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: | Perciformes |
| 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 edit
The 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 edit
The 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 edit
The 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 edit
The 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 edit
The 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.) (2021). "Parapristipomoides squamimaxillaris" in 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.