{{Short description|Species of fish}} {{Speciesbox | status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=Pollard, D. |author2=Carpenter, K.E. |author3=Russell, B. |name-list-style=amp |year=2014 |title=''Virididentex acromegalus'' |article-number=e.T170246A1300886 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T170246A1300886.en |access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref> | taxon = Virididentex acromegalus | parent_authority = [[Max Poll|Poll]], 1971 | authority = ([[Balthazar Osório,|Osório]], 1911) | synonyms = '''<small>Species synonymy</small>''' {{Species list | Dentex acromegalus | Osório, 1911 | Sparus acromegalus | (Osório, 1911) }} | synonyms_ref = <ref>{{cite WoRMS |title=''Virididentex acromegalus'' |id=283157 |access-date=7 February 2024}}</ref> }}
The '''bulldog dentex''' ('''''Virididentex acromegalus''''') is a species of marine [[Actinopterygii|ray-finned fish]] belonging to the [[Family (taxonomy)|family]] [[Sparidae]], which includes the seabreams and porgies. The bulldog dentex is the only species in the [[monospecific genus]] '''''Virididentex''''' and it is [[Endemism|endemic]] to Cape Verde.
==Taxonomy== The bulldog dentex was first formally [[Species description|described]] in 1911 as ''Dentex acromegalus'' by the Portuguese [[biologist]] [[Balthazar Osório]] with its [[Type locality (biology)|type locality]] given as [[Santo Antão, Cape Verde|Ilha de Santo Antão]] in Cape Verde.<ref name = CofF>{{Cof family|family=Sparidae|access-date=22 February 2024}}</ref> In 1971 [[Max Poll]] reclassified this species in the [[Monotypy|monotypic]] genus ''Virididentex''.<ref name = CofF/> This taxon is classified in the family Sparidae within the [[Order (biology)|order]] [[Spariformes]] by the 5th edition of ''[[Fishes of the World]]''.<ref name = Nelson5>{{cite book |author1=Nelson, J.S. |author1-link=Joseph S. Nelson |author2=Grande, T.C. |author3=Wilson, M.V.H. |year=2016 |title=Fishes of the World |edition=5th |publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons]] |place=Hoboken, NJ |pages=502–506 |isbn=978-1-118-34233-6 |lccn=2015037522 |oclc=951899884 |ol=25909650M |doi=10.1002/9781119174844}}</ref> Some authorities classify this genus in the subfamily Denticinae,<ref name = Parenti>{{cite journal |author= Parenti, P. |year=2019 |title=An annotated checklist of the fishes of the family Sparidae |journal=FishTaxa |volume=4 |issue=2 |pages=47–98 |url= https://fishtaxa.com/menuscript/index.php/ft/article/view/49/52}}</ref> but the 5th edition of ''Fishes of the World'' does not recognise subfamilies within the Sparidae.<ref name = Nelson5/>
==Etymology== The bulldog dentex has the genus name ''Virididentex'' combines ''viridis'', meaning "green", with ''[[Dentex]]'', the genus it was proposed as a subgenus of, the green part almost certainly refers to Cape Verde. The [[Specific name (zoology)|specific name]] ''acromegalus'' combines ''acro'' meaning "at the tip", and ''megalus'', meaning "large", Osório did not explain this allusion, it mat refer to the protruding lower jaw.<ref name = ETYFish>{{cite web |url=https://etyfish.org/acanthuriformes6/ |title=Order ACANTHURIFORMES (part 6): Families GERREIDAE, LETHRINIDAE, NEMIPTERIDAE and SPARIDAE |date=6 February 2024 |access-date=16 March 2024 |version=v. 3.0|author=Christopher Scharpf |work=The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database |publisher=Christopher Scharpf}}</ref>
==Description== The bulldog dentex has an oblong compressed body, the dorsal profile of the head is convex at the nape and concave in front of the eyes. The eye is relatively small in size which has a diameter obviously less than the length of the snout. The scales on the crown extend froward beyond the front margin of the eyes. The oblique mouth has a protruding lower jaw. The teeth are [[Canine (tooth)|canine]]-like and are arranged in several rows with the outermost row being the largest. The [[dorsal fin]] is supported by 11 spines, the fourth or fifth spine being the longest, and 11 soft rays and the [[anal fin]] has 3 spines and 8 or 9 soft rays, the last ray on both these fins is long and filamentous. There is a wide flattened spine in the [[pelvic fin]]s which also have an obvious axillary scale. The overall colour is uniform brownish with reddish, greenish or bluish tints, paler on the bellu and with reddish fins.<ref name = FAO>{{cite book |author=Kent E. Carpenter |author-link=Kent E. Carpenter |chapter=Sparidae |pages=2567–2620 |editor1=Carpenter, K.E. |editor2=De Angelis, N.|name-list-style=and |year=2016 |title=The living marine resources of the Eastern Central Atlantic Volume 2 Bony fishes part 2 (Perciformes to Tetradontiformes) and Sea turtles |series=FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes |location=Rome |publisher=FAO |url=https://www.fao.org/3/i5715e/i5715e.pdf |isbn=978-92-5-109267-5}}</ref> This species a maximum published [[total length]] of {{cvt|52|cm}}, although {{cvt|30|cm}} is more typical.<ref name = Fishbase>{{FishBase|Virididentex|acromegalus|month=October|year=2023}}</ref>
==Distribution and habitat== The bulldog dentex is endemic to Cape Verde where it is found at depths between {{cvt|40|and|60|m}} over rocky substrates.
==References== {{Reflist}}
==Further reading== {{Wikispecies}} * Eschmeyer, William N., ed. 1998. Catalog of Fishes. Special Publication of the Center for Biodiversity Research and Information, no. 1, vol. 1–3. California Academy of Sciences. San Francisco, California, USA. 2905. {{ISBN|0-940228-47-5}}. * Fenner, Robert M. ''The Conscientious Marine Aquarist''. Neptune City, New Jersey, USA: T.F.H. Publications, 2001. * Helfman, G., B. Collette and D. Facey: ''The diversity of fishes''. Blackwell Science, Malden, Massachusetts, USA, 1997. * Hoese, D.F. 1986. A M.M. Smith and P.C. Heemstra (eds.) Smiths' sea fishes. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Germany * Maugé, L.A. 1986. A J. Daget, J.-P. Gosse and D.F.E. Thys van den Audenaerde (eds.) Check-list of the freshwater fishes of Africa (CLOFFA). ISNB, Brussels; MRAC, Tervuren, Flanders; and ORSTOM, Paris, France, Vol. 2. * Moyle, P. and J. Cech.: ''Fishes: An Introduction to Ichthyology'', 4th ed., Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, USA: Prentice-Hall. 2000. * Nelson, J.: ''Fishes of the World'', 3rd ed.. New York, USA: John Wiley and Sons., 1994 * Wheeler, A.: ''The World Encyclopedia of Fishes'', 2nd ed., London: Macdonald., 1985
{{Taxonbar|from1=Q1813809|from2=Q2417298}}
[[Category:Sparidae]] [[Category:Spariform fish genera]] [[Category:Fish described in 1911]] [[Category:Taxa named by Balthazar Osório]] [[Category:Taxa named by Max Poll]]