Mycteroperca tigris
Tiger Grouper
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)
Mycteroperca
Mycteroperca tigris (Tiger 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.)
and processed using AI-assisted text extraction.
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Characters
Rounded preoperculum, exserted median fin rays, evenly convex head profile, posterior naris 3 to 5 times greater than anterior naris, maxilla extends beyond posterior margin of orbit in adults, ventral margin straight and lacks step or bony knob, well-developed supramaxilla, canines in anterior section of jaws, preoperculum rounded with serrated posterior margin, dorsal margin of operculum convex, gill rakers on first arch short and number 23 to 25 (8 on upper limb, 15 to 17 on lower limb), head length 36%–40% SL, body depth 28%–32% SL, pectoral fin broadly rounded with 17 rays, dorsal fin has 11 spines and 15 to 17 rays, anal fin has 11 rays, caudal fin rounded in juveniles and truncate or emarginate in adults, midlateral body scales ctenoid in juveniles and cycloid in adults, lateral line scales number 82 or 83, scales in horizontal series number about 120
Adults greenish brown to brownish gray, darker dorsally than ventrally, with 9 to 11 oblique pale stripes, median fins with irregular pale spots and stripes, pectoral fin pale yellow near tips; small juveniles yellow with dark brown midlateral stripe in addition to oblique pale stripes
Distribution
Western Atlantic from southern Florida and Bermuda to southern Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico, the Bahamas, and the Greater and Lesser Antilles
In the Gulf of Mexico found along southwestern Florida and from Texas to Yucatán, abundant on the Flower Garden Banks
Habitat Associations
Coral reefs and rocky substrates, between 10 and 40 m depth
Associated with coral reefs and rocky substrates
Biology
Food consists of a variety of ray-finned fishes
Maximum known size is 100 cm TL
Specimens less than 37 cm TL are females, and those greater than 45 cm TL are males
A solitary species (Ref. 26340) occurring in coral reefs and rocky areas. It is considered an ambush predator that hides among the coral and sponges and is easy to approach. Frequents cleaning stations (Ref. 9710). The size versus sex distribution of Bermuda population indicates that this species is a protogynous hermaphrodite; all fish less than 37 cm TL were females and all fish larger than 45 cm TL were males (Ref. 6886). Randall (Ref. 33) reported food of 59 specimens 15 to 57 cm SL were purely fishes of a variety of species.
IUCN Red List Status: Data Deficient (DD), assessed 2016-11-21. Resilience: Low (K=0.11; tm=6.5-9.5).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: commercial; gamefish; aquarium: public aquariums.
References
Longley and Hildebrand 1941
Smith 1971, 1997
Dennis and Bright 1988a
Cervigón 1991
Heemstra and Smith 1993
Schaldach et al. 1997
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.
Claro, R. (1994) Características generales de la ictiofauna. p. 55-70. In R. Claro (ed.) Ecología de los peces marinos de Cuba. Instituto de Oceanología Academia de Ciencias de Cuba and Centro de Investigaciones de Quintana Roo.
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.
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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