Bodianus pulchellus
Spotfin Hogfish
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Labridae (Wrasses)
Bodianus
Bodianus pulchellus (Spotfin Hogfish)
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
Moderately deep body, pointed snout, canine teeth in corner of jaws, dark blotch on upper margin of pectoral fin. Dorsal profile of head nearly straight. Maxilla extends to anterior margin of eye. Upper jaw with 2 large canine teeth on either side of symphysis, small curved canine in corner of mouth, and row of stout blunt teeth behind canines. Lower jaw with 2 large canine teeth on either side of symphysis and row of short stout teeth behind canines. Preopercular margin slightly serrated. Gill rakers on first gill arch short, 15 or 16. Measurements (% SL): head length 32%–33%, snout length 10%–12%, eye diameter 6%–7%, upper jaw length 9%–12%, pectoral fin length 20%–24%, body depth 29%–37%. Pectoral fin winglike with 15 or 16 rays. Dorsal fin with 11 or 12 (usually 12) spines and 9 to 11 rays. Anal fin similar in size and shape to rayed section of dorsal fin, with 3 spines and 11 to 13 rays. Posterior rays of dorsal and anal fins elongated into filaments in adults. Caudal fin truncate to slightly convex, with upper and lower corners extended as filaments in adults. Scales cover bases of dorsal and anal fins. Lateral line gently curved and continuous, with 29 to 31 pored scales.
Red with broad diffuse white stripe and large yellow area along upper half of body from posterior section of dorsal fin to upper lobe of caudal fin. Black spot on anterior section of dorsal fin, eye red, outer section of leading edge of pectoral fin black, and pelvic and anal fins red. Juveniles mostly yellow, with spinous section of dorsal fin black, and often with two dark stripes radiating from posterior margin of eye.
Distribution
South Carolina and Bermuda to Brazil, including the northern and southern Gulf of Mexico, the Bahamas, and the Greater and Lesser Antilles. Rare along the northern Gulf of Mexico and southeastern United States.
Habitat Associations
Between 10 and 120 m depth
Biology
Small crabs and mollusks. Juveniles are cleaners of parasites on large fishes of many species.
Maximum known size is 214 mm SL
Adults inhabit coral and rocky reefs, rarely at depths greater than 24 m (Ref. 9710). Feed on crabs and small shellfish (Ref. 3726). Juveniles pick parasites from other fishes (Ref. 9710). Oviparous, distinct pairing during breeding (Ref. 205). May hybridize with Spanish hogfish, B. rufus (Ref. 40096). Marketed fresh (Ref. 3726).
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; mating system: monogamy; nonguarders (open water/substratum egg scatterers); parental care: none. Oviparous, distinct pairing during breeding (Ref. 205).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2008-04-12. Resilience: Medium (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: minor commercial; aquarium: commercial.
References
Feddern 1963
Böhlke and Chaplin 1968
Randall 1968a
Randall 1996
Haburay et al. 1969
Bright and Cashman 1974
Sonnier et al. 1976
Hoese and Moore 1977
Hoese and Moore 1998
Shipp and Hopkins 1978
Robins and Ray 1986
Boschung 1992
Schaldach et al. 1997
Smith 1997
Smith-Vaniz et al. 1999
Westneat 2002a
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.
Cervigón, F. (1993) Los peces marinos de Venezuela. Volume 2. Fundación Científica Los Roques, Caracas,Venezuela. 497 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.
Gomon, M.F. (2006) A revision of the labrid fish genus Bodianus with descriptions of eight new species. Rec. Aust. Mus. Suppl. 30:1-133.
Hanel, R., M.W. Westneat and C. Sturmbauer (2002) Phylogenetic relationships, evolution of broodcare behavior, and geographic speciation in the wrasse Tribe Labrini. J. Molec. Evol. 55:776-789.
Comments On Bodianus pulchellus