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

from the

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...

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 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 ...

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 case ...

, which also includes the

anthias Anthias are members of the family Serranidae and make up the subfamily Anthiinae. Anthias make up a sizeable portion of the population of pink, orange, and yellow reef fishes seen swarming in most coral reef photography and film. The name Anthi ...

and sea basses. It comes from warmer parts of the West Atlantic, including the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

and

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an oceanic basin, 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 ...

. It is a drab, mottled-gray fish lacking the distinguishing features of most other groupers. Its pattern of markings resemble the box-shaped spots of the black grouper ('' Mycteroperca bonaci''). It lacks the streamer-points on the tail fin that scamp ('' M. phenax'') and yellowmouth grouper ('' M. interstitialis'') have, and lacks yellow coloration around the mouth.

Description

''Mycteroperca microlepis'' has an oblong, robust body which is laterally compressed. The depth of the body is normally less than the length of the head and it is usually roughly equal in depth at the origin of 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 ...

and at 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 ...

origin. The standard length is three to three and a half times the depth of the body. The dorsal profile of the head is convex and the preopercle has a rounded lobe at its angle which has enlarged serrations. The dorsal fin contains 11 spines and 16-18 soft rays while the

contains 3 spines and 10-12 soft rays. The membranes between the dorsal fin spines are notched with the third and fourth spines being the longest. 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 square. The adult females and the juveniles are normally pale grey to brown-grey marked with darker blotches and wavy lines that give a marbled appearance to the upper flanks and back. The

pelvic The pelvis (plural pelves or pelvises) is the lower part of the trunk, between the abdomen and the thighs (sometimes also called pelvic region), together with its embedded skeleton (sometimes also called bony pelvis, or pelvic skeleton). The ...

, anal and caudal fins have bluish-black margins. When resting they often assume a camouflage pattern with 5 dark brown saddles separated by white bars along the base of the dorsal fin. The large adult males are typically pale to medium grey in colour, with an indistinct reticulated pattern underneath the dorsal fin. They are darker grey or black on the breast and belly, with a similar colour on the margins of the soft rayed part of the dorsal find the caudal fin, as well as the posterior margins of the pectoral and pelvic fins. There is also a colour phase called "black-back" which has the rear end of the body and all of the soft rayed part of the dorsal fin and the anal fin are black. 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 a more common length, and the maximum published weight attained is .

Distribution

''Mycteroperca microlepis'' is found in the western Atlantic Ocean where it has a disjunct distribution. The northern population is found around

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 = , e ...

and along the eastern coast of the United States from

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

south to Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico but it is largely absent from Cuba, apart from one record of a

vagrant 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, temporar ...

. The southern population is found in southern Brazil from

Rio de Janeiro State Rio de Janeiro () is one of the 27 federative units of Brazil. It has the second largest economy of Brazil, with the largest being that of the state of São Paulo. The state, which has 8.2% of the Brazilian population, is responsible for 9.2% of ...

Santa Catarina State Santa Catarina (, ) is a state in the South Region of Brazil. It is the 7th smallest state in total area and the 11th most populous. Additionally, it is the 9th largest settlement, with 295 municipalities. The state, with 3.4% of the Brazili ...

. Juveniles have been recorded in as far north as

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

Habitat and biology

''Mycteroperca microlepis'' have different habitat preferences as juveniles and adults. The juveniles are found in estuaries and beds of

sea grass Seagrasses are the only flowering plants which grow in marine environments. There are about 60 species of fully marine seagrasses which belong to four families (Posidoniaceae, Zosteraceae, Hydrocharitaceae and Cymodoceaceae), all in the orde ...

while the adults are found farther offshore over rocky substrates at depths of and have been recorded as deep as . Adults are occasionally recorded inshore over rock sea beds or sea grass beds. It is one of the commonest species of grouper on the eastern

. They can be found both in brackish and marine waters. The adults can be found either in groups of 5-50 fish or as solitary fish. They have been recorded producing thumping sounds when under stress, this is done by vibrating the

swim bladder The swim bladder, gas bladder, fish maw, or air bladder is an internal gas-filled Organ (anatomy), organ that contributes to the ability of many bony fish (but not cartilaginous fish) to control their buoyancy, and thus to stay at their curren ...

