Three-pronged soapfish
| Three-pronged soapfish | ||||||||||||
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Three-pronged soapfish, underwater shot off Isla de la Juventud (Cuba). |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Rypticus saponaceus | ||||||||||||
| Bloch & Schneider , 1801 |
The three-pronged soapfish ( Rypticus saponaceus ), also known as the great soap bass , comes in the eastern Atlantic from the Cape Verde Islands and Mauritania to Angola , in the western Atlantic from Florida and Bermuda to the coast of Brazil (including Sankt-Peter-und-Sankt-Pauls Rock ). In the central Atlantic, it can be found near the islands of St. Helena and Ascension . There is also a single evidence from the South African Cape of Good Hope . It is the only species of sea bass in the Caribbean.
features
The triple spiny soapfish usually grows to 25 cm long with a maximum length of 35 cm. They are gray-white in color and speckled irregularly in dark gray or dark brown. The fins are darker. Its dorsal fin is supported by three spines (name) and 23 to 25 soft fin rays. Like the body it is speckled, the rest of the fins are monochrome and dark. The scales of the three-pronged soapfish are covered with a thick layer of poisonous slime.
Way of life
The three-pronged soapfish lives in shallow coastal waters at depths of up to 25, less often up to 60 meters. It occurs over sandy and rocky bottoms and on reefs. Often it lies motionless on its side. At night he hunts fish and crustaceans; During the day he seeks protection in crevices in the rock.
literature
- Maren and Werner Baumeister: Marine fauna, Caribbean and Florida . Ulmer Verlag, ISBN 3-8001-4164-7
Web links
- Three-pronged soapfish on Fishbase.org (English)