Epinephelus adscensionis
Rock Hind
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Serranidae (Sea Basses and Groupers)
Epinephelus
Epinephelus adscensionis (Rock Hind)
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 fin with fourth or fifth spine longest, ctenoid scales, maxilla extends beyond posterior margin of orbit with ventral margin smoothly curved and lacking step or bony knob, well-developed supramaxilla, small canine teeth in front of jaws, angular preoperculum with posterior margin evenly serrate, convex dorsal margin of operculum, gill rakers 23-28 (7-9 upper, 16-19 lower), head length 40%-48% SL, body depth 29%-36% SL, pectoral fin broadly rounded with 18-20 rays, dorsal fin XI, 16-18 rays with membrane between spines distinctly incised, anal fin III, 8 rays, caudal fin with convex posterior margin, scales with strong ctenii and numerous auxiliary scales, lateral line scales 48-53, scales in horizontal series 82-95
Buff to pale green with reddish brown spots and pale blotches scattered over head, body, and fins, typically with three to five dark blotches at base of dorsal fin, a single dark blotch on dorsal side of caudal peduncle, and dark pigment along posterior margin of caudal fin
Distribution
Tropical and warm temperate Atlantic, western Atlantic from Massachusetts and Bermuda to southern Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico, the Bahamas, and the Greater and Lesser Antilles
Found throughout the Gulf of Mexico
Habitat Associations
Associated with rocky substrates and coral reefs, between 2 and 100 m depth
Rocky substrates and coral reefs
Biology
Crustaceans, ray-finned fishes, and young sea turtles
Maximum known size is 60 cm TL in the western Atlantic, reaching about 100 cm at Ascension Island
Inhabits rocky reefs. Usually solitary (Ref. 29). Difficult to approach (Ref. 9710). Juveniles often seen in rockpools (Ref. 86997). Feeds mainly on crabs (67%) and fishes (20%). In the Ascension I., feeds on juvenile Melichthys niger and young sea turtles. Its flesh is of good quality. Marketed fresh. Angling: Like other grouper, rock hind are caught by fishing at the right depth over an irregular bottom (Ref. 84357).
Reproductive mode: protogyny; fertilization: external; nonguarders (open water/substratum egg scatterers); parental care: none.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2017-05-12. Resilience: Low (K=0.11).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: highly commercial; gamefish.
References
Longley and Hildebrand 1941
Böhlke and Chaplin 1968
Randall 1968a
Randall 1996
Smith 1971
Smith 1997
Smith et al. 1975
Castro-Aguirre and Márquez-Espinoza 1981
Robins and Ray 1986
Cervigón 1991
Boschung 1992
Heemstra and Randall 1993
Schaldach et al. 1997
Castro-Aguirre et al. 1999
Smith-Vaniz et al. 1999
Heemstra 2002c
Randall, J.E. (1967) Food habits of reef fishes of the West Indies. Stud. Trop. Oceanogr. Miami 5:665-847.
Heemstra, P.C. and J.E. Randall (1993) FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 16. Groupers of the world (family Serranidae, subfamily Epinephelinae). An annotated and illustrated catalogue of the grouper, rockcod, hind, coral grouper and lyretail species known to date. Rome: FAO. FAO Fish. Synop. 125(16):382 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.
Willoughby, S., J.D. Neilson and C. Taylor (1999) The depth distribution of exploited reef fish populations off the south and west coasts of Barbados. Proc. Gulf Caribb. Fish Inst. 45:57-68.
Craig, M.T., YJ. Sadovy de Mitcheson and P.C. Heemstra (2011) Groupers of the world: a field and market guide. North America: CRC Press/Taylor and Francis Group, xix, 356 p., A47 pages appendix. DOI: 10.1201-/9780429087899
Guabiroba, H.C. and J.-C. Joyeux (2018) Length-weight relationships for reef fishes in a southwestern Atlantic tropical oceanic island. Pan-American Journal of Aquatic Sciences 13(1): 84-87.
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