View source for Lagodon

{{Short description|Species of fish}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = 20230606 Lagodon rhomboides (cropped).jpg
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=Russell, B. |author2=Carpenter, K.E. |author2-link=Kent E. Carpenter |author3=MacDonald, T. |author4=Vega-Cendejas, M. |name-list-style=& |date=2014 |title=''Lagodon rhomboides'' |page=e.T170250A1301642 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T170250A1301642.en |access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref>
| parent_authority = [[John Edwards Holbrook|Holbrook]], 1855
| taxon = Lagodon rhomboides
| authority = ([[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], 1766)
| synonyms = * ''Sparus rhomboides'' <small>Linnaeus, 1766</small>
| synonyms_ref = <ref name = Fishbase>{{FishBase|Lagodon|rhomboides|month=October|year=2023}}</ref>
}}
'''''Lagodon''''' is a [[monospecific genus]] of marine [[Actinopterygii|ray-finned fish]] belonging to the [[Family (biology)|family]] [[Sparidae]], which includes the seabreams and porgies. The only species in the genus is '''''Lagodon rhomboides''''', the '''pinfish''', '''red porgy''', '''bream''', '''pin perch''', '''sand perch''', '''butterfish''' or '''sailor's choice'''. This fish is found in the Western Atlantic Ocean and [[Gulf of Mexico]].
==Taxonomy==
''Lagodon'' was first proposed as a genus in 1855 by the American [[zoologist]] [[John Edwards Holbrook]] with ''Sparus rhomboides'' as its only species.<ref name = CofF>{{Cof family|family=Sparidae|access-date=28 January 2024}}</ref> ''Sparus rhomboides'' was first formally [[Species description|described]] in 1766 by [[Carl Linnaeus]] in the ''[[12th edition of Systema Naturae|Systema naturae sive regna tria naturae]]'' giving the [[Type (biology)|type locality]] as "America", although it is considered to be [[North Carolina]].<ref name = CofF2>{{Cof genus|genus=Lagodon|access-date=28 January 2024}}</ref> In 1940 [[Henry Weed Fowler]] described a new species, ''Salema atkinsoni'', the type having been caught off [[Cape May]], [[New Jersey]] which he placed in a subgenus of ''[[Archosargus|Salema]]'' he named ''Sphenosargus''. This taxon is now regarded as a [[junior synonym]] of ''L. rhomboides''.<ref name = CofF/><ref name = CofF2/> This taxon is placed in the family Sparidae within the [[Order (biology)|order]] [[Spariformes]] by the 5th edition of ''[[Fishes of the World]]''.<ref name = Nelson5>{{cite book |author1=Nelson, J.S. |author1-link=Joseph S. Nelson |author2=Grande, T.C. |author3=Wilson, M.V.H. |year=2016 |title=Fishes of the World |edition=5th |publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons]] |place=Hoboken, NJ |pages=502–506 |isbn=978-1-118-34233-6 |lccn=2015037522 |oclc=951899884 |ol=25909650M |doi=10.1002/9781119174844}}</ref> Some authorities classify this genus in the subfamily Boopsinae,<ref name = Parenti>{{cite journal |author= Parenti, P.  |year=2019 |title=An annotated checklist of the fishes of the family Sparidae |journal=FishTaxa |volume=4 |issue=2 |pages=47–98 |url= https://fishtaxa.com/menuscript/index.php/ft/article/view/49/52}}</ref> but the 5th edition of Fishes of the World does not recognise subfamilies within the Sparidae.<ref name = Nelson5/>
==Etymology==
