Hyporthodus mystacinus
Hyporthodus mystacinus, commonly known as Misty grouper or Mustache grouper, is a species of marine fish in the family Serranidae, primarily found in the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. There are also populations present around the Galapagos Islands and Central American coastlines.
| Hyporthodus mystacinus | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Perciformes |
| Family: | Serranidae |
| Genus: | Hyporthodus |
| Species: | H. mystacinus |
| Binomial name | |
| Hyporthodus mystacinus Poey 1852 | |
It is distinguishable from other groupers by a pattern of six to nine dark brown stripes. The misty grouper has two synonymised names: Serranus mystacinus (Poey, 1852) and Epinephelus mystacinus (Poey 1852).[1]
Typical depth range is from 100 m (330 ft) - 400 m (1,300 ft). Its diet consists of squids, crustaceans, and smaller fish.[2]
Little is known about this species, possibly due to it being currently listed as Least Concern by IUCN.[3]
It is a commercially viable gamefish[4], though not as popular as similar species of groupers, possibly due to its depth distribution.
References
- "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Hyporthodus mystacinus (Poey, 1852)". www.marinespecies.org. Retrieved 2019-01-27.
- "Hyporthodus mystacinus summary page". FishBase. Retrieved 2019-01-27.
- Avila, Alexandra (2013). "Genetic Diversity and Conservation of the Misty Grouper (Hyporthodus mystacinus) in the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador". Research Gate.
- "Misty Grouper Regulations". SAFMC. Retrieved 2019-01-27.