HOGFISH
Lachnolaimus maximus
English: Hogfish
Spanish: doncella de pluma, jaqueton blanca, pargo gallo and pez perro
The hogfish is characterized by a large laterally compressed body shape. It possesses a very elongated snout which it uses to search for crustaceans buried in the sediment. Interestingly it is from this very long “pig-like” snout and its rooting behavior that the hogfish gets its name. The caudal, or tail fin, is somewhat lunate and the pectoral fins are along the lateral sides of the body with the paired pelvic fins directly below. A prominent black spot behind the pectoral fins differentiates male from females. The dorsal fin, usually is composed of three or four long dorsal spines followed by a series of shorter dorsal spines.
Hogfish are found in the western Atlantic Ocean with a range from Bermuda, south through the Caribbean Sea and northern Gulf of Mexico, continuing to the north coast of South America.
Hogfish reach a maximum size of about 3 feet and approximately 22 pounds.