''Mycteroperca bonaci'', the black grouper, black rockfish or marbled rockfish, is a species of marine

ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fishes, is a class of bony fish. They comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. The ray-finned fishes are so called because their fins are webs of skin supported by bony or h ...

, a

grouper Groupers are fish of any of a number of genera in the subfamily Epinephelinae of the family Serranidae, in the order Perciformes. Not all serranids are called "groupers"; the family also includes the sea basses. The common name "grouper" is ...

from the subfamily

Epinephelinae Groupers are fish of any of a number of genera in the subfamily Epinephelinae of the family Serranidae, in the order Perciformes. Not all serranids are called "groupers"; the family also includes the sea basses. The common name "grouper" is ...

which is part of the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Serranidae The Serranidae are a large family of fishes belonging to the order Perciformes. The family contains about 450 species in 65 genera, including the sea basses and the groupers (subfamily Epinephelinae). Although many species are small, in some ca ...

, which also includes the anthias and sea basses. Other fish are sometimes called the black grouper including the similar

gag grouper ''Mycteroperca microlepis'', the gag, gag grouper, velvet rockfish or charcoal belly, 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 ...

(''Mycteroperca microlepis''), the misty grouper (''Hyporthodus mystacinus''), and the critically endangered Warsaw grouper (''Epinephelus nigritus''). This species is found in the western Atlantic Ocean from the northeastern United States to Brazil.

Description

''Myctoperca bonaci'' has an oblong, laterally compressed body with a standard length which is 3.3 to 3.5 times its depth. It has an evenly rounded preopercle with no incisions or lobes at its angle. The

dorsal fin A dorsal fin is a fin located on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates within various taxa of the animal kingdom. Many species of animals possessing dorsal fins are not particularly closely related to each other, though through c ...

contains 11 spines and 15-17 soft rays while the anal fin has 3 spines and 11-13 soft rays, both fins having rounded margins. The

caudal fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as ...

is truncate to emarginate, althoughit may be convex if spread widely. This species has an overall t’s an olive grey colour and is marked with dark blotches and brassy hexagonal spots over the head and flanks. The

pectoral fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as ...

s are sooty brown, fading to orange towards the margin; the soft rayed part of the dorsal fin and the anal fin, as well as the forward edge of the pelvic fin have a dark margin. This fish attains a maximum

total length Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of their anatomies. These data are used in many areas of ichthyology, including taxonomy and fisheries biology. Overall length * Standard length (SL) is the length of a fish ...

of , although they are more common at around and a maximum published weight of .

Distribution

''Mycteroperca bonaci'' is found in the western Atlantic where its range extends from Cape Canaveral in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

and

Bermuda ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = "Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , es ...

south to the Bahamas, into the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United ...

as far north as

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...

and from southern

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

along the coast of Mexico and Cuba. It occurs throughout the

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...

, along the coast of South America to Santa Catarina in Brazil. Its range extends to the Brazilian islands of Trinidade and

Fernando de Noronha Fernando de Noronha () is an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, part of the State of Pernambuco, Brazil, and located off the Brazilian coast. It consists of 21 islands and islets, extending over an area of . Only the eponymous main island is in ...

. There is a gap in its distribution along the northern coast of South America between

Paramaribo Paramaribo (; ; nicknamed Par'bo) is the capital and largest city of Suriname, located on the banks of the Suriname River in the Paramaribo District. Paramaribo has a population of roughly 241,000 people (2012 census), almost half of Suriname' ...

in Suriname and Maranhao in Brazil. Occurrences in United States waters north to

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are juveniles and therefore considered

vagrants Vagrancy is the condition of homelessness without regular employment or income. Vagrants (also known as bums, vagabonds, rogues, tramps or drifters) usually live in poverty and support themselves by begging, scavenging, petty theft, tempora ...

Habitat and biology

''Mycteroperca bonaci'' occurs over rocky bottoms and coral reefs at depths of , however in the eastern Gulf of Mexico it is normally encountered at depths of more than . It is usually a solitary species, the adults feeding mainly on fishes, such as grunts, snapper and herrings, and the juveniles feed on

crustacean Crustaceans (Crustacea, ) form a large, diverse arthropod taxon which includes such animals as decapods, seed shrimp, branchiopods, fish lice, krill, remipedes, isopods, barnacles, copepods, amphipods and mantis shrimp. The crustacean group can ...

s. Black groupers have been recorded forming seasonal feeding aggregations along the outer continental shelf off Brazil, these coincide with

spawning Spawn is the eggs and sperm released or deposited into water by aquatic animals. As a verb, ''to spawn'' refers to the process of releasing the eggs and sperm, and the act of both sexes is called spawning. Most aquatic animals, except for aquat ...

aggregations of some fish species the groupers prey on. They are monandric

protogynous hermaphrodite Sequential hermaphroditism (called dichogamy in botany) is a type of hermaphroditism that occurs in many fish, gastropods, and plants. Sequential hermaphroditism occurs when the individual changes its sex at some point in its life. In particular, ...

s and form spawning aggregations which have been reported from in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea. Females attain sexual maturity at around 5years old and at a length of around and the change of sex to males occurs when they are around 15 years old and at a mean length of .

Predators and parasites

The recorded predators of ''Mycteroperca bonaci'' include

sandbar shark The sandbar shark (''Carcharhinus plumbeus'') also known as the brown shark or thickskin shark, is a species of requiem shark, and part of the family Carcharhinidae, native to the Atlantic Ocean and the Indo-Pacific. It is distinguishable by it ...

(''Carcharhinus plumbeus'') and

great hammerhead The great hammerhead (''Sphyrna mokarran'') or great hammerhead shark is the largest species of hammerhead shark, belonging to the family Sphyrnidae, attaining an average length of and reaching a maximum length of . It is found in tropical and w ...

(''Sphyrna mokarran'') while they may also be prey for

great barracuda ''Sphyraena barracuda'', commonly known as the great barracuda, is a species of barracuda: large, predatory ray-finned fish found in subtropical oceans around the world. Distribution and habitat The great barracuda is present in tropical to warm ...

(''Sphyraena barracuda'') and

moray eel Moray eels, or Muraenidae (), are a family of eels whose members are found worldwide. There are approximately 200 species in 15 genera which are almost exclusively marine, but several species are regularly seen in brackish water, and a few are f ...

s. Black groupers are hosts to a variety of common

parasites Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson ha ...

which include endoparasites affecting stomach and intestines and ectoparasites which live on its skin.

Taxonomy

''Mycteroperca bonaci'' was first formally Species description, described as ''Serranus bonaci'' in 1860 by the Cuban zoologist Felipe Poey (1799-1891) with Cuba being given as the Type locality (biology), type locality.

Utilisation

''Mycteroperca bonaci'' is quite tasty and an important food fish. It is fished for sale and for fishing, sport.

Conservation

''Mycteroperca bonaci'' is an IUCN Red List near threatened species, vulnerable to increases in exploitation because it is a relatively slow breeder.

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q2912602 Mycteroperca, black grouper Fauna of Bermuda Fauna of the Southeastern United States Fish of the Western Atlantic Taxa named by Felipe Poey Fish described in 1860, black grouper