The yellowmouth grouper (''Mycteroperca interstitialis''), also known as the crossband rockfish, grey mannock, hamlet, harlequin rockfish, princess rockfish, rockfish, salmon grouper, salmon rock fish or scamp, 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

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 u ...

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 is found in the Caribbean and in the tropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean. It is also found in pockets in Brazil. It is a fairly large fish and it gets its name from the yellow around its mouth.

Description

''Mycteropreca insterstitialis'' has an elongate, robust and compressed body which is no deeper 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 ...

than it as the origin of 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 ...

. It

standard 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 m ...

is 3.0 to 3.4 times its depth. The preopercle is angular and has an obvious lobe at its angle, this lobe has enlarged serrations, there is a clear incision in the preopercle above this lobe. The dorsal fin contains 11 spines and 16-18 soft rays while the

contains 3 spines and 10-12 soft rays. The dorsal fin has a pointed rear margin while the anal fin has a pointed margin at its lower posterior edge in adults. 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 rounded. The adults are pale brownish-grey in background colour marked with closely set small brown spots on the dorsal half of the head and body. In some fish the body is marked with irregular dark bars. The margin of the spiny part of the dorsal fin and the inside of the mouth and along the outer margin of the rear part of the jaws is yellow. The

pectoral 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 ...

s have dark coloured rays with pale membranes between them and a whitish margin. There is a dark line above the rear of the upper jaw. Juveniles, and subadults, have the dorsal part of the head and body coloured dark brown, although this may be broken into wide dark bars or saddles, changing abruptly to white ventrally. There is a white stripe running from the tip of the lower jaw along the top of the snout and head, and along the base of the dorsal fin. The maximum published

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 ...

for this species is , although fish around in length are more common. The maximum published weight is .

Distribution

''Mycteroperca interstitialis'' is found in the western Atlantic Ocean. Its distribution runs south along the coast of the United States from Cape Hatteras in

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 ...

to the Bahamas, including

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 into the

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 ...

, throughout the

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...

to Brazil. In Brazil it is found from Maranhao to Santa Catarina, including the islands of Trinidade and Fernando de Noronha.

Habitat and biology

''Mycteroperca interstitialis'' is mainly found over rocky or coral bottoms from the low water mark down to at least , although small and medium-sized fishes are frequently recorded in mangrove-lined lagoons. It is commoner around islands than it is in continental waters. It feeds on fishes. such as

silverside Silverside may refer to: * Silverside (beef), a cut of beef * Silverside (fish), the Atheriniformes, an order of fish * Agnes Silverside (died 1557), one of the Colchester Martyrs * USS ''Silversides'', the name of 2 U.S. Navy submarines * Silver ...

s, brown chromis (''

Chromis multilineata ''Chromis multilineata'' is a species of fish in the family Pomacentridae. It is commonly known as the brown chromis. It is found in the western Atlantic Ocean from the southern United States south to Brazil and in the eastern Atlantic off St Hel ...

'') and striped parrotfish ('' Scarus iseri'') The juveniles are aggressive mimics of the clown wrasse ('' Halichoeres maculipinna''), using their resemblance to allow them to approach potential prey. Spawning takes place in all months of the year, peaking in April and May. For most of the year they spawn in small groups but during the April and May peak season they form large spawning aggregations. The eggs and young are pelagic and there is no parental care. Females can become sexually mature at 2 years old, but 4 years old is more normal, They are

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, ...

s, and between 5 and 14 years old the females change sex into males.

Taxonomy

''Mycteroperca interstitialis''was first formally described as ''Serranus interstitialis'' in 1860 by the

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

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 ...

Felipe Poey (1799-1891) with Cuba being given as the type locality.

Utilisation and conservation

''Mycteroperca interstitialis'' is an important species in the fisheries of Bermuda, the Gulf of Mexico, and throughout the Caribbean where it is caught with hook-and-line, traps, and spear. It is a scarce species and is not normally a primary target for fisheries which target '' M. bonaci'' and '' M. phenax''. There have been reports of significant declines in many areas where there are large-scale grouper fisheries. Conservation measures which have been undertaken have not been effective and more measures are required and so the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

have classified it as Vulnerable.

References

*https://web.archive.org/web/20111130035619/http://www.arkive.org/yellowmouth-grouper/mycteroperca-interstitialis/ *http://www.theoutdoorlodge.com/fishing/species/groupers.html#5 *http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=167762 *http://iucnredlist.org/details/64410/0 {{Taxonbar, from=Q2473570 yellowmouth grouper Fish of the Gulf of Mexico Fish of the Western Atlantic Taxa named by Felipe Poey yellowmouth grouper