Hogfish, Lachnolaimus maximus

Hogfish, Lachnolaimus maximus, Juvenile. Fish caught from coastal waters off Key West, Florida, August 2014. Length: 31 cm (12 inches). Catch and photography courtesy of Dean Kimberly, Atlanta, Georgia.

Hogfish, Lachnolaimus maximus, Initial Phase (IP), Female. Fish caught from coastal waters off Islamorada, Florida, July 2022. Length: 38 cm (15 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Luke Ovgard, Klamath Falls, Oregon.

Hogfish, Lachnolaimus maximus, Terminal Phase (TP), Male. Fish caught via spearfishing at the Florida Middle Grounds, September 2006. Length: 91 cm (3 feet 0 inches). Weight: 9.1 kg (20 lbs). Catch and photograph courtesy of Richard Shields, Encinitas, California.

The Hogfish, Lachnolaimus maximus, is the largest member of the Wrasse or Labridae Family found in the Atlantic Ocean and is known in Mexico as boquinete. Globally it is the only species in the genus Lachnolaimus, and it is found in Mexican waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

The Hogfish has a large laterally compressed round body with a depth that is 41% to 45% of standard length; this is atypical for wrasses as they are normally smaller and cigar-shaped. Females and males of the Initial Phase (IP) and juveniles have a pale gray-brown or reddish brown coloration with a pale underside. Terminal phase (TP) males have a deeper gray-brown or deeper reddish-brown coloration and have a dark stripe that runs from the tip of their snout to under the first dorsal spine passing just below the eyes. Their pectoral fins are yellow and there is a dark bar on the margin of their anal, caudal, and soft dorsal fins.Their head has a large elongated pig-like snout with a terminal protractible mouth equipped with protruding anterior canine teeth. The iris of their eyes is bright red. They have a black spot at the rear base of their dorsal fin. Their anal fin has 3 spines and 10 rays and is pointed and elongated; their caudal fin is straight in juveniles and slightly lunate with pointed and elongated lobes in adults; their dorsal fin has 14 spines, the first 3 spines are thick and elongated, and 11 rays; and, their pectoral fins have 15 or 16 rays.

The Hogfish is a coastal residents found in small aggregations over hard sand, rocky bottoms, and coral reefs where gorgonians are abundant at depths between 3 m (10 feet) and 30 m (100 feet). Juveniles are found in seagrass beds. They reach a maximum of 91 cm (3 feet 0 inches) in length and 10 kg (22 lbs) in weight. As of January 1, 2024, the International Game Fish Association world record stood at 9.95 (21 lbs 15 oz) with the fish caught from coastal waters off Charleston, South Carolina in September 2011. They feed diurnally as large bottom predators and use their long snouts as a shovel to uncover mollusks, amphipods, crabs, and sea urchins. In turn they are preyed upon by larger bony fish and sharks. 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. Pelagic eggs develop rapidly with larvae hatching in 24 hours. They have lifespans of up to 11 years.

The Hogfish is a resident of Mexican waters of the Atlantic Ocean but has a limited distribution being found only around the Yucatán Peninsula and southward along the coast of the mainland in the Caribbean to Belize.

Due to its extensive markings and finnage, the Hogfish is an easy species to identify that cannot be confused with any other species.

From a conservation perspective the Hogfish is currently considered to be VULNERABLE with significant declines in their populations which is attributed to fishing pressure by commercial fishermen, recreational anglers and spear fishermen. Efforts to replenish stocks by aquaculture are a work in progress. They are considered to be a highly valued as food fish and are marketed both fresh and frozen, however, they are prone to contamination by ciguatoxin.