Mycteroperca bonaci
Collection Details
Specimens
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Serranidae (Sea Basses and Groupers)
Mycteroperca
Mycteroperca bonaci (Black Grouper)
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.)
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Characters
Maxilla extends beyond middle of eye, with distal part of ventral margin straight and lacking step or bony knob. Supramaxilla is well developed. Jaws bear well-developed canines on side of symphysis. Preoperculum is evenly rounded, and posterior margin is serrated, without notch or lobe at angle. Dorsal margin of operculum is convex. Gill rakers on first arch number 19 to 27, with 2 to 5 on upper limb and 8 to 12 on lower limb. Measurements are expressed as percent of SL: head length 36%–40%, body depth 29%–30%. Pectoral fin is broadly rounded and has 16 or 17 rays. Dorsal fin has 11 spines and 15 to 17 rays, with membrane between spines distinctly incised. Anal fin has 11 to 13 rays. Posterior margins of dorsal and anal fins are rounded. Caudal fin is truncate to slightly emarginate. Lateral line scales number 78 to 83, and scales in horizontal series number 119 to 126.
Color is grayish to dark brown and densely covered with irregular bronze or brassy spots separated by bluish reticulum. Brassy spots may coalesce into chainlike horizontal streaks. Dorsolateral aspect of body occasionally has seven or eight columns of rectangular dark blotches; first is above operculum, and last is on caudal peduncle. Pectoral fins are dusky brown with orange margin. Yellowish brown spots on ventral aspect of body, and pectoral fin outlined with orange pigment.
Distribution
Western Atlantic from Bermuda and the Gulf of Mexico to southern Brazil, including the Bahamas and the Greater and Lesser Antilles.
Northern and southern Gulf of Mexico
Habitat Associations
Rocky bottoms and coral reefs (adults), mangrove habitats (juveniles); between 10 and 30 m depth
Biology
Crustaceans (juveniles) and ray-finned fishes (adults)
Maximum known size is 133 cm TL
Protogynous hermaphrodite, with individuals maturing as females between 50 and 100 cm TL and becoming functional males at 96 to 116 cm TL. Maximum age is 17 to 19 years
Minimum depth from Ref. 126840. A solitary species (Ref. 26340) inhabiting rocky and coral reefs (Ref. 9710). Adults feed primarily on fishes; juveniles mainly on crustaceans. Oviparous (Ref. 205). A protogynous hermaphrodite (Ref. 55367). Forms spawning aggregations (Ref. 55367). Common but difficult to approach (Ref. 9710). Marketed fresh and its flesh is of excellent quality.
IUCN Red List Status: Near Threatened (NT), assessed 2016-11-20. Resilience: Medium (K=0.16; tmax=14; Fec=500,000).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: highly commercial; gamefish; aquarium: public aquariums.
References
Springer and McErlean 1962
Böhlke and Chaplin 1968
Randall 1968a
Randall 1996
Smith 1971
Smith 1997
Smith et al. 1975
Hoese and Moore 1977
Robins and Ray 1986
Bullock and Smith 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.
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.
IGFA (2001) Database of IGFA angling records until 2001. IGFA, Fort Lauderdale, USA.
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
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