Paralabrax dewegeri
A small sea bass found along northern South America.
Paralabrax dewegeri—known by common names such as vieja, vieja parrot rock-bass, or meo viejo—is a marine ray-finned fish belonging to the sea bass subfamily Serraninae, within the family Serranidae (which also includes groupers and anthias). Its range is the western Atlantic, specifically the northern coast of South America.
The body of this species is elongate and compressed, with a pointed head. The preoperculum is smoothly rounded and finely serrated along its edge. Three spines sit on the gill cover: the uppermost is blunt and small, while the other two are sharp. The dorsal fin contains 10 spines and 14 soft rays; the anal fin has 3 spines and 7 soft rays, with the soft-rayed portions of both fins ending in a rounded shape. The caudal fin is truncate. Coloration is brown, fading to yellowish brown on the lower body, with seven vertical dark brown bars along the lower half. A large dark brown spot marks the base of the pectoral fins, with a pale yellowish brown line running behind it. Paired fins are dark brown. Maximum recorded total length is 43 cm (17 in), though 35 cm (14 in) is more typical; maximum weight is 1.3 kg (2.9 lb).
Distribution stretches along the northern South American coast from the Gulf of Venezuela east to Fortaleza, Brazil, with additional records from Curaçao and Trinidad and Tobago. This fish inhabits depths between 10 and 25 m (33–82 ft), over semi-hard or soft substrates and among soft corals. Juveniles are found in beds of the seagrass *Thalassia*. It is carnivorous, feeding mainly on crustaceans, but also takes fishes, molluscs, worms, and brittle stars. Females reach sexual maturity at about 11 cm (4.3 in), and the species is a protogynous hermaphrodite.
Taxonomically, *Paralabrax dewegeri* was first formally described as *Prionodes dewegeri* in 1919 by Dutch ichthyologist Jan Metzelaar (1891–1929), with the type locality given as Guanta, Venezuela. It is the sister taxon to the eastern Pacific *P. callaensis*; both share a common ancestor with the Galapagos endemic *P. albomaculatus*. Although its flesh is considered palatable, the species has little commercial importance due to its relatively small size.
Quick Facts
- Taxon
- Paralabrax dewegeri
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Paralabrax dewegeri has an elongate compressed body with a pointed head. The preoperculum is smoothly rounded and has fine serrations along its edge. There are three spines on the gill cover, the topmost spine is blunt and rather small while the other two are sharp. The dorsal fin has 10 spines and 14 soft rays while the anal fin has three spines and seven soft rays, with the ends of the soft rayed parts of these fins being rounded. The caudal fin is truncate. The body is brown in colour, fading to yellowish brown on its lower part with seven vertical dark brown bars on the lower part of the body. There is a large dark brown spot at the base of the pectoral fins which has a pale yellowish brown line running behind it. The paired fins are dark brown.
This species was first formally described as Prionodes dewegeri in 1919 by the Dutch ichthyologist Jan Metzelaar, with the type locality given as Guanta in Venezuela. It is the sister taxon to P. callaensis of the eastern Pacific Ocean, and in turn, these two species share a common ancestor with the Galapagos endemic P. albomaculatus. Paralabrax dewegeri is found in the western Atlantic Ocean, along the northern coast of South America from the Gulf of Venezuela eastwards to Fortaleza in Brazil, and also occurs in Curaçao and Trinidad and Tobago.
Reader's Guide
Paralabrax dewegeri is a carnivorous species with a diet largely made up of crustaceans but also feeds on fishes, molluscs, worms and brittle stars. It inhabits waters with depths of between 10 and 25 metres over semi-hard or soft substrates and among soft corals, with juveniles found in beds of the sea grass Thalassia. Females attain sexual maturity at about 11 centimetres, and this species is a protogynous hermaphrodite. The flesh is said to be palatable, but the species is of little commercial importance to fisheries because of its relatively small size. Its maximum published total length is 43 centimetres, though 35 centimetres is more common, and it has a maximum weight of 1.3 kilograms. The species was originally described as Prionodes dewegeri by Jan Metzelaar in 1919 from a type locality of Guanta, Venezuela. Its taxonomic relationships place it as a sister taxon to the eastern Pacific Paralabrax callaensis, and both share a common ancestor with the Galapagos endemic Paralabrax albomaculatus.
Did You Know?
- Paralabrax dewegeri is a protogynous hermaphrodite, meaning females can change sex to male.
- The species was first described as Prionodes dewegeri by Dutch ichthyologist Jan Metzelaar in 1919.
- Its maximum recorded weight is 1.3 kilograms (2.9 lb).
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