Spanish Hogfish, Bodianus rufus
Spanish Hogfish, Bodianus rufus, Terminal Phase (TP), Female. Underwater photograph taken in coastal waters off Bonaire in December 2019. Photograph and identification courtesy of Bob Hillis, Ivins, Utah.
Spanish Hogfish, Bodianus rufus, Terminal Phase (TP), Female. Fish caught from coastal waters off Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, July 2021. Length: 20 cm (7.9 inches). Catch courtesy of Brayden Moore, Peoria, Arizona. Photograph and identification courtesy of Chris Moore, Peoria, Arizona.
Spanish Hogfish, Bodianus rufus, Terminal Phase (TP), Male. An interesting atypical orange coloration. Underwater photograph taken in coastal waters of Yal-Ku, Quintana Roo, April 2016. Photograph courtesy of Juan Rojo, Akumal.
The Spanish Hogfish, Bodianus rufus, is a member of the Wrasse or Labridae Family, that is known in Mexico as vieja española. Globally, there are thirty-eight species in the genus Bodianus, three of which are found in Mexican waters, two in the Atlantic and one in the Pacific Ocean.
The Spanish Hogfish has a robust compressed body. Juveniles are blue to dark gray over the first half of their bodies including the head and front half of the dorsal fin and balance of the fish including the fins is yellow with a black blotch at the front of the dorsal fin. The adults are similar in color being dorsally a blue gray to purple to deep red from the rear half of the head to three fourths of the dorsal fin and the balance of the fish is yellow. Fish from shallow water are blue; fish from deeper waters are red. The colors of the male are more pronounced than those of the female. The head has a pointed snout with a protrusible mouth that opens in the front with thick lips and a single canine tooth at the rear of the top jaw and strong canines at the front of both jaws. Their anal fin has 3 spines and 12 rays; and, their dorsal fin has 12 spines and 9 to 11 spines. They have 17 to 19 gill rakers. They are covered with large scales. Their lateral line is continuous and smoothly arched.
The Spanish Hogfish is coastal resident found around rocky and coral reefs at depths of up to 46 m (150 feet). They reach a maximum of 50 cm (20 inches) in length and 1.22 kg (2 lbs 11 oz) in weight established by the fish documented just below. As of January 1, 2024, the International Game Fish Association world record stood at 1.22 kg (2 lb 11 oz) with the fish caught from coastal waters of North Carolina, July 2021. They are sedimentary and feed diurnally consuming brittle stars, crustaceans, mollusks and sea urchins. In turn they are preyed upon by larger bony fish and sharks. Juveniles are known to set up cleaning salons to remove parasites from larger fish. Juveniles secrete a fowl-tasting cocoon at night which envelops the fish for protection while sleeping. Reproduction is oviparous and they are protogynous hermaphrodites with females being able to transform into fully functional males at mid-life. Harems consist of one male and several females with fertilization occurring externally and pelagic eggs developing rapidly. The Spanish Hogfish is poorly studied with very limited information available about their lifestyle and behavioral patterns including specific details on age, growth, longevity, movement patterns, diet, habitat use, and reproduction.
The Spanish Hogfish is a resident of all Mexican waters of the Atlantic Ocean including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean.
The Spanish Hogfish is an easy species to identify due to its colorful markings but might be confused with the Spotfin Hogfish, Bodianus pulchelus (bright red fish with a yellow upper caudal peduncle and upper caudal fin).
From a conservation perspective the Spanish Hogfish is currently considered to be of Least Concern having widely distributed stable populations and are not in high demand by humans. They are retained by subsistence fishermen and sold commercially but known to contain ciguatoxin. They are also sold by the aquarium trade on a limited basis.