Emmelichthyops atlanticus
Bonnetmouth
Collection Details
Specimens
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Haemulidae (Grunts)
Emmelichthyops
Emmelichthyops atlanticus (Bonnetmouth)
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
Scaled interspace between dorsal fins; deeply forked caudal fin; upper jaw extends to anterior margin of eye; gill rakers on first arch number 8 on upper limb and about 20 on lower limb; measurements (% SL): head length 25%–27%, snout length 6%–8%, eye diameter 7%–9%, upper jaw length 10%–12%, pectoral fin length 15%–18%, pelvic fin length 13%–15%, body depth 16%–18%; pectoral fin has 18 or 19 rays; first dorsal fin has 9 or 10 spines, with last several fitting into groove when depressed; second dorsal fin has 2 spines and 9 or 10 rays; anal fin has 2 spines and 9 to 11 rays; caudal peduncle is broad; body and most of head are covered with ctenoid scales; axillary process on pelvic fin base is about half the length of pelvic fin; lateral line scales number about 75 to end of caudal peduncle.
Color is metallic, yellowish gray dorsally and whitish on side and ventrally, with a bluish tinge anteriorly and four brown stripes on upper side. In preservative, specimens are pale, with several brown stripes on upper body. Juveniles have three brown stripes.
Distribution
Western Atlantic from the Florida Keys and the Bahamas to northern South America, including the Virgin Islands, Barbados, and Tobago.
Single record in the Gulf of Mexico based on a sighting at the West Flower Garden Bank.
Habitat Associations
Associated with coral reefs; occurs to a depth of 91 m.
Biology
Maximum known size is 125 mm TL.
Found in oceanic waters (Ref. 9626), sometimes over coral heads (Ref. 9710). Swims in schools to depths of 64 m (Ref. 26938). Feeds on zooplankton and small fishes.
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 2012-08-20. Resilience: High (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
References
Schultz 1945
Böhlke and Chaplin 1968
Robins and Ray 1986
Randall 1996
Smith 1997
Pattengill 1998
Orrell 2002b
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.
Randall, J.E. (1996) Caribbean reef fishes. Third Edition - revised and enlarged. T.F.H. Publications, Inc. Ltd., Hong Kong. 3nd ed. 368 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.
Comments On Emmelichthyops atlanticus