Mycteroperca rosacea
Mycteroperca rosacea | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Conservation status | |
![]() Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1] | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Perciformes |
Family: | Serranidae |
Subfamily: | Epinephelinae |
Genus: | Mycteroperca |
Species: | M. rosacea |
Binomial name | |
Mycteroperca rosacea (Streets, 1877) | |
Synonyms[2] | |
|
Mycteroperca rosacea, the leopard grouper or golden grouper, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grouper from the subfamily Epinephelinae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and sea basses. It is found in the Eastern Central Pacific that occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade.
Description
Mycteroperca rosacea has a body which is elongate, robust and compressed with its depth being the no greater at the origin of the dorsal fin as it is at the origin of the anal fin, in fact it is deepest at the origin of the anal fin.[3] The standard length is 2.7 to 3.1 times the depth of the body. The preopercle has a small lobe its angle.[4] The dorsal fin contains 11 spines and 16–18 soft rays while the anal fin contains 3 spines and 10–11 soft rays.[2] The membranes between the dorsal fin spines are notched.[4] The caudal fin has a straight rear margin.[3] It usually has a body colour which is greenish to greyish brown marked with small reddish brown spots, as well as irregular pale spots and lines and it has white margins on the fins. There is also a xanthic colour phase in which the entire body bright yellow-orange, occasionally with few scattered black spots. This species attains a total length of 86 centimetres (34 in) and a maximum published weight of 9.6 kilograms (21 lb).[2]
Distribution
Mycteroperca rosacea occurs in the eastern Pacific Ocean where it is endemic to Mexico. It occurs from the southwestern part of the peninsula of Baja California south to Jalisco, including the Gulf of California and the Tres Marias Islands.[1]
Habitat and biology
Mycteroperca rosacea occurs in rocky areas in shallow water[2] with a depth range of 1 to 100 m (3 to 328 ft).[1] The adults are largely piscivorous and prey on schools of the Pacific flatiron herring (Harengula thrissina) and the Pacific anchoveta (Cetengraulis mysticetus) when they are in season. Otherwise, they will prey on other schooling and non-schooling fishes. They mostly feed at dawn and dusk, peaking in activity around 20 minutes after sunset. The juveniles are more diurnal, feeding on a diverse range of benthic fishes and crustaceans.[2] It is thought to be a protogynous hermaphrodite with sexually mature females changing sex to become males later in life. They pair to spawn and spawning aggregations are found from April until June. They attain a maximum age of 17 years.[5] The larvae settle among beds of Sargassum in rocky areas and when El Niño increases the water temperature this reduces the amount of Sargassum cover and reduces this species recruitment. By contrast La Niña decreases the water temperature and recruitment of leopard groupers peaks.[1]
Taxonomy
Mycteroperca rosacea was first formally described as Epinephelus rosacea in 1877 by the American naval surgeon and naturalist Thomas Hale Streets (1847–1925) with the type locality given as Angel Island in the Gulf of California.[6]
Utilisation
Mycteroperca rosacea is considered to be an excellent food fish and is an important target species, among other grouper species, for large and small scale fisheries in the northern Gulf of California. It is also a popular quarry for game fishing.[1] Poachers fish illegally for Leopard groupers using spears, hookah breathing apparatus, taking a significant number of fish. They can also be fished for in the surf in the early hours of the morning.[5]
References
- ^ a b c d e Erisman, B.; Craig, M.T. (2018). "Mycteroperca rosacea". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T14053A100466656. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T14053A100466656.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ a b c d e Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2019). "Mycteroperca rosacea" in FishBase. December 2019 version.
- ^ a b "Species: Mycteroperca rosacea, Leopard grouper". Shorefishes of the Eastern Pacific online information system. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
- ^ a b Heemstra, P.C. & 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. FAO Fisheries Synopsis. Vol. 125. FAO, Rome. pp. 274–275. ISBN 92-5-103125-8.
