Species: Mycteroperca xenarcha, Broomtail grouper
dark lines radiate from eye
soft D & A pointed
Mycteroperca xenarcha Jordan, 1888
Broomtail grouper
Body elongate, robust, compressed, depth at dorsal origin not greater than at anal origin; body deepest at anal fin origin; snout much longer than eye; lower jaw projecting; rear of top jaw exposed when mouth closed, without accessory bone above it; teeth depressible; canines at front of jaws; preopercle corner angular, with serrated lobe; gill rakers 29-33; dorsal rays XI, 16-17, spines 2-7 same length; anal rays II, 10-11; ends of soft dorsal and anal strongly pointed; pectoral rays 16- 18 (usually 17); tail fin with jagged rear edge; scales in longitudinal series above lateral line 110-120.
Head and body light brown; head with many radiating dark lines from eye; body with elongate dark brown blotches (often with light brown centres); fish can change color to uniform grey-brown.
Size: to about 150 cm and 45.4 Kg.
Inhabits rocky reefs and mangrove estuaries.
Depth: 1-70 m.
Northern California to the central Gulf of California to Peru.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
-
- Brackish
- Marine
- Inshore/Offshore
-
- Inshore
- Inshore Only
- Water Column Position
-
- Bottom
- Bottom only
- Habitat
-
- Reef and soft bottom
- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Rocks
- Mangrove
- Estuary
- Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
- FishBase Habitat
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- Demersal
- Feeding Group
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- Carnivore
- No Data
- Diet
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- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Bony fishes
- No Data
- Egg Type
-
- No data
- Pelagic
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
-
- East Pacific endemic
- All species
- Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) endemic
- Regional Endemism
-
- Continental TEP endemic
- Continent only
- All species
- Continent
- TEP endemic
- 3 provinces (Cortez + Mexican + Panamic) endemic
- Residency
-
- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- North Temperate (Californian Province &/or Northern Gulf of California)
- Northern Subtropical (Cortez Province + Sinaloan Gap)
- South Temperate (Peruvian Province )
- Northern Tropical (Mexican Province to Nicaragua + Revillagigedos)
- Equatorial (Costa Rica to Ecuador + Galapagos, Clipperton, Cocos, Malpelo)
- IUCN Red List
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- Least concern
- Listed
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 150
- Depth Range Min
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- 1
- Depth Range Max
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- 70
