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Related FAQs: Marine Life of the Tropical West
Atlantic, Tropical West Atlantic 2,
Related Articles: TWA Invertebrates,
Algae, Vascular Plants,
ntroduction to Fishwatcher's Guide Series Pieces/Sections,
Lachnolaimus maxiumus/Hogfish,
Hogfishes of the Genus Bodianus,
The Tropical West Atlantic: Bahamas to Brazil, Part 4
To: Part 1,
Part 2, Part 3,
Part 5, Part 6,
Part 7, Part 8,
Part 9, Part 10,
Part 11, | |
| Bob Fenner | |
Croakers and Drums, Family Sciaenidae. These fishes are notable
for their noise making capacity, value as food fishes, tremendous
numbers of species (seventeen genera in the TWA alone) and numbers of
individuals. As aquarium subjects the three TWA species of principal
interest are non-aggressive carnivores that spend most of their time
hiding in dark caves you provide. These are the Highhat, Pareques
acuminatus (2) the Jackknife, Equetus lanceolatus (2), and
the Spotted Drum, E. punctatus (2). Make sure and keep them with
other peaceful fishes and assure they are getting enough to eat (mostly
nocturnal feeders), especially when you start with small individuals.
Ecotype: In areas of reefs with sufficient cover to get under. They hide
by day. | Equetus
acuminatus (Bloch & Schneider 1801), the High Hat. To 23 cm., 9
inches in length. Western Atlantic; North Carolina to Brazil. Found
over sandy and rocky bottoms in groups as young and adults. Below:
Aquarium specimens. An ideal size (three inch) individual in a
cubicle and batch in a wholesalers tank, and five inch individual.
At right, a seven inch adult off of St. Lucia. | 
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Equetus lanceolatus (Linnaeus 1758), the Jackknife(fish). Tropical
West Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. Found in bays and deep coral reefs. To
ten inches in length. Like other TWA croakers, feeds mainly on small
shrimps, gastropod mollusks, crabs polychaete worms. Not as often seen
as the other two species listed. Distinguished from them by a single
black band starting at the tip of the dorsal and a lack of dots on the
tail. | No pic (yet) |
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Equetus punctatus (Bloch & Schneider 1801), the Spotted Drum. To
27 cm. Tropical West Atlantic. Below: Three inch individual off
Cozumel, four and six inch ones in St. Lucia. At right, four and a
half inch individual in St. Lucia. | 
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Some Not-So Aquarium Croakers: An example to show a "typical" member
of the family. |
Pogonias cromis (Linnaeus 1758), the Black Drum. According to
fishbase.org to 170 cm. and 42 kg... yes, five feet and ninety
pounds. And has lived for 43 years! Found in the Western Atlantic;
Nova Scotia to Argentina. One in the Florida Aquarium. | 
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Snappers, Family Lutjanidae. Most of the snappers of the Tropical
West Atlantic shallows get too large and admittedly are too ugly for any
other than die-hard biotopic presentations. However a few do deserve
consideration and so I’ve listed and illustrated them here. The Dog
Snapper, Lutjanus jocu (2) and Schoolmaster, L. apodus (2)
are characters and good looking when young. My personal preferences
aside, about the only snapper I’ve seen offered from here is the
Yellowtail, Ocyurus chrysurus (2). It even gets way too big (more
than two feet) Ecotype: The first two in shallow to mid depth
reefs near the bottom, the latter in small associations mid-water above
reefs. |
Anisotremus surinamensis (Bloch 1791), the Black Margot.
Tropical West Atlantic. To two feet in length. Feeds at night on
crustaceans, fishes, urchins... Cozumel image. | 
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Lutjanus adetii (Castelnau 1873), the Yellow-Banded Snapper or
Hussar. Western Pacific; east coast of Australia and New Caledonia.
To twenty inches maximum length. This
one of many in a school off Heron Island in Australian waters, | 
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Lutjanus analis (Cuvier 1828), (Cuvier 1828), the Mutton
Snapper. Western Atlantic; Massachusetts to Brazil, Gulf of Mexico.
To 26 inches maximum length. This one off of Belize. | 
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Lutjanus apodus (Walbaum 1792), the Schoolmaster Snapper.
Western Atlantic; Massachusetts to Brazil and the Eastern Atlantic;
Core d'Ivoire to Guinea. To nearly twenty seven inches total length.
Here in the Bonaire, seven and twelve inch individuals. |  
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Lutjanus griseus (Linnaeus 1758), the Gray Snapper. Tropical
West Atlantic. Freshwater, brackish, marine. 89 cm., 20 kg. maximum.
Occasionally imported as juveniles for the aquarium interest.
Nocturnal feeder on fishes, crustaceans, worms. | 
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Lutjanus jocu (Bloch & Schneider 1801), the Dog Snapper. Western
Atlantic; Massachusetts to Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico, and
the Easter Atlantic; St. Paul's Rocks and Ascension Island. To
Thirty two inches maximum length. A one foot specimen off of Belize,
another off of Cancun. |  
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Lutjanus mahogani (Cuvier 1822), the Mahogany Snapper. Tropical
West Atlantic; N. Carolina to Venezuela. To 19 inches in length
(most much smaller). This eight inch individual off Bonaire. |
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Lutjanus synagris (Linnaeus 1758), the Lane Snapper. Western
Atlantic; North Carolina to Brazil, Gulf of Mexico. To two feet in
length, most under a foot. This pink tail spot-less phase one in the
Bahamas. | 
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Ocyurus chrysurus (Bloch 1791), the Yellowtail Snapper. Western
Atlantic; Massachusetts to Brazil and Gulf of Mexico. Maximum length
to thirty four inches, most around a foot in length. One in the
Bahamas and one in Belize. |  
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To: Part 1, Part 2,
Part 3, Part 5, Part
6, Part 7, Part 8,
Part 9, Part 10,
Part 11,
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