Vieja facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Vieja |
|
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Synonyms | |
|
The Paralabrax dewegeri, often called the vieja or vieja parrot rock-bass, is a cool fish that lives in the ocean. It's a type of sea bass and belongs to a big family of fish called Serranidae. This family also includes groupers! You can find this fish in the western part of the Atlantic Ocean, especially along the northern coast of South America.
Contents
What Does the Vieja Look Like?
The vieja fish has a body that's long and a bit flat from side to side. Its head is pointed. The edge of its gill cover is smooth and has tiny bumps. It has three spines on its gill cover; one is small and blunt, while the other two are sharp.
Fins and Color
This fish has two main fins on its back: one with 10 stiff spines and another with 14 soft rays. Its bottom fin has three spines and seven soft rays. The ends of these soft fins are rounded. Its tail fin is straight, not forked.
The vieja is mostly brown. Its belly fades to a yellowish-brown color. It has seven dark brown stripes that go up and down its lower body. There's also a big dark brown spot near its pectoral fins, which are like its "arms." Behind this spot, there's a light yellowish-brown line. Its paired fins are dark brown.
Size of the Vieja
This fish can grow up to about 43 centimeters (about 17 inches) long. But most often, they are around 35 centimeters (about 14 inches). The heaviest one ever found weighed about 1.3 kilograms (about 2.9 pounds).
Where Does the Vieja Live?
The Paralabrax dewegeri lives in the western Atlantic Ocean. You can find it along the northern coast of South America. This includes places from the Gulf of Venezuela all the way east to Fortaleza in Brazil. It also lives near Curaçao and in Trinidad and Tobago.
Habitat and Life Cycle
The vieja likes to live in water that is not too deep, usually between 10 and 25 meters (about 33 to 82 feet) down. They prefer areas with a mix of hard and soft ground, and sometimes they hang out among soft corals. When they are young, baby viejas often hide in beds of sea grass called Thalassia.
What the Vieja Eats
This fish is a carnivore, which means it eats other animals. Its favorite food is crustaceans, like crabs and shrimp. But it also eats smaller fish, molluscs (like snails or clams), worms, and brittle stars (which are related to starfish).
Reproduction
Female viejas can start having babies when they are about 11 centimeters (about 4.3 inches) long. This species is a protogynous hermaphrodite. This means they are born female and can change into males later in their lives!
How the Vieja Got Its Name
The Paralabrax dewegeri was first officially described in 1919. A Dutch fish scientist named Jan Metzelaar gave it its first scientific name, Prionodes dewegeri. He found the first one in a place called Guanta in Venezuela.
This fish is closely related to another fish called Pralabrax callaensis, which lives in the eastern Pacific Ocean. These two fish share a common ancestor with the Paralabrax albomaculatus, a fish found only in the Galapagos Islands.
Is the Vieja Used by People?
People say the vieja fish tastes good to eat. However, it's not a very important fish for fishing businesses. This is mainly because it doesn't grow very big, so there isn't a lot of meat on it.
