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© 2024 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

Misty Groupers (Hyporthodus mystacinus) are one of the largest and most geographically widespread grouper species and one of the few grouper species known to occur at depths greater than 200 m. However, aspects of their basic biology, behavior, and ecology remain poorly understood, leaving significant gaps in our ability to evaluate their functional role throughout the vertical water column, as well as our understanding of their conservation needs in a changing ocean. Through in-situ video observation obtained using deep-sea landers in both The Bahamas and Cayman Islands over multiple years, we documented Misty Grouper occurrence up to 470 m depth in the mesopelagic zone. These observations provide a new depth range extension for the species and illuminate the potential importance of deep-water habitats for large grouper species in the wider Caribbean.

Details

Title
Depth Range Extension for the Misty Grouper Hyporthodus mystacinus Documented via Deep-Sea Landers throughout the Greater Caribbean
Author
Aldridge, Shannon E 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Dixon, Olivia F L 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; de Silva, Christine 1 ; Kohler, Johanna K 2 ; Shipley, Oliver N 1 ; Phillips, Brennan T 3   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Fernandes, Teresa F 4 ; Austin, Timothy 2 ; Ormond, Rupert F 5   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Gore, Mauvis A 5   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Gallagher, Austin J 1 

 Beneath the Waves, 3 Austin Street, P.O. Box 290036, Boston, MA 02129, USA; [email protected] (O.F.L.D.); [email protected] (C.d.S.); [email protected] (O.N.S.); [email protected] (A.J.G.) 
 Cayman Islands Department of Environment, 580 North Sound Road, P.O. Box 10202, George Town KY1-1002, Cayman Islands; [email protected] (J.K.K.); [email protected] (T.A.) 
 Department of Ocean Engineering, University of Rhode Island, 15 Receiving Road, Narragansett, RI 02881, USA; [email protected] 
 Institute of Life and Earth Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh EH14 4AS, UK; [email protected] (T.F.F.); [email protected] (R.F.O.); [email protected] (M.A.G.) 
 Institute of Life and Earth Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh EH14 4AS, UK; [email protected] (T.F.F.); [email protected] (R.F.O.); [email protected] (M.A.G.); Marine Conservation International, South Queensferry, Edinburgh EH30 9WN, UK 
First page
114
Publication year
2024
Publication date
2024
Publisher
MDPI AG
e-ISSN
24103888
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
3046830582
Copyright
© 2024 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.