{{Short description|Species of fish}} {{For|other species known as hogfish|Bodianus}} {{Distinguish|Hagfish}} {{Speciesbox | image = A hogfish is a large wrasse, Lachnolaimus maximus.jpg | image_caption = Male | status = VU | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = <ref name = iucn>{{cite iucn | author1 = Choat, J.H. | author2 = Pollard, D. | author3 = Sadovy, Y.J. | name-list-style = amp | year = 2010 | title = ''Lachnolaimus maximus'' |errata=2018 | article-number = e.T11130A124708500 | doi = 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-4.RLTS.T11130A3252395.en | access-date = 15 January 2020}}</ref> | parent_authority = G. Cuvier, 1829 | display_parents = 2 | taxon = Lachnolaimus maximus | authority = (Walbaum, 1792) | synonyms = * ''Labrus maximus'' <small>Walbaum, 1792</small> | synonyms_ref = <ref name = Fishbase/> }}
The '''hogfish''' ('''''Lachnolaimus maximus'''''), also known as ''boquinete'', ''doncella de pluma'', or ''pez perro'' in Mexico<ref>{{Cite web|title=Shorefishes - The Fishes - Species|url=https://biogeodb.stri.si.edu/caribbean/es/thefishes/species/3905|access-date=2020-12-24|website=biogeodb.stri.si.edu}}</ref> is a species of wrasse native to the western Atlantic Ocean, living in a range from Nova Scotia, Canada, to northern South America, including the Gulf of Mexico.<ref>{{cite web |title=Hogfish in St. Petersburg, Florida |url=https://www.reelcoquinafishing.com/blogs/florida-fishing-blog/hogfish-florida |website=Reel Coquina Fishing|date=19 July 2021 }}</ref> This species occurs around reefs, especially preferring areas with plentiful gorgonians. It is a carnivore that feeds on molluscs, crabs, and sea urchins.<ref name = Fishbase/> This species is currently the only known member of its genus.<ref name = Fishbase>{{FishBase|Lachnolaimus|maximus|month=August|year=2019}}</ref>
==Description== left|thumb|Juvenile The hogfish possesses a very elongated snout, which it uses to search for crustaceans buried in the sediment. This very long "pig-like" snout and its rooting behavior give the hogfish its name. A prominent black spot behind the pectoral fins differentiates males from females. The dorsal fin usually is composed of three or four long dorsal spines followed by a series of shorter dorsal spines. Hogfish reach a maximum of {{convert|90|cm|in|0|abbr=on}} in total length and a weight around {{convert|11|kg|lb|abbr=on|0}}. Females and juveniles usually start out as pale gray, brown, or reddish-brown in color, with a paler underside and no distinct patterns. Males are distinguished by a deep, dark band spanning from the snout to the first dorsal spine, and by a lateral black spot behind the pectoral fins. Hogfish also have a form of active camouflage with the assist of dermal photoreception, a sensory capability allowing them to detect light through their skin. Specialized cells containing opsins, located beneath chromatophores, enable hogfish to perceive changes in ambient light.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Schweikert |first1=Lorian E. |last2=Bagge |first2=Laura E. |last3=Naughton |first3=Lydia F. |last4=Bolin |first4=Jacob R. |last5=Wheeler |first5=Benjamin R. |last6=Grace |first6=Michael S. |last7=Bracken-Grissom |first7=Heather D. |last8=Johnsen |first8=Sönke |date=2023-08-22 |title=Dynamic light filtering over dermal opsin as a sensory feedback system in fish color change |journal=Nature Communications |language=en |volume=14 |issue=1 |page=4642 |doi=10.1038/s41467-023-40166-4 |issn=2041-1723 |pmc=10444757 |pmid=37607908|bibcode=2023NatCo..14.4642S }}</ref>
==Lifecycle== [[File:Lachnolaimus maximus (hogfish at a cleaning station) (Grand Cayman Island, Caribbean Sea).jpg|left|thumb|At Grand Cayman Island]] thumb|1731 illustration showing jaw protrusion. Like many wrasses, the hogfish is a sequential hermaphrodite, meaning it changes sex during different life stages; it is a protogynous, "first female" hermaphrodite; juvenile hogfish start out as female and then mature to become male. The change usually occurs around three years of age and about {{convert|14|in|cm|order=flip|0|abbr=on}} in length.<ref>Davis, J. C. 1976. Biology of the hogfish, ''Lachnolaimus maximus'' (Walbaum), in the Florida Keys. M. S. Thesis, University of Miami, Coral Gables. p 87.</ref>
Hogfish have been recorded to live up to 11 years.<ref name="FWCC, FMRI 2008">FWCC, FMRI 2008</ref> Spawning in South Florida occurs from November through June.<ref>Colin, P. L. 1982. Spawning and larval development of the hogfish, ''Lachnolaimus maximus'' (Pisces: Labridae). ''Fish. Bull.'' 80: 853–862</ref> Hogfish social groups are organized into harems where one male mates with and protects a group of females in his territory.
==Economic importance== {{expand-section | date = June 2025}} Florida landings of hogfish totaled {{cvt|306,953|lb|kg|order=flip|abbr=on}} in 2007.<ref name="FWCC, FMRI 2008"/> The fish stocks are regulated by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Bag, size, and gear limits all have been placed on this species to ensure a healthy stock and to protect it from overfishing.
== Gallery == <gallery mode="packed"> File:Hogfish, Albuquerque, NM, USA imported from iNaturalist photo 286792762.jpg|With raised dorsal fin File:Hogfish.JPG File:Lachnolaimus maximus 556631041 (cropped).jpg File:Lachnolaimus maximus 331279203.jpg File:Lachnolaimus maximus.jpg </gallery>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * [http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Gallery/Descript/hogfish/hogfish.html Florida Museum of Natural History: Hogfish] * {{SealifePhotos|158822}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q1278753}}
Category:Labridae Category:Fish of the Eastern United States Category:Fish of the Western Atlantic Category:Fish described in 1792 Category:Taxa named by Johann Julius Walbaum