Tobaccofish, Serranus tabacarius

Tobaccofish, Serranus tabacarius. Fish caught from coastal waters off Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, June 2023. Length: 13 cm (5.1 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Chris Moore, Peoria, Arizona.

Tobaccofish, Serranus tabacarius. Fish caught from coastal waters off Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, July 2021. Length: 15 cm (5.9 inches). Catch courtesy of Brayden Moore, Peoria, Arizona. Photograph and identification courtesy of Chris Moore, Peoria, Arizona.

Tobaccofish, Serranus tabacarius. Fish caught from coastal waters off Broward County, Florida, August 2021. Length: 19 cm (7.3 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Ben Cantrell, Sebastian, Florida.

Tobaccofish, Serranus tabacarius. Fish caught from coastal waters off Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, January 2022. Length: 20 cm (7.9 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of George Brinkman, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

The Tobaccofish, Serranus tabacarius, is a member of the Sea Bass or Serranidae Family, that is also known as the Tobacco Basslet and the Tobacco Bass and in Mexico as serrano jácome. Globally, there are twenty-seven species in the genus Serranus, of which thirteen are found in Mexican waters, ten in the Atlantic and three in the Pacific Ocean.

The Tobaccofish has an elongated moderately compressed body with a short head, a short snout, and a mid-sized terminal mouth. They have a white head and body with a thick yellowish orange stripe that runs from the chin, under the eye, across the gill cover to the base of the caudal fin. They have dark bars that run through the eye and across the snout, another between the eyes, a double bar across the nape, a broad Y-shaped bar under the dorsal fin, and a bar on the upper caudal peduncle. The caudal fin lobes have dark brown stripes and form a “C”. The gill covers have three well developed spines, with the middle one being straight. Their anal fin has 3 spines and 7 rays; their caudal fin has a straight margin; their first dorsal fin has 10 spines; their second dorsal fin has 12 rays with elongated central rays; their pectoral fins have 15 rays; and their pelvic fins are in front of the pectoral fins. They have 21 to 25 gill rakers. They are covered with large rough scales.

The Tobaccofish is a small species that is found in clear water within rocky structures and sand and rubble substrate, from surface to depths of 94 m (310 feet). In deeper water environments they from small aggregations. They reach a maximum of 22 cm (8.7 inches) in length. They prey on small fish, small crustaceans and shrimp. The Tobaccofish are synchronous hermaphrodites, with each fish having both ovaries that can produce eggs, and testes that can produce sperm. The Tobaccofish 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 Tobaccofish is a resident of Mexican waters of the Atlantic Ocean but has a limited distribution being found in coastal waters around the Yucatán Peninsula from Campeche to Beliez.

The Tobaccofish is very colorful with extensive markings that are a straightforward identification. They are similar to the Chalk Bass, Serranus tortugarum (blue-grey to pink-brown in color with either white narrow bars on their sides and the Harlequin Bass, Serranus tigrinus (white above, yellow below with large black blotches on the sides).

From a conservation perspective the Tobaccofish is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. Their populations are also being adversely affected by the recent introduction of the Red Lionfish, Pterois volitans, which competes for prey and space. In certain areas they are fairly common but due their small size they are of limited interest to most. They are caught as a bi-catch of the trawl fisheries. They are utilized by the aquarium trade being very hardy but known to consume their small tank mates.