Species: Apsilus dentatus, Black snapper
D & A: no scales, last ray < previous ray
Apsilus dentatus Guichenot, 1853
Black snapper
Body an elongate oval; convex between eyes; top jaw moderately protrusible, slips under cheek bone for most of its length when mouth is closed; jaws with distinct canines, teeth in an inner band of simple teeth and an outer row of conical teeth; front and sides of roof of mouth with small conical teeth; tooth patch on center of roof of mouth triangular or V shaped; no enlarged pores on chin; preoperculum serrated; gill rakers 22-24; dorsal fin continuous, not notched between spiny and soft parts, X, 10, occasionally 9; anal fin III, 8; last ray of dorsal and anal fins a little shorter than preceding ray; pectorals long, about 2/3 head length, 15-16 rays; scales medium-sized to small; body, cheek and operculum scaly; snout, below eye, lower jaw & rear of top jawbone scale-less; dorsal and anal fins scaleless; tubed lateral line scales 58-63.
Adult: Violet to brownish black, most intense on head; paler below. Juvenile: body bright blue; iris bronze, with black edge; fins brown to black, tail fin with pale rear edge, some fish with blue on fins.
Reaches 65 cm; 3.2 kg.
On hard bottoms.
Depth range: 12-300 m, usually below 40 m.
The Gulf of Mexico to the S Caribbean.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Marine Only
- Marine
- Inshore/Offshore
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- Inshore Only
- Inshore
- Water Column Position
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- Bottom
- Near Bottom
- Bottom + water column
- Habitat
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- Rocks
- Reef and soft bottom
- Corals
- Water column
- Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
- 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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- Carnivore
- Data
- Diet
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- Sponges/seasquirts/bryozoa
- Bony fishes
- Octopus/squid/cuttlefish
- Data
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Egg Type
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- Pelagic larva
- Pelagic
- Data
- Global Endemism
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- West Atlantic Endemic
- Greater Caribbean endemic
- All species.
- Regional Endemism
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- All species..
- Continent + Island (s)
- Island (s)
- GC endemic
- Continent
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
- Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
- IUCN Red List
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- Listed
- Least concern
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 65
- Depth Range Min
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- 12
- Depth Range Max
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- 300