using muscular contractions. The adults are predators on fishes (including smaller conspecifics),

crab Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" (abdomen) ( el, βραχύς , translit=brachys = short, / = tail), usually hidden entirely under the thorax. They live in all the ...

shrimp Shrimp are crustaceans (a form of shellfish) with elongated bodies and a primarily swimming mode of locomotion – most commonly Caridea and Dendrobranchiata of the decapod order, although some crustaceans outside of this order are refer ...

s, and

cephalopod 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 ...

s while the smaller juveniles prey 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 ...

s within the beds of sea grass in shallow waters. The fishes preyed are largely

herring Herring are forage fish, mostly belonging to the family of Clupeidae. Herring often move in large schools around fishing banks and near the coast, found particularly in shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans, i ...

, sea bream, jacks and pompanos,

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

and

grey mullet Grey mullet can mean any of several fish in the family ''Mugilidae'' (the mullets) and having a greyish hue: * Flathead grey mullet, ''Mugil cephalus'' * Thicklip grey mullet, ''Chelon labrosus'' * Boxlip grey mullet, ''Oedalechilus labeo The bo ...

. This species is a

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, ...

, all fish start life as females, attaining sexual maturity between the ages of 5 and 6 years old and having reached a total length of , they will

spawn Spawn or spawning may refer to: * Spawn (biology), the eggs and sperm of aquatic animals Arts, entertainment, and media * Spawn (character), a fictional character in the comic series of the same name and in the associated franchise ** '' Spawn: ...

at least once and then some will change sex and become males. In the offshore waters between North Carolina and Florida during 1976-1982 the sex ration was found to favour females, with 84% of the population being female, 15% were males and 1% were in the process of sex change. However, a subsequent study discovered that proportion of males had decreased to around 5.5%, fishing pressures which is concentrated on large males being the probable cause of this result. Although the sex change can occur as early as 5 years old it is more typical for it to take place at 10 to 11 years old and at a total length between . In the Atlantic coastal waters between North Carolina and

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 ...

there are annual migrations in late winter, these migrations involve sexually mature fishes moving to offshore spawning grounds where at depths of . The spawning season in this region runs from December through May, peaking in late March and early April. In the eastern Gulf of Mexico, the spawning season runs from late December through to April, here it peaks in February and April. After spawning the females move towards shallower waters, with depths less than while the males prefer waters of They maximum recorded age is 31 years.

Taxonomy

''Mycteroperca microlepis'' was first formally described as ''Trisotropis microlepis'' in 1879 by the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

ichthyologists

George Brown Goode George Brown Goode (February 13, 1851 – September 6, 1896), was an American ichthyologist and museum administrator. He graduated from Wesleyan University and studied at Harvard University. Early life and family George Brown Goode was born Febru ...

(1851-1896) and

Tarleton Hoffman Bean Tarleton Hoffman Bean (October 8, 1846 – December 28, 1916) was an American ichthyologist. Biography and education Tarleton Hoffman Bean was born to George Bean and Mary Smith Bean in Bainbridge, Pennsylvania, on October 8, 1846. He attended ...

(1846-1916) with the type locality given as Florida.

Utilisation and threats

''Mycteroperca microlepis'' is targeted by commercial and recreational fisheries using handline, bottom longline and speargun. Fishermen target the spawning aggregation while the juveniles are frequently caught as

bycatch Bycatch (or by-catch), in the fishing industry, is a fish or other marine species that is caught unintentionally while fishing for specific species or sizes of wildlife. Bycatch is either the wrong species, the wrong sex, or is undersized or juve ...

in the bait-shrimp fishery that fishes over sea grass beds. There have been reports of

ciguatera Ciguatera fish poisoning (CFP), also known simply as ciguatera, is a foodborne illness caused by eating reef fish whose flesh is contaminated with certain toxins. Such individual fish are said to be ciguatoxic. Symptoms may include diarrhea, vomi ...

poisoning among humans following the consumption of flesh from ''M. microlepis''. This species is threatened by and is vulnerable to overfishing and both Mexico and the United States have introduced conservation measures.

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q2780946 microlepis Taxa named by George Brown Goode Taxa named by Tarleton Hoffman Bean Fish described in 1879 Fish of the Atlantic Ocean Sport fish