Emmelichthyops atlanticus

Emmelichthyops atlanticus, the bonnetmouth, is a marine fish species of grunt native to the western Atlantic Ocean, where it occurs from Florida and the Bahamas to northern South America. This species is the only known member of its genus.[2]

Emmelichthyops atlanticus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Haemulidae
Subfamily: Haemulinae
Genus: Emmelichthyops
L. P. Schultz, 1945
Species:
E. atlanticus
Binomial name
Emmelichthyops atlanticus

Description

The bonnetmouth has a cigar-shaped body and can grow to 13 cm (5.1 in) in total length.[2] Bonnetmouths are generally yellowish gray, with some blue anteriorly, with silvery-white on the sides.[3] Adults also have four brown stripes on the upper halves (one mid-dorsal) of their bodies, while juveniles have only three.[3] These stripes are usually more evident anteriorly; they become more faded near the tail.[3]

Distribution and habitat

Found only in the western Atlantic Ocean, bonnetmouths can be seen from southern Florida and the Bahamas to northern South America. They can be captured most often near the Florida Keys, US Virgin Islands, and the Bahamas.[4] The type specimens were both collected off the Bahamas' Cat Island.[4] They are generally associated with reefs[5] and can be found over coral heads in small groups.[6] Bonnetmouths can be found at depths from 3–90 m, but mainly occur in schools at about 64 m.[7] It feeds on invertebrates and small fishes.[1]

Systematics

Emmelichthyops atlanticus was first formally described in 1945 by the American ichthyologist Leonard Peter Schultz (1901-1986) with the type locality given as Cat Island in the Bahamas.[8] It was formerly placed in the family Inermiidae.[1] The generic name, Emmelichthyops, means “like Emmelichthys”. At the time of its description this species was thought to be related to Emmelichthys and the two at a are similar.[9]

References

  1. Carpenter, K.E.; Claro, R.; Lindeman, K.; et al. (2017) [errata version of 2015 assessment]. "Emmelichthyops atlanticus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2015: e.T190205A115313536. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T190205A16510677.en. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  2. Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2013). "Emmelichthyops atlanticus" in FishBase. August 2013 version.
  3. Randall, John E. Caribbean Reef Fishes. 1968, Jersey City, New Jersey, T.H.F. Publications. 93
  4. Bohlke, James E. Charles C. G. Chaplin. Fishes of the Bahamas and Adjacent Tropical Waters. 2nd edition. Austin, UP of Texas. 304.
  5. Riede, K. 2004 Global register of migratory species - from global to regional scales. Final Report of the R&D-Projekt 808 05 081. Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, Bonn, Germany. 329 p.
  6. Lieske, E. and R. Myers 1994 Collins Pocket Guide. Coral reef fishes. Indo-Pacific & Caribbean including the Red Sea. Harper Collins Publishers, 400 p.
  7. Smith, C.L. 1997 National Audubon Society field guide to tropical marine fishes of the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, Florida, the Bahamas, and Bermuda. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York. 720 p.
  8. Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Emmelichthyops". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  9. Christopher Scharpf; Kenneth J. Lazara, eds. (5 January 2021). "Order LUTJANIFORMES: Families HAEMULIDAE and LUTJANIDAE". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
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