Cunner

Tautogolabrus adspersus

This fish has a pointed snout and 18 dorsal spines. It has one long dorsal fin. It is very variable in colour; its back can be mottled green, blue, red, and/or brown. Its underside is white or bluish. It can grow up to 38 centimetres long and one kilogram in weight.

Authority

Walbaum, 1792

Classification Details

Phylum: Chordata (chordates); Subphylum: Vertebrata (vertebrates); Class: Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes).

Habitat

Inhabit coastal waters from Newfoundland to South Carolina. They frequent areas with lots of structure, such as rocky shorelines and wharves. They prefer depths of 10 to 128 metres.

Diet

Omnivore. Feeds on molluscs, echinoderms, crustaceans, other fish, and carcasses.

Reproduction

Sexes are separate. Males establish breeding territories. They court females that enter these with particular swimming patterns and fin movements. The pair swim close to each other in a spawning run and release eggs and sperm. The eggs are fertilized externally. Eggs are buoyant and float up to the sea surface. They hatch after about three days. Adults can live for up to six years.

Fun Facts

This species often occurs in large shoals around wharves and piers. It is very inquisitive and gets very close to SCUBA divers. It sometimes nips at their masks.

References

Dew CB (1976) A contribution to the life history of the cunner, Tautogolabrus adspersus, in Fishers Island Sound, Connecticut. Chesapeake Science 17, 101–113.

Froese R and Pauly D (2019) FishBase. Tautogolabrus adspersus (Walbaum, 1792) Cunner. https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Tautogolabrus-adspersus.html Accessed online 22 January 2020.

Martel G and Green JM (1987) Differential Spawning Success among Territorial Male Cunners, Tautogolabrus adspersus (Labridae). Copeia 3, 643–648.

Pottle RA and Green JM (1979) Field observations on the reproductive behaviour of the cunner, Tautogolabrus adspersus (Walbaum), in Newfoundland. Canadian Journal of Zoology 57, 247–256.

Scott WB and Scott MG (1988) Atlantic fishes of Canada. Canadian Bulletin of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 219, 731p.