Apsilus dentatus

The black snapper (Apsilus dentatus) is a marine ray-finned fish in the snapper family Lutjanidae, found across the western Atlantic Ocean. Its range includes the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, the Florida Keys, the Bahamas, the West Indies, and islands off Venezuela and Belize; in the Gulf, it has been recorded at the Flower Garden Banks. Scientists believe the species is even more widely distributed than these records show.

Description

This fish has an elongated, oval body. The area between its eyes is convex, and its upper jaw can protrude moderately, slipping under the cheek bone for much of its length when the mouth is closed. Its jaws feature distinct canine-like teeth, with an inner band of simple teeth and an outer band of conical teeth.

Small conical teeth line the front and sides of the palate, and there is a triangular or V-shaped patch of teeth at the center. The preoperculum is serrated. The dorsal fin is continuous, with no notch between the spiny and soft-rayed sections; the bases of both the dorsal and anal fins are scaleless. The dorsal fin has 10 spines and 9–10 soft rays, while the anal fin has 3 spines and 8 soft rays.

Adults have violet or dark brown backs and upper flanks, darker on the head, with paler lower flanks and abdomen. Juveniles are bright blue, with a black-margined bronze iris, dark fins (the caudal fin has a pale rear margin), and sometimes blue on the fins. The species reaches a maximum total length of 65 cm (26 in), though 40 cm (16 in) is more typical; the heaviest recorded weight is 3.2 kg (7.1 lb).

Habitat and biology

The black snapper inhabits depths from 12 to 300 m (39–984 ft), usually deeper than 40 m (130 ft), though young fish are occasionally found near the surface. It prefers rocky substrates. A predator, it feeds on fishes and benthic invertebrates such as cephalopods and tunicates. Spawning occurs nearly year-round, with peaks from February to April, in September and October, and off Jamaica in November.

Systematics and etymology

French zoologist Alphonse Guichenot first formally described the species in 1853, giving Havana as the type locality. The specific name dentatus means “toothed,” referring to the prominent canine teeth on the upper front jaw.

Utilisation

The black snapper is of limited interest to fisheries, though its flesh is considered good quality.