Species: Mycteroperca phenax, Scamp grouper, the Scamp
mouth +/- yellow
D & A with dark spots
preopercle notched
lower gill rakers 17-21
Mycteroperca phenax Jordan & Swain, 1884
Scamp
Body elongate, robust, compressed, depth at dorsal origin not greater than at anal origin; snout much longer than eye; in adult rear nostril 2-4X larger than front nostril; lower jaw projecting; rear of top jaw exposed when mouth closed, without accessory bone above it; teeth depressible; canines at front of jaws; preopercle serrated at lower corner, with a distinct notch above serrated corner; gill rakers, including rudiments, 26-31, 17-21 below; dorsal fin with XI spines, indented between spines, 16-18 rays, rear edge rounded; anal fin with III spines, 11-12 rays, rays 6-8 elongated, lower rear edge pointed in adult; tail fin strongly concave, rays projecting unevenly beyond fin end; scales rough on side of body; 76-82 scales on lateral line.
Adult with a variety of patterns: (i) usually head and body pale brown, almost entire body covered with small dark red-brown spots, 1 per scale, that are often in clusters like paw-prints, which form saddles on the back and elongate blotches on body, spots extend onto medial fins; pectoral fin with dark inner margin, whitish outer margin; tail dark, with a pale margin; (ii) pale brown, upper body with clusters of dark brown spots that resemble cat’s paws; (iii) large adults head and front body slivery grey with dark reticulations, rear 2/3 of body dark, belly and tail base above anal fin with a few white spots; pectorals with a black margin, tail fin dark, with pale edge; (iv) bicolored – pale brown at front, abruptly dark from soft dorsal back. Juvenile without a bicolored phase.
Reaches 107 cm.
Found on reefs; juveniles in shallow water, including mangroves.
Depth range: 0-100 m; adults usually below 30 m.
N Carolina to Venezuela.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Marine
- Brackish
- Inshore/Offshore
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- Inshore
- Inshore Only
- Water Column Position
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- Bottom
- Habitat
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- Rocks
- Reef and soft bottom
- Corals
- Estuary
- Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
- Mangrove
- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- FishBase Habitat
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- Reef Associated
- Feeding Group
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- Data
- Carnivore
- Diet
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- Data
- Bony fishes
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Octopus/squid/cuttlefish
- Egg Type
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- Pelagic
- Pelagic larva
- Data
- Global Endemism
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- West Atlantic Endemic
- All species.
- Greater Caribbean endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- All species..
- Continent only
- Continent
- GC endemic
- Extends North of GC
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
- Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
- Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
- IUCN Red List
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- Listed
- Data deficient
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 107
- Depth Range Min
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- 0
- Depth Range Max
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- 100
