MARI NE FISHES of FLORIDA DAVI D B. S N Y D E R AN D G EO RG E H. B U RG E SS
The essential illustrated guide to Florida’s marine fishes.
Marine Fishes of Florida
DAVID B. SNYDER and GEORGE H. BURGESS
T
he most comprehensive book about Florida’s marine fishes ever produced, Marine Fishes of Florida includes hundreds of photographs and descriptions of species you’ll encounter—plus many that are rare—when diving, snorkeling, kayaking, or fishing. Coverage includes both the Atlantic and Gulf coastline, from habitats near the shore to deeper waters. Fishes found in coastal rivers and other brackish waters are fully represented, as are offshore species that venture into Florida’s waters often enough to be called “occasional visitors.” David B. Snyder and George H. Burgess intertwine personal observations with results from research studies to provide accurate—often surprising—details. The result is a set of beautifully succinct identification descriptions coupled with information about each species’ natural history.
From the largest sharks to the smallest cryptic gobies, from homely toadfishes to the spectacularly colored reef fishes, this book is certain to help you better understand the fish you’ve seen or hooked. David B. Snyder is a senior scientist with CSA Ocean Sciences Inc. His photographs of fishes have appeared in numerous field guides and technical and popular publications. George H. Burgess is the coordinator of museum operations and the director of the Florida Program for Shark Research at the University of Florida’s Florida Museum of Natural History. He is the coauthor of Sharks: The Animal Answer Guide.
Major ecoregions and reef features around Florida
© 2016 The Johns Hopkins University Press UNCORRECTED PROOF Do not quote for publication until verified with finished book. All rights reserved. No portion of this may be reproduced or distributed without permission. NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION
Features of Marine Fishes of Florida include:
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• Over 500 color photographs • Differentiation of adult and juvenile forms • Coverage of 133 fish families and hundreds of species
• Size and geographical range data
• Natural history and conservation notes
• Explanations of geologic history and current habitats
Grunts Family Haemulidae • Black margate (Anisotremus surinamensis)
• Cottonwick (Haemulon melanurum)
• Porkfish (Anisotremus virginicus)
• Sailors choice (Haemulon parra)
• Barred grunt (Conodon nobilis)
• White grunt (Haemulon plumierii)
• Bonnetmouth (Emmelichthyops
• Bluestriped grunt (Haemulon
atlanticus)
sciurus)
• Margate (Haemulon album)
• Striped grunt (Haemulon striatum)
• Tomtate (Haemulon aurolineatum)
• Boga (Haemulon vittata)
• Caesar grunt (Haemulon
• Pigfish (Orthopristis chrysoptera)
carbonarium)
• Burro grunt (Pomadasys crocro)
• Smallmouth grunt (Haemulon chrysargyreum) • French grunt (Haemulon flavolineatum) • Spanish grunt (Haemulon macrostomum)
Species Grunts are similar to snappers but lack the latter’s prominent teeth. Grunts get their name from their ability to produce grunting
sounds by grinding their pharyngeal teeth (located in the throat). The different species can be readily separated by body shape and color pattern. Porkfishes and black margates are easily distinguished from all others by their deep bodies, sharply sloping heads, and distinctive color patterns. Adult porkfishes have yellow and blue stripes on their sides and 2 distinguishing, vertical black bars on the head: the first running diagonally from the top of the head through the eye to the jaw, and the second vertically from the dorsal-fin origin
Anisotremus surinamensis ), Jupiter, Florida. Top right:left: Juvenile black margate, Palm Beach, Florida. Top left: Black Black margate margate ((Anisotremus surinamensis), Bottom Juvenile black margate, Palm Beach, Florida. Bottom left: Porkfish (Anisotremus virginicusMarquesas ), Marquesas Keys, Florida. Bottom right: Juvenile porkfish, Lake WorthLagoon, Lagoon, Top right: Porkfish (Anisotremus virginicus), Keys, Florida. Bottom right: Juvenile porkfish, Lake Worth Florida. 192
MARINE FISHES OF FLORIDA
Burro grunt (Pomadasys crocro), Loxahatchee River, Florida
straight down. Juvenile porkfishes have golden- to bright-yellow heads and silvery-white bodies, with 2 black stripes: 1 above and parallel with the lateral line, and 1 on top of the lateral line (midlateral stripe). Adult black margates have a single wide bar that runs diagonally behind the gill and above the pelvic fin. Each scale on the flanks has a
black spot, and the fins and tail are black. Juveniles have 2 thick, black longitudinal stripes and a squarish caudal spot. Burro grunts are uniformly golden-brown, with dusky pigment in the fins and tail and no stripes or obvious markings. Juveniles and adults have a similar coloration. Burro grunts do have a
conspicuous morphological feature that distinguishes them from the others—an enlarged anal spine. The Haemulon species are colorful in a subdued way; each one characterized by a particular striped pattern that is the primary way to separate the species visually. Early Haemulon juveniles (2 to 5 in) also exhibit species-specific patterns of lateral stripes (the lengths of the midlateral stripe and the upper eye stripe emerging from the upper posterior margin of the eye are key to separating early juveniles) and caudal spots that aid in their identification. At first glance, some of the species look very similar. For example, white grunts and bluestriped grunts both
Top left: White grunt (Haemulon plumierii), Lake Worth Lagoon, Florida. Bottom left: Juvenile white grunt, Jupiter, Florida. Top right: Bluestriped grunt (Haemulon sciurus), Lake Worth Lagoon, Florida. Bottom right: Juvenile bluestripe grunt, Jupiter, Florida.
