Lantern bass facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lantern bass |
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| Serranus baldwini at Monaco Aquarium | |
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Prionodes baldwini Evermann & Marsh, 1899 |
The lantern bass (Serranus baldwini) is a type of sea bass. It is a ray-finned fish that lives in the ocean. This fish belongs to the Serranidae family, which also includes groupers.
You can find the lantern bass in the western Atlantic Ocean. Sometimes, people keep these fish in aquariums.
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What Does the Lantern Bass Look Like?
The lantern bass has a body that is long and shaped like a cylinder. It is a bit flat from side to side. Its snout is shorter than its eye.
It has three strong spines on its gill cover. The middle spine is the biggest and straightest. The edge of its cheek bone (called the preopercle) has a jagged, saw-like edge.
The fin on its back (dorsal fin) has 10 spines and 11 to 13 soft rays. The fin underneath (anal fin) has 3 spines and 7 soft rays. Its tail fin is slightly curved inwards.
The body of the lantern bass is white. It has dark or orange blotches and spots that look like oblong shapes. There is a clear line of these dark blotches along its lower side. You can also see four black spots near its tail.
Fish that live in deeper water often look red, orange, or yellow. Those from shallower water are usually paler. The lantern bass can grow up to about 12 centimeters (4.7 inches) long.
Where Do Lantern Bass Live?
The lantern bass lives in the western Atlantic Ocean. Its home ranges from Jacksonville, Florida down the Florida coast and around the Bahamas.
It is also found in the Gulf of Mexico, including the Florida Keys. You can see them along the Mexican coast, from Campeche and the northern Yucatan Peninsula. They also live around northwestern Cuba and throughout the Caribbean Sea. Their range extends along the coasts of Central America and South America, as far south as Sao Paulo in Brazil.
Habitat and Life Cycle
The lantern bass lives near coral reefs in the ocean. They prefer rocky areas and places with lots of plants. You can find them in water from 1 to 80 meters (3 to 262 feet) deep.
These fish often live among beds of turtle grass. Young lantern bass sometimes hide inside empty conch shells.
Lantern bass are very territorial. This means they protect their own space. They eat small shrimps and other smaller fish.
When it's time to reproduce, lantern bass are special. They are hermaphrodites, which means each fish can be both male and female at the same time. In a group, the largest fish usually acts as the male. This male fish mates with the other fish in the group, which are also hermaphrodites. The male is very successful at having many offspring. The other hermaphrodite fish can also mate with each other.
Who Discovered the Lantern Bass?
The lantern bass was first officially described in 1899. Two American scientists, Barton Warren Evermann and Millard Caleb Marsh, gave it the scientific name Prionodes baldwini.
They found the first specimen of this fish near Culebra, Puerto Rico. The name baldwini was chosen to honor Albertus Hutchinson Baldwin. He was an artist on the expedition that collected the fish in 1898.
How Are Lantern Bass Used?
The lantern bass is sometimes kept in aquariums by people who enjoy keeping fish.
