Snowy grouper

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Snowy grouper
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Serranidae
Subfamily: Epinephelinae
Genus: Hyporthodus
Species:
H. niveatus
Binomial name
Hyporthodus niveatus
(Valenciennes, 1828)
Synonyms[2]
  • Serranus niveatus Valenciennes, 1828
  • Epinephelus niveatus (Valenciennes, 1828)
  • Serranus margaritifer Günther, 1859
  • Serranus conspersus Poey, 1860
  • Hyporthodus flavicauda
    Gill
    , 1861
  • Alphestes scholanderi Walters, 1957

The snowy grouper (Hyporthodus niveatus) is a species of marine

Epinephelinae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias
and sea basses. It is found in the western Atlantic Ocean.

Description

The snowy grouper has a robust, compressed, oval body which has its deepest point at the origin of dorsal fin.

pectoral fins are yellow to clear. The upper part of the base of the caudal fin has a deep black saddle-like mark that extends underneath the lateral line.[3] This species attains a maximum published total length of 122 centimetres (48 in), although are more commonly around 60 centimetres (24 in), and a maximum published weight of 30 kilograms (66 lb).[2]

Distribution

The snowy grouper occurs in the western Atlantic Ocean. It is found around

Valdes Peninsula in Argentina.[1] It has been recorded as far north as Massachusetts.[5]

Habitat and biology

The snowy grouper is found at depths of between 10 and 525 metres (33 and 1,722 ft) over rock substrates in offshore waters, although they are most common between 100 and 200 metres (330 and 660 ft).

protogynous hermaphrodites and form aggregations for spawning. Females attain sexual maturity at ages between 3 and 5 years old and total lengths of 45.1 to 57.5 centimetres (17.8 to 22.6 in), changing to males 3 to 4 years after attaining sexual maturity as females.[1] Off North America this species spawns from May to June and a female may lay more than 2 million eggs in a season.[6]

Taxonomy

The snowy grouper was first formally

monotypic genus, Hyporthodus although this was later shown to be a synonym of Serranus niveatus, this means that Serranus niveatus is the type species of this genus.[8]

Utilisation

The snowy grouper is targeted by commercial fisheries in the United States, in Central America and off South America using hook-and-line, bottom longlines, traps and trawls.[1] In United States waters the snowy grouper may be fished for from 1 January to 31 August but as its management includes an annual catch limit, the fishery may be closed if this limit has been met or is projected to be met.[6] In 2019 the fishery was closed on 3 August.[9]

Sources

  1. ^
    doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T7861A46909546.en
    . Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2019). "Hyporthodus niveatus" in FishBase. December 2019 version.
  3. ^ a b "Species: Hyporthodus niveatus, Snowy grouper". Shorefishes of the Greater Caribbean online information system. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  4. ^
    ISBN 92-5-103125-8
    .
  5. ^ Mark Grace; Kevin R. Rademacher; Mike Russell (1994). Pictorial Guide to the Groupers (Teleostei: Serranidae) of the Western North Atlantic. NOAA Technical Report. U.S. Department of Commerce. p. 29.
  6. ^ a b "Snowy Grouper Regulations". South Atlantic Fishery Management Council. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  7. ^ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Serranus niveatus". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  8. ^ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Hyporthodus". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  9. ^ "Commercial Closure for Snowy Grouper in South Atlantic Federal Waters on August 3, 2019". NOAA. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
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