Decodon puellaris
Red Hogfish
Collection Details
Specimens
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Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Labridae (Wrasses)
Decodon
Decodon puellaris (Red 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
Elongate and relatively slender, with a pointed snout and strong canine teeth in front of jaws. Anterior profile of head is slightly convex. Upper and lower jaws have two canine teeth near symphysis and a row of short, stout teeth behind canines. Preopercular margin is finely serrated. Gill rakers on first arch are short and number about 14. Measurements are expressed as percent of SL: head length 34%–36%, snout length 9%–11%, eye diameter 7%–8%, upper jaw length 9%–13%, pectoral fin length 16%–21%, body depth 25%–29%. Pectoral fin is fan shaped and has 16 rays. Dorsal fin is continuous and has 11 spines and 9 or 10 rays, with membrane behind spines extended as short filaments. Anal fin has 2 spines and 9 or 10 rays. Caudal fin is truncate, with upper and lower fin rays extended as short filaments. Body and most of head are covered with large scales. Lateral line is continuous and has 27 to 29 pored scales.
Color is red dorsally and white ventrally, with yellow spots. Lips are yellow, and yellow stripes run from nares to eye, from eye to operculum, and from eye across cheek.
Distribution
Western Atlantic from southern Florida and Bermuda to Brazil, including the northern and southern Gulf of Mexico, the Bahamas, and the Antilles.
In the Gulf of Mexico it is common on the Flower Garden Banks.
Habitat Associations
Between 18 and 275 m
Biology
Maximum known size is 150 mm TL
Mainly found over rocky bottoms of insular areas (Ref. 5217).
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; mating system: monogamy. Oviparous, distinct pairing during breeding (Ref. 205).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2014-01-09. Resilience: Medium (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: commercial; aquarium: commercial.
References
Longley and Hildebrand 1941
Gomon 1974
Hoese and Moore 1977, 1998
Robins and Ray 1986
Smith-Vaniz and Böhlke 1991
Boschung 1992
Smith 1997
Schaldach et al. 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.
Cervigón, F., R. Cipriani, W. Fischer, L. Garibaldi, M. Hendrickx, A.J. Lemus, R. Márquez, J.M. Poutiers, G. Robaina and B. Rodriguez (1992) Fichas FAO de identificación de especies para los fines de la pesca. Guía de campo de las especies comerciales marinas y de aquas salobres de la costa septentrional de Sur América. FAO, Rome. 513 p. Preparado con el financiamento de la Comisión de Comunidades Europeas y de NORAD.
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.
Westneat, M.W. (2003) Labridae. Wrasses. p. 1701-1722. In K.E. Carpenter (ed.) FAO species identification guide for fishery purposes. The living marine resources of the Western Central Atlantic. Vol. 3: Bony fishes part 2 (Opistognathidae to Molidae), sea turtles and marine mammals.
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