Crossband rockfish facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Crossband rockfish |
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| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Perciformes |
| Family: | Serranidae |
| Subfamily: | Epinephelinae |
| Genus: | Mycteroperca |
| Species: |
M. interstitialis
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| Binomial name | |
| Mycteroperca interstitialis (Poey, 1860)
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| Synonyms | |
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The yellowmouth grouper (Mycteroperca interstitialis) is a type of fish that lives in the ocean. It's also known by other names like crossband rockfish or scamp. This fish belongs to a group called groupers, which are part of the Serranidae family. This family also includes sea basses.
You can find the yellowmouth grouper in the warm, tropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. It also lives in some parts of Brazil. This fish can grow quite large. It gets its name from the yellow color you can see around its mouth.
Contents
What the Yellowmouth Grouper Looks Like
The yellowmouth grouper has a long, strong body that is a bit flat from side to side. It has a special fin on its back called the dorsal fin and another on its belly called the anal fin. Its tail fin, called the caudal fin, is rounded.
Adult yellowmouth groupers are usually pale brownish-grey. They have many small brown spots on the top of their head and body. Sometimes, they might even have dark stripes. The inside of their mouth and the edges of their jaws are yellow, which is where they get their name! Their pectoral fins (the ones on their sides) have dark rays with lighter parts in between.
Younger yellowmouth groupers look a bit different. The top part of their head and body is dark brown. This dark color can sometimes form wide stripes or patches. The bottom part of their body is white. They also have a white stripe that goes from their lower jaw, over their snout and head, and along the base of their dorsal fin.
This fish can grow up to about 84 centimeters (33 inches) long. However, it's more common to see them around 40 centimeters (16 inches) long. The heaviest one ever recorded weighed about 10.2 kilograms (22.5 pounds).
Where the Yellowmouth Grouper Lives
The yellowmouth grouper lives in the western part of the Atlantic Ocean. You can find it along the coast of the United States, from Cape Hatteras in North Carolina all the way down to the Bahamas and Bermuda. It also lives throughout the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.
Further south, it's found along the coast of Brazil, from Maranhao to Santa Catarina. It also lives around islands like Trinidade and Fernando de Noronha.
Its Home and How It Lives
The yellowmouth grouper mostly lives near rocky areas or coral reefs. You can find them from shallow waters down to at least 55 meters (180 feet) deep. Smaller and medium-sized fish are often seen in lagoons that have mangrove trees. They are more common around islands than near large landmasses.
This fish eats other smaller fish. Some of its favorite foods include silversides, brown chromis, and striped parrotfish. Young yellowmouth groupers are clever! They can pretend to be another fish called the clown wrasse. This trick helps them get closer to other fish without scaring them away, making it easier to catch their prey.
Yellowmouth groupers can lay eggs all year round. However, they lay the most eggs in April and May. For most of the year, they spawn (lay eggs) in small groups. But during April and May, they gather in large groups to spawn. The eggs and young fish float in the water, and the parents do not take care of them.
Female yellowmouth groupers can become ready to have babies when they are 2 years old, but it's more common around 4 years old. Interestingly, these fish can change their sex! Between the ages of 5 and 14, female yellowmouth groupers can change into males.
How It Was Named
The yellowmouth grouper was first officially described in 1860. It was named Serranus interstitialis by a Cuban zoologist named Felipe Poey. He lived from 1799 to 1891. The place where this fish was first found and studied was Cuba.
Why It's Important and How We Protect It
The yellowmouth grouper is an important fish for people who fish in Bermuda, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean. People catch them using fishing lines, traps, and spears.
However, this fish is not very common. It's usually not the main fish that fishermen are trying to catch. Despite this, there have been reports that the number of yellowmouth groupers has gone down a lot in areas where there is a lot of grouper fishing.
Even though some efforts have been made to protect them, more needs to be done. Because of these concerns, the IUCN has listed the yellowmouth grouper as a Vulnerable species. This means it's at risk of becoming endangered if we don't protect it better.
See also
In Spanish: Mycteroperca interstitialis para niños
 | Emma Amos |
 | Edward Mitchell Bannister |
 | Larry D. Alexander |
 | Ernie Barnes |
