''Apsilus dentatus'', the black snapper, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a snapper belonging to the family Lutjanidae. It is found in the western Atlantic Ocean.

Description

''Apsilus dentatus'' has an elongated, oval shaped body. The intraorbital area is convex and the upper jaw can be protruded to a moderate extent, slipping under the cheek bone for much of its length when the mouth is closed. The jaws have distinct canine-like teeth with an inner band of simple teeth and an outer band of conical teeth. There are small conical teeth on the front and sides of the palate, as well as a central tooth triangular or v-shaped patch. The preoperculum is serrated. The dorsal fin is continuous with not incision between the spined and soft-rayed portions. The bases of the dorsal and

anal 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 se ...

are scaleless, the dorsal fin contains 10 spines and 9-10 soft rays while the anal fin has 3 spines and 8 soft rays. The colour of this species are that the back and upper flanks are violet or dark brown, deeper on head with the lower flanks and the abdomen being paler. The juveniles have a bright blue body, a black margined bronze iris, dark fins with the caudal fin having a pale rear margin, here may be some blue on the fins. The maximum total length attained by this species is , although is more typical, while the maximum published weight is .

Distribution

''Apsilus dentatus'' is present throughout the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. They are found from the

Florida Keys The Florida Keys are a coral cay archipelago located off the southern coast of Florida, forming the southernmost part of the continental United States. They begin at the southeastern coast of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami, and e ...

and the Bahamas south through the West Indies to the islands off Venezuela and Belize. In the Gulf of Mexico they have been recorded from the

Flower Garden Banks The Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS) is a United States National Marine Sanctuary located offshore of Galveston, Texas, in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico. It contains the northernmost coral reefs in the United States. Un ...

. They are thought to be more widely distributed than this.

Habitat and biology

''Apsilus dentatus'' is found at depths between , typically deeper than , although young fish have been found near the surface. It prefers rocky substrates. It is a predatory species which eats fishes and benthic invertebrates, including

cephalopods A cephalopod is any member of the molluscan class Cephalopoda (Greek plural , ; "head-feet") such as a squid, octopus, cuttlefish, or nautilus. These exclusively marine animals are characterized by bilateral body symmetry, a prominent head, an ...

and tunicates. Spawning takes place nearly year round, peaking in the period February to April, in September and October and, off Jamaica, in November.

Systematics and etymology

''Apsilus dentatus'' was first formally described in 1853 by the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

zoologist Alphonse Guichenot with the type locality given as Havana. The

specific name Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...

''dentatus'' means "toothed" and refers to the obvious upper front jaw canine teeth.

Utilisation

''Apsilus dentatus'' is of limited interest to fisheries, although the flesh has been described as being of good quality. The only part of their range where they are regular in markets is on Cuba, usually sold fresh, although freezing is nor unknown. They are caught using handlines. They have been a source of ciguatera poisoning in humans following consumption.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2046084

dentatus Dentatus may refer to: * Manius Curius Dentatus (died 270 BC), son of Manius, a three-time consul and a plebeian hero of the Roman Republic * Dimocarpus dentatus, a species of tree related to the Longan ''Dimocarpus longan'', commonly known ...

Fish of the Caribbean Fish described in 1853