''Paranthias colonus'' (the Pacific creolefish) is a species of
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 ...
found in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. They are typically found in small aggregations well above reefs, but will retreat to the reef at the approach of danger. They form large midwater schools while feeding on
plankton
Plankton are the diverse collection of organisms found in water (or air) that are unable to propel themselves against a current (or wind). The individual organisms constituting plankton are called plankters. In the ocean, they provide a crucia ...
. They occur up the a depth of 100 m. They feed mainly on small
planktonic animals that are picked individually from the water, made possible by their shortened snout which facilitates close-range binocular vision.
Description
From:
The body of the Pacific creolefish is elongate, fusiform. The head is small, both profiles are convex. There are 37–44 rakers on the first gill arch. Dorsal rays IX, 19–21; anal rays III, 9-11; pectoral rays 19–23. The
tail fin is strongly concave. Pacific creolefish grow to ~36 cm.
Pacific creolefish young are often bright yellow with five small dark spots on back. The adults are greenish brown dorsally and reddish below, with five white or blue-white spots on the back. The fins are reddish.
Distribution
Eastern Pacific:
Gulf of California
The Gulf of California ( es, Golfo de California), also known as the Sea of Cortés (''Mar de Cortés'') or Sea of Cortez, or less commonly as the Vermilion Sea (''Mar Bermejo''), is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean that separates the Baja C ...
to
Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = National seal
, national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...
, including the
Revillagigedo,
Galapagos,
Clipperton,
Cocos Island
Cocos Island ( es, Isla del Coco) is an island in the Pacific Ocean administered by Costa Rica, approximately southwest of the Costa Rican mainland. It constitutes the 11th of the 13 districts of Puntarenas Canton of the Province of Puntarena ...
, and
Malpelo islands.
[
]
Parasites
As all fish species, the Pacific creolefish harbours a number of parasites, including, off Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
, the digeneans ''Prodistomum orientalis'', ''Brachyphallus'' sp., ''Lecithochirium'' sp., the nematodes ''Anisakis
''Anisakis'' (a·nuh·saa·keez)
is a genus of parasitic nematodes that have life cycles involving fish and marine mammals. They are infective to humans and cause anisakiasis. People who produce immunoglobulin E in response to this parasite ...
'' sp. and ''Spinitectus'' sp., the copepods '' Caligus'' sp., and the isopods ''Hatschekia'' sp.[Mendoza-Cruz, M, Valles-Vega, I, Lozano-Cobo, H, Gómez del Prado-Rosas, MC & Castro-Moreno, PN. 2013. Parasite fauna of ''Paranthias colonus'' (Valenciennes, 1846) from el Sargento, Baja California Sur, Mexico. Neotropical Helminthology, vol. 7, N°1, jan-jun, pp. 13-2]
PDF
The diplectanid monogenea
Monogeneans are a group of ectoparasitic flatworms commonly found on the skin, gills, or fins of fish. They have a direct lifecycle and do not require an intermediate host. Adults are hermaphrodites, meaning they have both male and female repro ...
n '' Pseudorhabdosynochus jeanloui'' was described in 2015 from this fish off Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = National seal
, national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...
.
References
External links
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{{Taxonbar, from=Q2107691
Serranidae
Fish described in 1846