The sawtail grouper (''Mycteroperca prionura'')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 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 is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

to the western coasts of

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 sawtail grouper commonly lives on fields of large boulders with gorgonians and black corals.

Description

The sawtail grouper has a body which is elongate, robust and compressed with its depth being the same 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 c ...

as it is at the origin of the anal fin. The depth of the body is less than the length of the head. The preopercle is angular, with a serrated lobe its angle. The dorsal fin contains 11 spines and 16-18 soft rays while the anal fin contains 3 spines and 10-12 soft rays. The membranes between the dorsal fin spines are not incised. 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 rounded or truncate. The juveniles are pale grey or whitish in colour with small brown spots and a few bigger ellipsoid brown blotches. The adults are similar but have more numerous spots and the blotches are indistinct. This species attains a

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 and a maximum published weight of .

Distribution

The sawtail grouper is found in the eastern Pacific Ocean where it is endemic to Mexico where it occurs from

Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...

and the

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 ...

south to Puerto Vallarta.

Habitat and biology

The sawtail grouper is found at depths from . It is occurs in rocky reefs and it is commonest in areas where there are large boulders with gorgonians and

black coral Antipatharians, also known as black corals or thorn corals, are an order of soft deep-water corals. These corals can be recognized by their jet-black or dark brown chitin skeletons, surrounded by the polyps (part of coral that is alive). Antipat ...

s. This is a predatory species which feeds on small fishes in daytime and crustaceans at night. It is thought that it 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, ...

with the older reproductively functional females changing to males. This is a very rare species and its behaviour is little known. It is known that they form spawning aggregations, frequently in association with '' Mycteroperca rosacea'' and these have been observed in April and May.

Taxonomy

The sawtail grouper was first formally described in 1967 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

Richard Heinrich Rosenblatt Richard Heinrich Rosenblatt (December 21, 1930 – October 14, 2014) was an American ichthyologogist. Rosenblatt was born in Kansas City, Missouri in 1930, and died in San Diego, California in 2014. Rosenblatt was awarded the Frederick H. St ...

(1930-2014) and Bernard J. Zahuranec with the type locality given as the Inner Gorda Bank in Baja California Sur.

Utilisation

The sawtail grouper is considered to be an excellent food fish and is an important target species, among other grouper species, for small scale fisheries in the northern Gulf of California. It is also a popular quarry for

game fishing Game fish, sport fish or quarry refer to popular fish pursued by recreational anglers, and can be freshwater or saltwater fish. Game fish can be eaten after being caught, or released after capture. Some game fish are also targeted commerciall ...

Poachers Poaching has been defined as the illegal hunting or capturing of wild animals, usually associated with land use rights. Poaching was once performed by impoverished peasants for subsistence purposes and to supplement meager diets. It was set a ...

fish illegally at night for sawtails grouper using spears, hookah breathing apparatus and lights, taking a significant number of fish.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2673345 sawtail grouper Fish of the Gulf of California Endemic fish of Mexico sawtail grouper Taxonomy articles created by Polbot