Boga (fish)
Encyclopedia
The Boga, Inermia vittata, is an ocean
-going species
of fish
in the Bonnetmouth
family
, or Inermiidae. Bogas are also known as the Snit in Jamaica
, and Bonnetmouth in the Bahamas. The Boga is the only known member of the genus
Inermia, and one of only two species in its family (the other being Emmelichthyops atlanticus
, which is also known as the Bonnetmouth). It was first described by the Cuban
zoologist Felipe Poey
. The description was part of a two-volume
work, which Poey published in 1860, entitled Historia Natural de la Isla de Cuba or "Natural History of the Island of Cuba".
-shaped fish. It has a deeply forked caudal fin, and its two dorsal fins are close together. Boga are also able to protrude their mouth
s much further than many fishes, hence the name Bonnet
mouth.They usually have 14-15 spine
s on their dorsal fins, but only 10 soft rays. They have 2 spines and 9 rays on their anal fins as well. The longest recorded Boga was 23 cm in length.
The Boga's life colors are generally greenish above, and blueish white below. A greenish stripe, tinged with yellow can be seen from the eye to the tail. There are also three similar stripes on the back. The snout and dorsal fins are both yellowish or pale yellow, while the caudal fin is dusky violet. The pectoral fins are both rosy, and the anal and ventral fins are both white .
from Florida
and the Bahamas south to northern South America
, including the Antilles
and the Caribbean
.
Occurring in open water, Bogas are sometimes found near coasts or over reefs, though they can mainly be found off of oceanic island
s , where they feed on zooplankton
and smaller fishes . Bogas are occasionally sold fresh, and used as baitfish; they are known to be preyed upon
by the Red hind (Epinephelus guttatus), a member of the grouper
family.
Ocean
An ocean is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the hydrosphere. Approximately 71% of the Earth's surface is covered by ocean, a continuous body of water that is customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller seas.More than half of this area is over 3,000...
-going species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
in the Bonnetmouth
Bonnetmouth
The Bonnetmouths are a very small family of fishes in the order Perciformes with only two known species in two genera, the bonnetmouth and the boga.-Species:* Genus Emmelichthyops...
family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
, or Inermiidae. Bogas are also known as the Snit in Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
, and Bonnetmouth in the Bahamas. The Boga is the only known member of the genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Inermia, and one of only two species in its family (the other being Emmelichthyops atlanticus
Emmelichthyops atlanticus
The Bonnetmouth, Emmelichthyops atlanticus, is an ocean-going species of fish in the Bonnetmouth family, or Inermiidae. It is also known as the Bogita and the Slender bonnetmouth in the Bahamas and the John moriggle in Jamaica...
, which is also known as the Bonnetmouth). It was first described by the Cuban
Cubans
Cubans or Cuban people are the inhabitants or citizens of Cuba. Cuba is a multi-ethnic nation, home to people of different ethnic and national backgrounds...
zoologist Felipe Poey
Felipe Poey
-Biography:Poey was born in Havana, the son of French and Spanish parents. He spent several years of his life in Pau then studied law in Madrid. He became a lawyer in Spain but was forced to leave due to his liberal ideas, returning to Cuba in 1823. He began to concentrate on the study of the...
. The description was part of a two-volume
Volume
Volume is the quantity of three-dimensional space enclosed by some closed boundary, for example, the space that a substance or shape occupies or contains....
work, which Poey published in 1860, entitled Historia Natural de la Isla de Cuba or "Natural History of the Island of Cuba".
Description
The Boga is a spindleSpindle (textiles)
A spindle is a wooden spike used for spinning wool, flax, hemp, cotton, and other fibres into thread. It is commonly weighted at either the bottom middle or top, most commonly by a circular or spherical object called a whorl, and may also have a hook, groove or notch, though spindles without...
-shaped fish. It has a deeply forked caudal fin, and its two dorsal fins are close together. Boga are also able to protrude their mouth
Mouth
The mouth is the first portion of the alimentary canal that receives food andsaliva. The oral mucosa is the mucous membrane epithelium lining the inside of the mouth....
s much further than many fishes, hence the name Bonnet
Bonnet (headgear)
Bonnets are a variety of headgear for both sexes, which have in common only the absence of a brim. Bonnet derives from the same word in French, where it originally indicated a type of material...
mouth.They usually have 14-15 spine
Spine (zoology)
A spine is a hard, thorny or needle-like structure which occurs on various animals. Animals such as porcupines and sea urchins grow spines as a self-defense mechanism. Spines are often formed of keratin...
s on their dorsal fins, but only 10 soft rays. They have 2 spines and 9 rays on their anal fins as well. The longest recorded Boga was 23 cm in length.
The Boga's life colors are generally greenish above, and blueish white below. A greenish stripe, tinged with yellow can be seen from the eye to the tail. There are also three similar stripes on the back. The snout and dorsal fins are both yellowish or pale yellow, while the caudal fin is dusky violet. The pectoral fins are both rosy, and the anal and ventral fins are both white .
Distribution and habitat
The Boga is only known from the western Atlantic oceanAtlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
from Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
and the Bahamas south to northern South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, including the Antilles
Antilles
The Antilles islands form the greater part of the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea. The Antilles are divided into two major groups: the "Greater Antilles" to the north and west, including the larger islands of Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola , and Puerto Rico; and the smaller "Lesser Antilles" on the...
and the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
.
Occurring in open water, Bogas are sometimes found near coasts or over reefs, though they can mainly be found off of oceanic island
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
s , where they feed on zooplankton
Zooplankton
Zooplankton are heterotrophic plankton. Plankton are organisms drifting in oceans, seas, and bodies of fresh water. The word "zooplankton" is derived from the Greek zoon , meaning "animal", and , meaning "wanderer" or "drifter"...
and smaller fishes . Bogas are occasionally sold fresh, and used as baitfish; they are known to be preyed upon
Predation
In ecology, predation describes a biological interaction where a predator feeds on its prey . Predators may or may not kill their prey prior to feeding on them, but the act of predation always results in the death of its prey and the eventual absorption of the prey's tissue through consumption...
by the Red hind (Epinephelus guttatus), a member of the grouper
Grouper
Groupers are fish of any of a number of genera in the subfamily Epinephelinae of the family Serranidae, in the order Perciformes.Not all serranids are called groupers; the family also includes the sea basses. The common name grouper is usually given to fish in one of two large genera: Epinephelus...
family.