''Lagodon'' combines ''lagus'', meaning "hare" or "rabbit", with ''odon'', which means "tooth", this is thought to be a reference to the 8 wide, deeply notched [[incisor]]-like teeth at the front of each jaw. The [[Specific name (zoology)|specific name]] ''rhomboides'' means "in the form of a [[rhombus]]", presumed to be a reference to the shape of the scales in the illustration of two seabreams called ''Perca marina rhomboidalis fasciata'' drawn by [[Mark Catesby]] published in 1754.<ref name = ETYFish>{{cite web |url=https://etyfish.org/acanthuriformes6/ |title=Order ACANTHURIFORMES (part 6): Families GERREIDAE, LETHRINIDAE, NEMIPTERIDAE and SPARIDAE |date=12 January 2024 |access-date=28 January 2024 |author=Christopher Scharpf |work=The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database |publisher=Christopher Scharpf}}</ref> Other names include pinfish,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pinfish |url=https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/profiles/saltwater/porgy/pinfish/ |access-date=2024-08-04 |website=Florida Fish And Wildlife Conservation Commission |language=en}}</ref> choffer,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Fish Bites: Match live bait with target fish |url=https://www.newsherald.com/story/sports/outdoors/2016/07/25/fish-bites-match-live-bait-with-target-fish/27435647007/ |access-date=2024-08-04 |website=Panama City News Herald |language=en-US}}</ref> pin perch,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pinfish (Lagodon rhomboides) |url=https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/species/pinfish/#:~:text=Pinfish%20are%20also%20called%20bream,there%20is%20cover%20from%20predators. |access-date=2024-08-04 |website=tpwd.texas.gov}}</ref> and butterfish. The name "[[Lagodon|Choffer]]" is a very limited regional moniker around Panama City that ends somewhere between Destin & Pensacola.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2006-10-11 |title=Choffer -- real name? |url=https://scubaboard.com/community/threads/choffer-real-name.162295/ |access-date=2024-08-04 |website=ScubaBoard |language=en-US}}</ref>
==Description==
''Lagodon'' has a moderately deep and compressed oval-shaped body with a small mouth and moderately large eyes. The dorsal profile of the head is steep and leads to a sharp snout.<ref name = FM>{{cite web |url=https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/discover-fish/florida-fishes-gallery/pinfish/ |title=''Lagodon rhomboides'' (Linnaeus 1766) Family Sparidae |access-date=28 January 2023 |publisher=Florida Museum}}</ref> The teeth in the front of the mouth are small and [[incisor]]-like and point outwards.<ref name = txmar>{{cite web |url=https://txmarspecies.tamug.edu/fishdetails.cfm?scinameID=Lagodon%20rhomboides |title=Pinfish ''Lagodon rhomboides'' Family Sparidae - porgies |access-date=28 January 2024 |year= 2012 |author=Brenda Bowling |publisher=Texas Parks and Wildlife Department}}</ref> There are 12 [[dorsal fin]] spines; the first spine is small and points forward and gives this fish its common name of pinfish, and 10 dorsal fin rays. The [[anal fin]] has three spines and 11 soft rays.<ref name = IndianRiver>{{cite web |url=https://irlspecies.org/taxa/index.php?quicksearchselector=on&quicksearchtaxon=pinfish&taxon=7511&formsubmit=Search+Terms |title=''Lagodon rhomboides'' (Linnaeus, 1766) Family: Sparidae pinfish |access-date=28 January 2024 |website=Indian River Lagoon Species Inventory}}</ref> This species has an olive back, shading to bluish-silver on the flanks marked with slender yellow and blue horizontal stripes and five or six dark, poorly defined, vertical bars also on the flank. The fins are pale yellow with wide, pale blue edges. There is an obvious black spot on the shoulder, to the rear of the [[Operculum (fish)|operculum]].<ref name = TSF>{{cite web |url=https://www.texassaltwaterfishingmagazine.com/fishing/education/fishy-facts/pinfish#:~:text=A%20single%20small%2C%20forward%2Dprojecting,with%20other%20co%2Doccurring%20species |title=Pinfish |access-date=28 January 2024 |author=Stephanie Boyd |date=November 2017 |publisher=Texas Saltwater Fishing}}</ref> The pinfish has a maximum published [[total length]] of {{cvt|40|cm}}, although {{cvt|18|cm}} is more typical, and a maximum published weight of {{cvt|1.5|kg}}.<ref name = Fishbase/>
