Spotted sand bass

Spotted sand bass
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Serranidae
Subfamily: Serraninae
Genus: Paralabrax
Species:
P. maculatofasciatus
Binomial name
Paralabrax maculatofasciatus
(Steindachner, 1868)
Synonyms[2]

Serranus maculatofasciatus Steindachner, 1868

The spotted bay bass (Paralabrax maculatofasciatus) is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a sea bass from the subfamily Serraninae, classified as part of the family Serranidae which includes the groupers and anthias. It is found in the central eastern Pacific Ocean.[2]

Description

The spotted sand bass has an elongate, compressed body which has a standard length which is 3.0-3.3 times its depth. It has a pointed head with a large mouth. The edges of the preopercle are finely serrated. The dorsal fin has 10 spines, the third spine being greatly elongated, and 13-14 soft rays while the anal fin has 3 spines and 7 soft rays. The caudal fin is rounded or concave.[3] The overall colour of the body is tan with many black, brown and orange spots which meld together to create dark, vertical bars along the posterior of the ventral surface. There is a dark line that runs from the eye to the operculum and there are 6 or 7 dark lines on the flanks. The anal, caudal, and the soft part of the dorsal fins are covered in a dense pattern of spots.[4] The spotted sand bass has a maximum published total length of 67 centimetres (26 in) with a maximum weight of 6.0 kilograms (13.2 lb).[2]

Distribution

The spotted sand bass is found in the central eastern Pacific Ocean. It is found in southern California, as far north as Monterey Bay but it is rare north of Santa Monica Bay,[5] south to the southern tip of Baja California in Mexico, although historically it was found as far south as Mazatlan.[1]

Habitat and biology

The spotted sand bass is normally found in shallow, warm-water areas in bays and harbours as well as sheltered coastal environments. They show a preference where the habitat has some structure, such as eelgrass, surfgrass or rocks.[6] The spotted sand bass is carnivorous and they feed mainly on crustaceans, bivalves, and small fishes,[5] The spawning season is from May until September. The females release their eggs into the water column and the pelagic larvae live for around a month before they settle.[5] This species is a protogynous hermaphrodite.[7] It is a rather secretive species which hunts during the day.[2]

Taxonomy

The spotted sand bass was first formally described as Serranus maculatofasciatus in 1868 by the Austrian ichthyologist Franz Steindachner (1834-1919) with the type locality given as Mazatlan in Sinaloa, Mexico.[8] It is one of the most derived species in the genus Paralabrax and is the sister taxon of the barred sand bass (P. nebulifer).[7]

Utilization

The spotted sand bass is an important quarry species for recreational game fisheries where it is caught in bays and harbors. It is taken as a bycatch in the Gulf of California.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c Smith-Vaniz, B.; Robertson, R.; Dominici-Arosemena, A.; Molina, H.; Salas, E.; Guzman-Mora, A.G. (2010). "Paralabrax maculatofasciatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2010: e.T183576A8137928. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-3.RLTS.T183576A8137928.en. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Paralabrax maculatofasciatus". FishBase. August 2015 version.
  3. ^ "Species: Species: Paralabrax maculatofasciatus, Spotted sand-bass". Shorefishes of the Eastern Pacific online information system. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  4. ^ "Spotted Sand Bass". Mexican-fish.com. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  5. ^ a b c "Creature Feature: Spotted Sand Bass". Creature Feature. California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  6. ^ "Spotted Sand Bass aka Bay Bass". Pierfishing. 28 June 2020. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  7. ^ a b Daniel J. Pondella II; Matthew T. Craig & Jens P.C. Franck (2003). "The phylogeny of Paralabrax (Perciformes: Serranidae) and allied taxa inferred from partial 16S and 12S mitochondrial ribosomal DNA sequences". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 29 (1): 176–184. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.1053.3496. doi:10.1016/S1055-7903(03)00078-2. PMID 12967618.
  8. ^ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Serranus maculatofasciatus". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 6 September 2020.