Ocyurus chrysurus
Yellowtail Snapper
Collection Details
Specimens
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Lutjanidae (Snappers)
Ocyurus
Ocyurus chrysurus (Yellowtail 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
Symmetrical dorsal and ventral profiles, deeply forked caudal fin, strongly convex interorbital space, maxilla extends to anterior margin of orbit, outer row of enlarged teeth and inner narrow band of villiform teeth in jaws, V-shaped vomerine tooth patch with narrow posteromedial extension, weakly serrated preoperculum with shallow depression along posterior margin, gill rakers on first arch 9-11 on upper limb and 21-23 on lower limb, measurements (% SL): head length 29%, eye diameter 6-11%, snout length 11-13%, upper jaw length 10-16%, pectoral fin length 27-31%, pelvic fin length 19-22%, body depth 30-34%, pectoral fin rays 15-17, dorsal fin X-XIII (usually X, 12 or 13 rays), anal fin III, 8 or 9 rays, tubed lateral line scales 46-49, scale rows on back rise obliquely above lateral line
Blue to violet with scattering of unequal yellow spots on dorsal half of body, whitish with narrow reddish and yellow stripes on remainder of body, midlateral yellow band from snout to caudal fin base, dorsal and caudal fins yellow, anal and pelvic fins whitish
Distribution
Western Atlantic from Massachusetts and Bermuda to southern Brazil, including northern and southern Gulf of Mexico
Northern Gulf of Mexico
Habitat Associations
Tropical and warm temperate Atlantic between shoreline and 165 m, associated with coral reefs (adults) and seaweed beds (juveniles)
Coral reefs and seaweed beds
Biology
Zooplankton, nekton, and benthic organisms, including polychaetes, gastropods, cephalopods, and ray-finned fishes
Maximum known size is 810 mm TL
Adults inhabit coastal waters, mostly around coral reefs. Usually seen well above the bottom, frequently in aggregations. They feed on a combination of plankton and benthic animals including fishes, crustaceans, worms, gastropods and cephalopods, mainly at night (Ref. 9987). Young individuals are usually found over weed beds. They feed primarily on plankton (Ref. 9710). Spawning occurs throughout the year, with peaks at different times in different areas (Ref. 26938). Marketed fresh and frozen (Ref. 9987). Has been reared in captivity (Ref. 35420).
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=0.10-0.16; tm=2; tmax=14).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: commercial; gamefish; aquaculture: commercial; aquarium: public aquariums.
References
Longley and Hildebrand 1941
Anderson 1967
Anderson 2002c
Böhlke and Chaplin 1968
Randall 1968a
Randall 1996
Bright and Cashman 1974
Smith et al. 1975
Hoese and Moore 1977
Hoese and Moore 1998
Allen 1985
Cervigón 1993b
Schaldach et al. 1997
Smith 1997
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.
Lloris, D. and J. Rucabado (1990) Lutjanidae. p. 773-779. In J. C. Quéro, J. C. Hureau, C. Karrer, A Post, and L. Saldanha (eds.) Check-list of the fishes of the eastern tropical Atlantic (CLOFETA). JNICT, Lisbon; SEI, Paris; and UNESCO, Paris. Vol. 2.
Randall, J.E. (1996) Caribbean reef fishes. Third Edition - revised and enlarged. T.F.H. Publications, Inc. Ltd., Hong Kong. 3nd ed. 368 p.
Sierra, L.M., R. Claro and O.A. Popova (1994) Alimentacion y relaciones tróficas. p. 263-284. In Rodolfo Claro (ed.) Ecología de los Peces Marinos de Cuba. Instituto de Oceanología Academia de Ciencias de Cuba and Centro de Investigaciones de Quintana Roo, Mexico.
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