[[File:Pinfish1.JPG|thumb|In a home aquarium]]
==Distribution and habitat==
''Lagodon'' is found in [[Bermuda]] and along the United States coast from [[Massachusetts]] to [[Texas]], and down along the [[Mexican Gulf Coast]]. It is also found along the northern [[Yucatán Peninsula|Yucatán]] coast and near some northern [[Caribbean]] islands, but it is less common in the [[tropical]] portions of its range.<ref name = Fishbase/> The adult pinfish prefers waters between 30 and 50 feet deep, while the juvenile is more common where there is some cover, such as [[seagrass]] beds, rocky bottoms, [[jetty|jetties]], [[pilings]], and [[mangrove]]s. It prefers higher-salinity water. It rarely [[shoaling and schooling|schools]], but it associates with other individuals, especially where food items such as [[barnacle]]s are abundant.<ref name=tex>{{cite web |url=https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/species/pinfish/ |title=Pinfish (Lagodon rhomboides) |access-date=28 January 2024 |publisher=Texas Parks and Wildlife Department}}</ref>
==Diet==
''Lagodon'' undergoes ontogenetic changes in the morphology of their dentition and gut tracts which affect diet throughout their life history. Juvenile pinfish are carnivorous and primarily eat shrimp, fish eggs, insect larvae, [[polychaete]] worms, and [[amphipod]]s.  As pinfish become older and larger they become increasingly more herbivorous, with plant matter comprising >90% of the diet for pinfish greater than 100mm.<ref name=tex/>
==Predators==
The pinfish is prey for [[alligator gar]], [[longnose gar]], [[Elopidae|ladyfish]], [[Cynoscion nebulosus|spotted sea trout]], [[red drum]], [[Paralichthys lethostigma|southern flounder]], [[pelican]]s, [[grouper]], [[cobia]], [[common snook|snook]] and [[bottlenose dolphin]]s.<ref name=tex/>
==Reproduction==
''Lagodon'' reaches sexual maturity at about one year, when the fish is 80 to 100&nbsp;mm in length. [[Spawning]] season is in the fall and winter. Eggs are broadcast in the water by the female, then fertilized by the male. The number of eggs varies from 7,000 to 90,000. They hatch after about 48 hours. Larvae are not protected by adults. The larval stage ends when the fish is about 12&nbsp;mm in length, and the juvenile reaches maturity when it is about 80&nbsp;mm. Because this species is eaten by many other animals, its life span is generally short.<ref name=tex/>
==Commercial and recreational significance==
''Lagodon'' is not generally sought as sport or food in the United States due to its small size and numerous small bones. It is often used as [[Fishing bait|live bait]] by anglers targeting tarpon, red drum, spotted sea trout, and [[flounder]]. Because it is generally considered a nuisance bait-stealer,<ref name=tex/> anglers opt to catch ''Lagodon'' in traps <ref>{{Cite web |title=Pinfish Traps |url=https://www.reeltexasoutdoors.com/collections/pinfish-traps |access-date=2024-05-27 |website=Reel Texas Outdoors}}</ref> in order to improve the efficiency and gather more live bait quickly.
The famous naturalist, [[Edward O. Wilson]], lost the vision in his right eye at the age of seven, when he caught a pinfish and it flew up and struck him in the face.<ref name="quammen">{{cite web |author=Quammen, D. |year=2021 |url=https://lithub.com/on-the-accidental-career-of-e-o-wilson |title=On the Accidental Career of E.O. Wilson'' |access-date=28 January 2024 |website=Literary Hub}}</ref>
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
{{Taxonbar|from1=Q1870535|from2=Q13217680}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Sparidae]]
[[Category:Monotypic fish genera]]
[[Category:Fish of the Atlantic Ocean]]
[[Category:Taxa named by John Edwards Holbrook]]
[[Category:Spariform fish genera]]