- ^ a b "Leopard Grouper". Mexican-fish.com. John Snow. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
- ^ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Epinephelus rosacea". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
External links
- Photos of Mycteroperca rosacea on Sealife Collection
- v
- t
- e
- Alphestes afer
- Alphestes immaculatus
- Alphestes multiguttatus
- Rusty hind (C. aitha)
- Blue-Spotted Grouper (C. argus)
- Golden hind (C. aurantia)
- Chocolate hind (C. boenak)
- Graysby (C. cruentata)
- Bluespotted hind (C. cyanostigma)
- Bluelined hind (C. formosa)
- Coney (C. fulva)
- Yellowfin hind (C. hemistiktos)
- Neptune grouper (C. igarashiensis)
- Leopard grouper (C. leopardus)
- Freckled hind (C. microprion)
- Vermillion seabass (C. miniata)
- Niger hind (C. nigri)
- Vermilion hind (C. oligosticta)
- Pacific Graysby (C. panamensis)
- (C. polleni)
- Cephalopholis polyspila
- Six-blotch hind (C. sexmaculata)
- Tomato hind (C. sonnerati)
- Strawberry grouper (C. spiloparaea)
- Blue Spotted Sea Bass | (C. taeniops)
- Darkfin hind (C. urodeta)
- marbled grouper (D. inermis)
- smooth grouper (D. striolata)
- Areolate grouper (E. areolatus)
- Atlantic goliath grouper (E. itajara)
- Banded grouper (E. amblycephalus)
- Barred-chest grouper (E. faveatus)
- Black-dotted grouper (E. stictus)
- Blacksaddle grouper (E. howlandi)
- Blacktip grouper (E. fasciatus)
- Blue and yellow grouper (E. flavocaeruleus)
- Bridled grouper (E. heniochus)
- Brown-marbled grouper (E. fuscoguttatus)
- Brownspotted grouper (E. chlorostigma)
- Camouflage grouper (E. polyphekadion)
- Catface grouper (E. andersoni)
- Clipperton grouper (E. clippertonensis)
- Cloudy grouper (E. erythrurus)
- Comet grouper (E. morrhua)
- Coral grouper (E. corallicola)
- Dogtooth grouper (E. caninus)
- Dot-dash grouper (E. poecilonotus)
- Dotted grouper (E. epistictus)
- Dungat grouper (E. goreensis)
- Dusky grouper (E. marginatus)
- Duskytail grouper (E. bleekeri)
- Epaulet grouper (E. stoliczkae)
- Foursaddle grouper (E. spilotoceps)
- Giant grouper (E. lanceolatus)
- Goldblotch grouper (E. costae)
- Greasy grouper (E. tauvina)
- Halfmoon grouper (E. rivulatus)
- Highfin grouper (E. maculatus)
- Honeycomb grouper (E. merra)
- Hong Kong grouper (E. akaara)
- Longfin grouper (E. quoyanus)
- Longspine grouper (E. longispinis)
- Longtooth grouper (E. bruneus)
- Malabar grouper (E. malabaricus)
- Maori grouper (E. undulatostriatus)
- Marquesan grouper (E. irroratus)
- Moustache grouper (E. chabaudi)
- Multispotted grouper (E. gabriellae)
- Mystery grouper (E. lebretonianus)
- Nassau grouper (E. striatus)
- Netfin grouper (E. miliaris)
- Oblique-banded grouper (E. radiatus)
- Olive grouper (E. cifuentesi)
- One-blotch grouper (E. melanostigma)
- Orange-spotted grouper (E. coioides)
- Pacific Goliath grouper (E. quinquefasciatus)
- Palemargin grouper (E. bontoides)
- Plump grouper (E. trophis)
- Potato grouper (E. tukula)
- Red grouper (E. morio)
- Red hind (E. guttatus)
- Red-tipped grouper (E. retouti)
- Reticulate grouper (E. tuamotuensis)
- Rock grouper (E. fasciatomaculosus)
- Rock hind (E. adscensionis)
- Saddletail grouper (E. daemelii)
- Seamount grouper (E. suborbitalis)
- Sixbar grouper (E. sexfasciatus)
- Smallscaled grouper (E. polylepis)
- Snubnose grouper (E. macrospilos)
- Somali grouper (E. indistinctus)
- Speckled blue grouper (E. cyanopodus)
- Speckled grouper (E. magniscuttis)
- Speckled hind (E. drummondhayi)
- Spinycheek grouper (E. diacanthus)
- Spotted grouper (E. analogus)
- Starry grouper (E. labriformis)
- Starspotted grouper (E. hexagonatus)
- Striped grouper (E. latifasciatus)
- Striped-fin grouper (E. posteli)
- Summan grouper (E. summana)
- Surge grouper (E. socialis)
- Threespot grouper (E. trimaculatus)
- Tonga grouper (E. chlorocephalus)
- Twinspot grouper (E. bilobatus)
- Wavy-lined grouper (E. undulosus)
- White grouper (E. aeneus)
- White-blotched grouper (E. multinotatus)
- White-dotted grouper (E. polystigma)
- White-edged grouper (E. albomarginatus)
- Whitespotted grouper (E. coeruleopunctatus)
- White-streaked grouper (E. ongus)
- Yellow grouper (E. awoara)
- Yellowspotted grouper (E. timorensis)
- Hyporthodus acanthistius (Rooster hind)
- Hyporthodus darwinensis (Darwin grouper)
- Hyporthodus ergastularius (Sevenbar grouper)
- Hyporthodus exsul (Tenspine grouper)
- Hyporthodus flavolimbatus (Yellowedge grouper)
- Hyporthodus haifensis (Haifa grouper)
- Hyporthodus mystacinus (Misty grouper)
- Hyporthodus nigritus (Warsaw grouper)
- Hyporthodus niphobles (Star-studded grouper)
- Hyporthodus niveatus (Snowy grouper)
- Hyporthodus octofasciatus (Eightbar grouper)
- Hyporthodus perplexus (Puzzling grouper)
- Hyporthodus quernus (Hawaiian grouper)
- Hyporthodus septemfasciatus (Convict grouper)
- Black grouper (M. bonaci)
- Venezuelan grouper (M. cidi)
- Gulf grouper (M. jordani)
- Gag grouper (M. microlepis)
- Sailfin grouper (M. olfax)
- Sawtail grouper (M. prionura)
- Leopard grouper (M. rosacea)
- Mottled grouper (M. rubra)
- Tiger grouper (M. tigris)
- Broomtail grouper (M. xenarcha)
- Yellowfin grouper (M. venenosa)
- Scamp grouper (M. phenax)
- Yellowmouth grouper (M. interstitialis)
- Pacific creole-fish (P. colonus)
- Creole-fish (P. furcifer )
- Plectropomus areolatus
- Plectropomus laevis
- Plectropomus leopardus
- Plectropomus maculatus
- Plectropomus oligacanthus
- Plectropomus pessuliferus
- Plectropomus punctatus