The scalemouth jobfish (Parapristipomoides squamimaxillaris), also known as the scalemouth snapper, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a snapper belonging to the family Lutjanidae. It is native to the Pacific Ocean. This species is the only known member of its genus.
| Scalemouth jobfish | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Acanthuriformes |
| Family: | Lutjanidae |
| Subfamily: | Apsilinae |
| Genus: | Parapristipomoides Kami, 1973 |
| Species: | P. squamimaxillaris
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| Binomial name | |
| Parapristipomoides squamimaxillaris (Kami, 1973)
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| Synonyms[2] | |
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Description
editThe scalemouth jobfish has an elongated, slender body which at its deepest point is around a third in depth as its standard length. It has a comparatively small, sharply pointed head with a convex intraorbital area. The lower jaw protrudes slightly and the mouth reaches the pupil. The maxilla are scaled, each jaw has a single, thin band of bristle-like teeth and there is a small oval-shaped parch of teeth on the vomer.[3] The dorsal fin has 10 spines and 10 soft rays while the anal fin has 3 spines and 8 soft rays. This species attains a maximum length of 51.4 cm (20.2 in). The main colour is a silvery pink, darker on the back. The fins are whitish,[2] except for the caudal fin which has a yellow upper lobe and a pinkish lower lobe.[4]
Distribution
editThe scalemouth jobfish has a scattered distribution in the southern Pacific Ocean with records from Easter Island, Rapa Iti, New Caledonia and Tonga.[1]
Habitat and biology
editThe scalemouth jobfish is found in relatively deep water between 130 and 460 m (430 and 1,510 ft), at least. It is associated with rocky substrates, particularly reefs.[1]
Systematics and etymology
editThe scalemouth jobfish was first formally described in 1973 as Pristipomoides squamimaxillaris by the American zoologist Harry T. Kami with the type locality given as Easter Island.[5] Kami placed this species in the monotypic subgenus Parapristipomoide but later workers argued that it was too different from other species in that genus and made Parapristipomoides a valid genus.[6] The hgeneric name means "near to Pristipomoides" while the specific name squamimaxillaris means "scaly jaw", a reference to the scaled jaws of this species.[7]
Utilisation
editThe scalemouth jobfish is caught by handline fishing at Easter Island and Rapa Iti and the catch is sold fresh.[3]
References
edit- ^ a b c Russell, B.; Lawrence, A.; Myers, R.; Carpenter, K.E.; Smith-Vaniz, W.F. (2016). "Parapristipomoides squamimaxillaris". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T194361A2321652. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T194361A2321652.en. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
- ^ a b Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Parapristipomoides squamimaxillaris". FishBase. February 2021 version.
- ^ a b Gerald R. Allen (1985). FAO species catalogue Vol.6. Snappers of the world An annotated and illustrated catalogue of lutjanid species known to date (PDF). FAO Rome. p. 138. ISBN 92-5-102321-2.
- ^ "Deep-bottom fish identification cards for small-scale fishermen" (PDF). Secretariat of the Pacific Community. 2013. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
- ^ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Parapristipomoides". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
- ^ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Lutjanidae". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
- ^ Christopher Scharpf & Kenneth J. Lazara, eds. (5 January 2021). "Order LUTJANIFORMES: Families HAEMULIDAE and LUTJANIDAE". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 8 May 2021.