Serranus tabacarius
Tobaccofish
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)
Serranus
Serranus tabacarius (Tobaccofish)
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
Opercular spines well-developed; top of head naked; dorsal profile of head slightly convex; nares close set with flap extending from posterior margin of anterior naris; maxilla extends to about center of eye; jaw teeth villiform in bands narrowing posteriorly; granular vomerine and palatine teeth in chevron-shaped patch and narrow band, respectively; preoperculum forms obtuse angle, serrated along posterior and ventral margins with serrae enlarged along lower posterior margin; interoperculum has serrated margin; gill rakers on first arch 21-25; head length 36%-39% SL; snout length 9%-11% SL; eye diameter 9%-12% SL; body depth 27%-30% SL; pectoral fin large with 14 or 15 rays; dorsal fin shallowly notched with 10 spines and 11 or 12 rays; anal fin with 7 rays; scales small, ctenoid, covering body, nape, cheek, and operculum; scales encircling caudal peduncle 37-39; pored lateral line scales 50-52; rows of cheek scales 10-12
Pale brownish orange with pale blotches and black saddles or bars on dorsal part of body; caudal fin marked with two dark submarginal black stripes converging at base to form horizontal V-shaped pattern
Distribution
Western Atlantic from Georgia and Bermuda to northern Brazil, including the eastern and southern Gulf of Mexico, the Bahamas, and the Greater and Lesser Antilles
Habitat Associations
Between shore and 69 m depth; associated with sandy bottoms and reefs
Sandy bottoms and reefs
Biology
Shrimps and atherinid fishes
140 mm SL
Synchronous hermaphrodite
Inhabits shallow rocky or coral bottoms with clear water (Ref. 5217). In groups on deeper reefs (Ref. 9710). Synchronously hermaphroditic. Negligible commercial value due to its small size (Ref. 5217). Sometimes follows goatfishes (family Mullidae) as they probe the sand for invertebrates (Ref. 26938).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2012-08-24. Resilience: Medium (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: commercial; aquarium: commercial.
References
Kanazawa 1952 (as Prionodes tabacarius)
Robins and Stark 1961
Stark and Davis 1966
Böhlke and Chaplin 1968
Randall 1968a
Randall 1996
Smith et al. 1975
Robins and Ray 1986
Bullock and Smith 1991
Smith 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.
Cervigón, F., R. Cipriani, W. Fischer, L. Garibaldi, M. Hendrickx, A.J. Lemus, R. Márquez, J.M. Poutiers, G. Robaina and B. Rodriguez (1992) Fichas FAO de identificación de especies para los fines de la pesca. Guía de campo de las especies comerciales marinas y de aquas salobres de la costa septentrional de Sur América. FAO, Rome. 513 p. Preparado con el financiamento de la Comisión de Comunidades Europeas y de NORAD.
Robins, C.R. and G.C. Ray (1986) A field guide to Atlantic coast fishes of North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, U.S.A. 354 p.
Randall, J.E. (1996) Caribbean reef fishes. Third Edition - revised and enlarged. T.F.H. Publications, Inc. Ltd., Hong Kong. 3nd ed. 368 p.
García-Cagide, A., R. Claro and B.V. Koshelev (1994) Reproducción. p. 187-262. In R. Claro (ed.) Ecología de los peces marinos de Cuba. Inst. Oceanol. Acad. Cienc. Cuba. and Cen. Invest. Quintana Roo (CIQRO) México.
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.
Petersen, C.W. (1995) Reproductive behavior, egg trading, and correlates of male mating success in the simultaneous hermaphrodite, Serranus tabacarius. Environ. Biol. Fishes 43(4):351-361.
Comments On Serranus tabacarius