Etelis oculatus
Queen Snapper
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Lutjanidae (Snappers)
Etelis
Etelis oculatus (Queen Snapper)
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 maxilla; notched dorsal fin; naked dorsal and anal fin membranes; snout shorter than eye diameter in juveniles, about equal in adults; flat interorbital space; lower jaw projects slightly beyond upper jaw; maxilla extends to posterior margin of eye; jaw teeth small, conical, in bands with outer row slightly enlarged; 1-2 caninelike teeth on each side of upper and lower jaws; vomerine teeth in a narrow V-shaped or triangular patch; 7-11 gill rakers on upper limb and 14-18 on lower limb; head length 33%-34% SL; snout length about 9% SL; eye diameter 11%-12% SL; upper jaw length 15%-16% SL; pectoral fin length 24%-26% SL; pelvic fin length 18%-21% SL; body depth 27%-29% SL; pectoral fin slender with 15-16 rays; dorsal fin X,11; anal fin III,8; caudal fin deeply forked with upper lobe slightly longer than lower; lateral line scales 47-50; scale rows on back parallel to lateral line
Deep pink to red on dorsal half of body, pale pink to silvery on remainder; rayed sections of dorsal, pectoral, pelvic, and anal fins pink; spinous dorsal and caudal fins brilliant red
Distribution
Western Atlantic from North Carolina and Bermuda to Brazil, including the eastern and northern Gulf of Mexico
Eastern and northern Gulf of Mexico
Habitat Associations
Rocky bottoms between 135 and 450 m depth
Rocky bottoms
Biology
Squids, crustaceans, and small ray-finned fishes
About 700 mm SL
Adults inhabit rocky bottoms and feeds mainly on small fishes and squids. They are abundant near oceanic islands (Ref. 9626). Small individuals are taken as by-catch in trawl fisheries (Ref. 5217). Marketed mostly fresh, sometimes frozen. Flesh of good quality.
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; nonguarders (open water/substratum egg scatterers); parental care: none.
IUCN Red List Status: Data Deficient (DD), assessed 2015-10-10. Resilience: Medium (K=0.29-0.61).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: commercial; gamefish.
References
Anderson 1972
Anderson 1981
Anderson 2002c
Allen 1985
Burgess and Branstetter 1985
Robins and Ray 1986
Smith-Vaniz et al. 1999
Allen, G.R. (1985) FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 6. Snappers of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of lutjanid species known to date. FAO Fish. Synop. 125(6):208 p. Rome: FAO.
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. (1993) Los peces marinos de Venezuela. Volume 2. Fundación Científica Los Roques, Caracas,Venezuela. 497 p.
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