Hogfish

The Hogfish (Lachnolaimus maximus) is a large, distinctive wrasse of the western Atlantic, named for its elongated, pig-like snout that it uses to root through sand for prey. It has long, trailing spines at the front of the dorsal fin and a deep, laterally compressed body. Hogfish are remarkable colour-changers, shifting between pale, mottled, and reddish tones and often showing a dark patch on the back. As protogynous hermaphrodites, they live in haremic groups led by a large male. They are among the biggest wrasses in the Atlantic.

Hogfish stand out among Atlantic reef fish:

• Long, pointed, pig-like snout used to dig in sand.
• Elongated front dorsal-fin spines that trail like filaments.
• Deep, compressed body, pale pink to mottled reddish, changeable in colour, often with a dark saddle.
• Large size, to ~90 cm.

The snout and long dorsal spines together are unmistakable.

Hogfish inhabit coral reefs, rocky ledges, and open sand and rubble flats from about 3 to 30 m in the western Atlantic, from the Carolinas and Bermuda through the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean to northern South America. They favour a mix of reef structure and adjacent sand where they can forage by digging.

Hogfish use their snouts to root in sand and rubble for molluscs, crabs, sea urchins, and other hard-shelled invertebrates, crushing them with strong teeth. They are diurnal and often solitary while foraging but form haremic social groups for reproduction. As protogynous hermaphrodites, females can transform into males; a dominant male oversees a group of females and courts them at dusk, spawning in the water column.