The African forktail snapper (''Apsilus fuscus''), 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 hor ...

, a snapper belonging to the

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

Lutjanidae. It is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean.

Description

The African forktail snapper has a moderately elongated fusiform body with a mouth which reaches level with the anterior part of the eye. All of the teeth are bristle-like and the

vomerine teeth The vomer (; lat, vomer, lit=ploughshare) is one of the unpaired facial bones of the skull. It is located in the midsagittal line, and articulates with the sphenoid, the ethmoid, the left and right palatine bones, and the left and right maxill ...

form a v shaped patch. The space between the eyes is wide and convex in profile. 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 se ...

is forked. 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 conv ...

contains 10 spines and 10 soft rays while the

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 ...

has 3 spines and 8 soft rays. The upper body and flanks are dark brown, lighter on abdomen and cin and throat. This species 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 is more typical.

Distribution

The African forktail snapper is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean where it is found along the western coast of Africa from Mauritania to Namibia, including the Cape Verde Islands. It is rare in the northern part of its range and is very uncommonly caught off Senegal. There are claims of this species from the Indian Ocean but these are considered to be misidentifications.

Habitat and biology

The African forktail snapper is found at depths between , although it is typically encountered at depths in excess of . It is found over substrates consisting of rock or coral, frequently on reefs. It is found with either singly or in small aggregations. It is a predator with a diet made up of small fishes, crustaceans and cephalopods. It has been reported from estuaries in Nigeria and gatherings in relatively shallow waters, less than , off Ghana may be associated with seasonal upwellings.

Systematics and etymology

The African forktail snapper was first formally described in 1830 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 Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the Animal, animal kingdom, including the anatomy, structure, embryology, evolution, Biological clas ...

Achille Valenciennes with the type locality given as

Porto Praya Praia (, Portuguese for "beach") is the capital and largest city of Cape Verde.genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

Apsilus ''Apsilus'' is a small genus of marine ray-finned fish, snappers belonging to the Family (biology), family Lutjanidae. The two species within the genus are native to the Atlantic Ocean, Characteristics The two species within the genus ''Apsilus ...

'', meaning that it was the

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen ...

of that genus by

monotypy In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...

. 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 ...

''fuscus'' means "dark", “dusky” or “swarthy” and refers to the brown colouration of this fish.

Utilisation

The African forktail is regarded as being of potential interest to fisheries as it has good quality flesh. It is caught using handlines, set nets and bottom trawls and the catch is sold fresh. It is caught as a bycatch by commercial octopus fisheries.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1823430 African forktail snapper Fish of West Africa category:Fish of the East Atlantic Marine fish of Africa African forktail snapper