Apogon imberbis

Super Group: 
Opisthokonta
Phylum: 
Chordata
Sub-Phylum: 
Vertebrata
Class: 
Actinopteri
Order: 
Perciformes
Sub-Order: 
Percoidei
Family: 
Apogonidae
Sub-Family: 
Apogoninae
Genus: 
Apogon
Species: 
imberbis
Authority: 
Linnaeus 1758
Synonym(s): 
Amia imberbis (Linnaeus 1758)
Apogon rexmullorum (Cuvier 1828)
Mullus imberbis (Linnaeus 1758)

Diagnosis

Diagnosis_Genus: Apogon Lacepède. Large scales and easily detached; the top of the head is high; two dorsal fines; point of barbel below the lower jaw.
Diagnosis_Species: Mullus imberbis Linnaeus. Caput compressum, declive, squamis tectum. Membr. branch. radiis III. Corpus squamis magnis, facile deciduis. Art. gen. 43. Syn. 71. Trigla capite glabo, tota rubens, cirris carens. D. 6, 1/10. P. I2, V. 6. A. 2/10. C. 20. Habitat in Melita.
Body_adults_length: 10-15 cm
Body_juveniles_length: < 5.5 cm (Raventos 2007)
Sequence_microsatellite loci: DQ822534, DQ822535, DQ822536, DQ822537, DQ822538, DQ822539, DQ822540, DQ822541 (Galarza et al. 2007)
Sequence_12S: AM158282 (Meynard et al., 2012)
Sequence_16S: FJ462721 (Meynard et al., 2012)

Etymology

The name of the genus comes from the Greek “A pogon” = beardless, and that of the species emphasizes the concept in Latin, as “imberbis” means the same thing. But what has to do the beard? This is explained by the Italian name of “Re di triglie” (= king of mullet). Seen the colour, the zoologist who was the first to examine this species, thought, in fact, to be facing a special mullet, without barbels, the king of the mullets, in conclusion, hence the Linnaeus’ name of Mullus imberbis = mullet without barb (beard), nowadays synonym. (http://www.photomazza.com/?Apogon-imberbis&lang=en)

Type species

The type species for the genus Apogon is Apogon ruber (Lacepède 1801).

Type illustration / Type locality / Type specimen

Type locality: Malta, Mediterranean Sea (Fishwisepro)

Ecology

Apogon imberbis live in Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea: Portugal to Morocco and the Azores. Elsewhere, southward to Gulf of Guinea (Fishbase).
Apogon imberbis is a non-migratory species.
Substrate: water
Sociability_adults: solitary
Sociability_adults: gregarious
Salinity: marine
Temperature: 20-22°C (for reproduction)
Habitat: coastal
Depth: 10-200 m (Fishbase)
Oxygen_level: oxic

Life cycle

The reproduction takes place in June at a water temperature of 20 to 22 ° C (Garnaud, 1950).
Both females and males reached maturity at length >5.5 cm, corresponding to 1 year of age in both sexes. The spawning season ranges from July to October, with a peak in August. The number of eggs in the mouths of males increased linearly with fish total length. Males incubate eggs in buccal cavity (Raventos, 2007).

No sexual dimorphisme.
Generation_time: 1 to 3 years
Reproduction_mode: sexual (oviparous)
Fertility_period: seasonal (during summer)
Spawning_method: external fertilization in the water column (Garnaud, 1950)
Fertility_period: seasonal (during summer and fall)
Fecondity_number_of_eggs_per_adult: 4.147 (7.4 cm TL) to 19.219 (10 cm TL) (Raventos, 2007)

 

Feeding behaviour

Carnivorous

Mode of locomotion

Motility: motile_swimming

Observation site(s)

SYMBIONTS

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Association with... Region origin Name of site In reference...
Amyloodinium ocellatum Aquarium Zoological Society of London