Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; reef-associated; depth range 2 - 25 m (Ref. 9710). Subtropical; 33°N - 0°N, 98°W - 29°W
Western Atlantic: southern Florida, USA and Bermuda to northern South America. East to St. Paul's Rocks (Ref. 13121).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 100.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 26340); common length : 60.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 7251)
Commonly found in weedy areas and especially around reefs, where they usually swim snout-down among sea whips (gorgonians). A solitary ambusher of small fishes and crustaceans that lurk among branching coral or gorgonians. Often swims behind large herbivorous fishes to sneak up on prey. Mouth opens to diameter of body to suck in prey (Ref. 9710). Marketed locally. Has been traded as an aquarium fish at Ceará, Brazil (Ref. 49392).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Oviparous, gonochorous, with pelagic eggs (Ref. 101194).
Robins, C.R. and G.C. Ray, 1986. A field guide to Atlantic coast fishes of North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, U.S.A. 354 p. (Ref. 7251)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: minor commercial; aquarium: commercial
Tools
Special reports
Download XML
Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref.
123201): 25.5 - 28.2, mean 27.4 °C (based on 657 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.7500 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00098 (0.00053 - 0.00181), b=3.29 (3.11 - 3.47), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this species & (Sub)family-body (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 4.3 ±0.6 se; based on diet studies.
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): High vulnerability (60 of 100).
Nutrients (Ref.
124155): Calcium = 28.8 [13.8, 63.0] mg/100g; Iron = 0.768 [0.366, 1.504] mg/100g; Protein = 19.4 [18.1, 20.6] %; Omega3 = 0.14 [0.07, 0.30] g/100g; Selenium = 27 [12, 64] μg/100g; VitaminA = 21.3 [6.3, 79.5] μg/100g; Zinc = 0.571 [0.345, 0.951] mg/100g (wet weight);