GRUN TS
193
Left: Terminal phase spotfin hogfish (Bodianus pulchellus), Jupiter, Florida. Right: Juvenile, Hobe Sound, Florida.
Left: Terminal phase Spanish hogfish (Bodianus rufus), Palm Beach, Florida. Right: Juvenile, Palm Beach, Florida.
of the body and bright-yellow on the posterior half. Some older individuals are almost-completely bluish-purple, with only a smattering of yellow remaining. Tusk-like teeth project from the lower jaws of these larger males. Spotfin hogfishes are smaller in size (8 in) and are easily distinguished by their fire-engine-red body; a midlateral, whitish stripe that trails off posteriorly; and a bright-yellow rear part of the dorsal fin, caudal peduncle, and tail (the leading edge of the lower caudal lobe is edged in red). The upper tip of the pectoral fin has a black spot, and the dorsal and anal fins are edged in blue or 234
MARINE FISHES OF FLORIDA
black. Early juveniles are uniformly bright-yellow, with a black spot on the front of the dorsal fin. Dwarf wrasses (3 in) differ from other wrasses in having the dorsal fin clearly demarcated into two parts, with the anterior portion taller than the posterior one. They are relatively deep bodied and laterally compressed; have a fairly pointed snout; and range in color from pale-green (with pink stripes) to dark–emerald-green (with flecks of white and orange). Creole wrasses, with their deeply forked tails and streamlined bodies, look nothing like the other members of the group (they actually resemble
damselfishes in the genus Chromis). Juveniles and initial-phase individuals are uniformly deep purplishblue, with a series of light spots or miniblotches on the upper body, under the dorsal fin. Terminal males are bicolored: the front half is similarly purple, and the rear half predominantly golden-yellow. The snout is dark-purple to black. Razorfishes are extremely laterally compressed, with steep, vertical foreheads and small eyes, placed high up. Pearly and green razorfishes have rounded caudal fins. Pearly razorfishes (8.5 in) have multiple vertical, electric-blue lines on the head. Terminal males are
Dwarf wrasse (Doratonotus megalepis), Indian River Lagoon, Florida Top: Terminal phase male creole wrasse (Clepticus parrae), Palm Beach, Florida. Bottom: Initial phase, Palm Beach, Florida.
pearly white, with a pinkish cast laterally, and have pinkish dorsal and anal fins, with thin, variegated blue lines. There is a diffuse, oblique, reddish-orange blotch
under and behind the tip of the pectoral fin. Intermediate-phase individuals are pale-bluish to green; the head has several thin blue bars; and each body scale has a thin
blue line. Young pearly razorfishes are pale, with 4 diffuse body bars. Green razorfishes (5.5 in) are greenish-brown, with about 5 vertical orange bars on the head and elongated pelvic fins. Terminal males are lime-green to orangish, with 1 or more small, conspicuous, ocellated black spots at midbody, near the tip of the pectoral fin. The dorsal, anal, and caudal fins have thin, wavy, light-blue lines and pink to brick-red margins. Females are pearly whitish to green, with 5–6 grayish to orangish-brown bars and a series of small white spots along the base of the dorsal fin. The dorsal and anal fins are pale-maroon, with thin, light-blue lines. The first 2 dorsal spines are elongated in juvenile green razorfishes; in combination with their olive-green to dark-brown bodies, they might be confused with dwarf wrasses. Rosy razorfishes (6 in) have straight margins on their caudal fins, and small dark spots in the pectoralfin armpits. Terminal males are reddish-pink; their pale-yellow heads have faint blue bars and a dark blotch on the gill cover. Individual body scales have blue centers. In females, the area behind and below the pectoral fin is pale, with thin, vertical red lines and black spots; this nearly transparent abdominal window may indicate the stage of ovarian development to interested males. There is a dark vertical blotch on the operculum. Small, cigar-shaped members of the genera Halichoeres and Tha‑ lassoma undergo some degree of developmental color change, resulting in multiple (minimally three) phases: juveniles, immature adults (female or male), and terminal WRASSES AND PARROTFISHES
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Marine Fishes of Florida DAVID B. SNYDER and GEORGE H. BURGESS
Publication date: June 2016 8 x 10, 392 pages 978-1-4214-1872-8 $39.95 / £26.00 paperback
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495 color photographs Also available as an e-book
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