Family Moronidae

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Family Moronidae

• Temperate Basses
• Local species
• Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis)
• Wreckfish (Polyprion americanus)

Morone saxatilis
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Moronidae Characteristics

• Easily distinguished by two spines on the
  operculum
• Body compressed laterally, large mouth and
  ctenoid scales
• Tail is usually deeply forked, never
  hermaphrodites
• Commonly broken into 2 different families
  Moronidae and Acropomatidae

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Striped Bass

• Anadromous species
• A large percentage of the eastern U.S.
  population depends on the Chesapeake water shed
  for spawning

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Striped Bass released in the Cape Fear
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Wreckfish

• Commercially important
• Found on both sides of the Atlantic

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Family Serranidae

• Sea Basses
• Common species
• Scamp (Mycteroperca phenax)
• Gag (Mycteroperca microlepis)
• Black Sea Bass (Centropristis striata)
• Warsaw Grouper (Epinephelus nigritus)

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Serranidae Characteristics

• Large piscivores that associate with temperate
  and tropical reefs
• Important food fish
• Top predators may be ciguatoxic

• Distinguished by
• Large mouth and a heavy head
• 3 spines on the operculum
• 3 spines in the anal fin
• Usually hermaphroditic

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Ciguatera

• Condition caused by the ingestion of toxic fish
  flesh
• Symptoms
• Causative organism is a dinoflagellate called
  Gambierdiscus toxicus which can bloom in high
  numbers

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So are you a guy or a girl?

• Sequential hermaphrodite
• Sex change occurs
• Females - Males
• Protogyny or protogynous
• Males - Females Protandrous or protandry

• Simultaneous hermaphrodite
• Contains both ovaries and testes

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Serranidae
Black Sea Bass (Centropristis striata)
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Serranidae
Gag (Mycteroperca microlepis)
Adult
Juvenile
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Serranidae
Adult
Juvenile
Scamp (Mycteroperca phenax)
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Serranidae
Sand Perch (Diplectrum formosum)
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