Atlantic Creolefish

Atlantic Creolefish, Cephalopholis furcifer

Atlantic Creolefish, Cephalopholis furcifer. Fish caught from waters of the Florida Middle Grounds, March 2014. Length: 36 cm (14 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of George Brinkman, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

The Atlantic Creolefish, Cephalopholis furcifer, is a member of the Grouper or Epinephelidae Family, that is also known simply as the Creolefish, and in Mexico as rabirrubia del Golfo. Globally there are twenty-six two species in the genus Cephalopholis, five of which are found in Mexican waters, three in the Atlantic and two in the Pacific Ocean.

The Atlantic Creolefish has an elongated fusiform body with similar convex upper and lower body profiles. They have a very small head and a short snout. They vary in color from gray to bright red with a pale salmon colored belly. They have 3 light spots along their back and a bright red spot at the base of their pectoral fin. Their anal fin has 3 spines and 8 to 10 rays; their caudal fin is deeply concave; their dorsal fin has 9 spines and 17 to 19 rays; and their pectoral fins have 19 to 21 rays. They have 37 or 38 gill rakers. Their body is covered with rough scales.

The Atlantic Creolefish is found demersal near the bottom in coral reefs and adjacent rocky areas at depths up to 50 m (165 feet). They reach a maximum of 40 cm (16 inches) in length. As of January 1, 2023, the International Game Fish Association world record stood at 0.96 kg (2 lbs 2 oz) with the fish caught in coastal waters off North Carolina, September 2020. They are very abundant and can be found in large feeding aggregations often mixed in with damselfish throughout their known range. They are very shy and will retreat when alarmed. They primarily consume zooplankton. In turn they are preyed upon by larger fish and sharks. They are known to frequent “cleaning stations” to have parasites removed by several different species of fish and a couple of species of shrimp.  The Atlantic Creolefish 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 Atlantic Creolefish is a resident of Mexican waters of the Atlantic Ocean but is only found along the east coast of the Yucatán Peninsula in the Caribbean; they are absent from the Gulf of Mexico.

The Atlantic Creolefish is a very easy fish to identify and cannot be confused with any other species from the Atlantic, however, it is very similar to the Pacific Creolefish, Paraanthias colonusfound only in the Pacific.

From a conservation perspective the Atlantic Creolefish is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are not considered an important food fish and they are not a targeted species. They are difficult to catch via hook and line as they feed on planktonic organisms due to their shortened snout, however, this has the advantage of facilitating close-range binocular vision. I have caught the very similar Pacific Creolefish with some regularity during colder water months in shallow waters using small hooked Sabiki rigs tipped with cut squid, thus ending the myth that Creolefish cannot be caught with hook and line. They are an exceptional food fish and sold on a limited basis in local fish markets.