the Antilles. In the Gulf of Mexico it is rare north of southern Florida and southern Texas.
Rare north of southern Texas
Habitat Associations
Coral reefs and rocky areas in shallow water
Associated with coral reefs and rocky areas
Biology
Food consists of ophiuroids, mollusks, annelids, and crustaceans, and feeding takes place at night. Juveniles clean other fishes of parasites.
Maximum known size is 380 mm TL
Maximum depth from Ref. 126840. Inhabits reefs and rocky bottoms. Feeds at night on mollusks, echinoderms, annelids, and crustaceans (Ref. 3798). Young pick parasites from the bodies of larger fishes (Ref. 5521). Young are popular aquarium fish (Ref. 7251). Marketed fresh (Ref. 3798). Has been reared in captivity (Ref. 35420).
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; nonguarders (open water/substratum egg scatterers); parental care: none. Distinct pairing during breeding (Ref. 205).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2011-03-01. Resilience: Medium (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: minor commercial; gamefish; aquarium: public aquariums.
References
Longley and Hildebrand 1941
Böhlke and Chaplin 1968
Randall 1968a
Randall 1996
Hoese and Moore 1977
Hoese and Moore 1998
Castro-Aguirre and Márquez-Espinoza 1981
Robins and Ray 1986
Boschung 1992
Cervigón 1993b
Schaldach et al. 1997
Smith 1997
Castro-Aguirre et al. 1999
Lindeman and Toxey 2002
Randall, J.E. (1967) Food habits of reef fishes of the West Indies. Stud. Trop. Oceanogr. Miami 5:665-847.
Breder, C.M. and D.E. Rosen (1966) Modes of reproduction in fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey. 941 p.
Robins, C.R. and G.C. Ray (1986) A field guide to Atlantic coast fishes of North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, U.S.A. 354 p.
Lieske, E. and R. Myers (1994) Collins Pocket Guide. Coral reef fishes. Indo-Pacific & Caribbean including the Red Sea. Haper Collins Publishers, 400 p.
Uyeno, T., K. Matsuura and E. Fujii (eds.) (1983) Fishes trawled off Suriname and French Guiana. Japan Marine Fishery Resource Research Center, Tokyo, Japan. 519 p.
Smith, C.L. (1997) National Audubon Society field guide to tropical marine fishes of the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, Florida, the Bahamas, and Bermuda. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York. 720 p.
IGFA (2001) Database of IGFA angling records until 2001. IGFA, Fort Lauderdale, USA.
Yáñes-Arancibia, A., A.L. Lara-Domínguez and J.W. Day Jr. (1993) Interactions between mangrove and seagrass habitats mediated by estuarine nekton assemblages: coupling of primary and secondary production. Hydrobiologia 264:1-12.
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