Black margate

The black margate has a deep, compressed body with a high back and a short, blunt head. The mouth is positioned low on the head, it is horizontal with fleshy lips and the jaws are equipped with bands of teeth on both jaws. The outer band of teeth are conical in shape.[4] It has a greyish-silver body which is darker on the anterior half than the posterior half. The dorsal scales have black centres and the fins are dark grey, the pelvic and anal fins being the darkest.[5] There is a darker pt h to the rear of the pectoral fins.[6] The juveniles have a black stripe along the lateral line and another along the upper back, and a large black spot on base of tail fin.[4] the dorsal fin has 12 spines and 18 soft rays while the anal fin contains 3 spines and 9 soft rays.[2] There is a deep notch in the dorsal fin and the fourth dorsal spine is longer than the others while the second anal spine is also very large.[4] The black margate reaches a maximum total length of 76 cm (30 in), although a total length of 45 cm (18 in) is more typical, while the heaviest specimen recorded was 5.8 kg (13 lb).[2]

The black margate is found in the warmer parts of the Western Atlantic Ocean. It is found in Florida from Cape Canaveral south through the Florida Keys to the Gulf of Mexico, including the Flower Garden Banks, from Rockport, Texas along the coast of Mexico to the northern Yucatan Peninsula and northwestern Cuba. It occurs throughout the Caribbean Sea then and along the northern and eastern coasts of South America to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. It also occurs at the Fernando de Noronha and Trinidade Island.[1]

The Black margate shows a preference for steep, sloping rock substrates or rock reefs in inshore waters down to depths of 20 m (66 ft). It frequently takes shelter in caves, ledges and within wrecks. It is normally encountered either as small groups or individuals. It is a nocturnal feeder, its diet including crustaceans, molluscs, smaller fish and urchins.[6] A frequent item in its diet are sea urchins in the genus Diadema.[2] They may gather in spawning aggregations and, off Jamaica, breeding adults have been reported between April and August. Larvae and young juveniles have been observed settling on rocky seabeds off Florida.[1]

The black margate was first formally described in 1791 as Lutjanus surinamensis by the German naturalist Marcus Elieser Bloch (1723–1799) with the type locality given as Suriname.[7]

The black margate is occasionally caught and marketed by fisheries, although the consumption of the flesh of larger fishes has been linked to cases of ciguatera poisoning. They are also found in the aquarium trade.[1]

• Marinespecies.org
• Photos of Black margate on Sealife Collection