Scombrolabrax heterolepis
No common name
Collection Details
Specimens
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Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Scombrolabracidae (Longfin Escolar)
Scombrolabrax
Scombrolabrax heterolepis
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
Moderately elongate, elliptical in profile, and compressed; upper jaw moderately protrusible; first dorsal fin longer than second dorsal fin; dorsal profile of head slightly convex; nostril paired with slitlike pores; interorbital region flat; eye very large, nearly equal to snout length; mouth terminal and slightly oblique; lower jaw projecting slightly beyond upper jaw; upper jaw extending to pupil; teeth in upper jaw consist of a row of small to moderate-sized, compressed canines and one or two very large, stout canines on either side of symphysis; teeth in lower jaw consist of a row of moderate to moderately large, compressed canines that increase in size toward corner of mouth and a patch of small teeth at symphysis; vomer has a V-shaped patch of small teeth; palatine has a long row of small teeth; ventral margin of preoperculum serrated to angle; operculum has 2 flat spines on posterior margin; gill membranes free of isthmus; a small slit present behind fourth gill arch; pseudobranch on inner surface of operculum well developed; first gill arch has four or five long, slender, and denticulate gill rakers on lower limb; measurements (% SL): head length 34%–35%, snout length 9%–11%, eye diameter 9%–10%, upper jaw length 16%–17%, pre-dorsal-fin length 40%–43%, pectoral fin length 30%–36%, pelvic fin length 14%–15%, body depth 24%–25%; pectoral fin long and falcate with 18 or 19 rays; first dorsal fin nearly continuous with second and has 12 rather stout spines; second dorsal fin consists of 1 spine and 14 or 15 rays; pelvic fin inserts below pectoral fin base and has 1 spine and 5 rays; anal fin similar in size and shape to second dorsal fin and has 2 spines and 16 to 18 rays; caudal fin forked; body covered with small cycloid scales that are variable in size and shape and are deciduous; lateral line runs very close to dorsal profile and ends slightly anterior to insertion of second dorsal fin; lateral line scales larger than other scales, not deciduous, and number 46 to 50; vertebrae number 30: 13 precaudal and 17 caudal; gas bladder present and in adults possesses bubblelike evaginations that fit into bullae of vertebral parapophyses
Dark brown to grayish brown; lining of mouth black
Distribution
Western Atlantic between 560 and 1,340 m in the northern and southern Gulf of Mexico to Suriname
Northern and southern Gulf of Mexico
Habitat Associations
Tropical and subtropical seas between 100 and 900 m
Biology
Maximum known size is 300 mm TL
Oceanic and mesopelagic. Found on the continental shelf and underwater sea rises (Ref. 10817). Rather rare.
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; nonguarders (open water/substratum egg scatterers); parental care: none.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2013-05-20.
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: of no interest.
References
Potthoff et al. 1980
Fujii 1983d
Johnson 1986
Boschung 1992
Nelson 1994
Nakamura and Parin 2001a
Nakamura, I. (1984) Scombrolabracidae. In W. Fischer and G. Bianchi (eds.) FAO species identification sheets for fishery purposes. Western Indian Ocean (Fishing Area 51). Vol. 4. FAO, Rome. pag. var.
Nakamura, I. (1986) Scombrolabracidae. p. 825. In M.M. Smith and P.C. Heemstra (eds.) Smiths' sea fishes. Springer-Verlag, Berlin.
Parin, N.V. (1990) Scombrolabracidae. p. 973. 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.
Uyeno, T., K. Matsuura and E. Fujii (eds.) (1983) Fishes trawled off Suriname and French Guiana. Japan Marine Fishery Resource Research Center, Tokyo, Japan. 519 p.
Patzner, R.A. (2008) Reproductive strategies of fish. pp. 311-350. In Rocha, M.J., A. Arukwe and B.G. Kapoor (eds). Fish reproduction: cytology, biology and ecology. Science Publisher, Inc. Oxford. 631 p.
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