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Species: Bodianus diplotaenia, Mexican hogfish

All Families:   All Genera:   All Species:

TP: greenish + yellow bar, reddish head
IP: red-grey + brown stripes
yellow C
juvenile: yellow

Bodianus diplotaenia (Gill, 1862)

Mexican hogfish

Body robust, compressed; large males with pronounced hump between eyes; snout pointed; a canine tooth at rear of top jaw, 2 pairs of strong canines at front of top and bottom jaws; dorsal fin XII, 10; anal fin III, 12; adult  males with long filaments on tail fin lobes and prolonged rays posteriorly on dorsal and anal fins; pectoral rays 17; lateral line unbroken, smoothly arched; scales large, 31 with pores on lateral line.

IP:  reddish grading to yellow on posterior part of body and caudal fin; a pair of blackish stripes (may be broken) on upper half of side and individual scale margins brown to reddish;  TP: bluish green with red-brown head (except lower jaw white) and narrow yellowish bar on middle of side; juveniles similar to IP but with yellow base color.

Maximum size to 76 cm, common to 35 cm.

Commonly seen on rocky reefs.

Depth: 5-75 m.

Central Baja California to the Gulf of California to northern Chile, including all the offshore islands.


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Salinity
  • Marine
  • Marine Only
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore Only
  • Inshore
Water Column Position
  • Bottom + water column
  • Bottom
  • Near Bottom
Habitat
  • Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
  • Rocks
  • Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
  • Corals
  • Water column
  • Reef only
FishBase Habitat
  • Reef Associated
Feeding Group
  • Data
  • Carnivore
Diet
  • Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
  • Data
  • Mobile benthic worms
  • Ectoparasites
  • Mobile benthic gastropods/bivalves
  • Sea-stars/cucumbers/urchins
Egg Type
  • Pelagic
  • Pelagic larva
  • Data
Global Endemism
  • Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) endemic
  • All species
  • East Pacific endemic
Regional Endemism
  • Continent
  • Continent + Island (s)
  • TEP endemic
  • All species
  • Island (s)
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • North Temperate (Californian Province &/or Northern Gulf of California)
  • Northern Tropical (Mexican Province to Nicaragua + Revillagigedos)
  • South Temperate (Peruvian Province )
  • Northern Subtropical (Cortez Province + Sinaloan Gap)
  • Equatorial (Costa Rica to Ecuador + Galapagos, Clipperton, Cocos, Malpelo)
IUCN Red List
  • Listed
  • Least concern
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 76
Depth Range Min
  • 5
Depth Range Max
  • 75