Sparidentex jamalensis ( Amir et al., 2014 )

Siddiqui, Pirzada Jamal, Amir, Shabir Ali & Masroor, Rafaqat, 2014, The sparid fishes of Pakistan, with new distribution records, Zootaxa 3857 (1), pp. 71-100 : 90-96

Sparidentex jamalensis ( Amir et al., 2014)

Common name: Fanged Seabream

Local names: Kukkri (Sindh); Nawar (Balochistan) ( Figures 14 & 15 K, L; Table 1 )

Sparidentex jamalensis Amir, Siddiqui & Masroor 2014: 472 (West Wharf fish harbour, Karachi, Pakistan).

Diagnosis. Following combination of characters of Sparidentex jamalensis distinguishes it from Sparidentex hasta : dorsal-fin rays XI, 11; anal-fin rays III, 8; scale rows between the 5th dorsal-fin spine base and lateral line 3½, scale rows between the ninth dorsal-fin spine base to lateral line 3½, scale rows below first dorsal spine to the lateral line 4½, scale rows below the lateral line 12½; pored lateral line scales 45–47; body depth 37–41%, head length 33–38%, snout deep 10–12%, caudal peduncle length 18–20% of SL; no molariform teeth in both jaws. Second anal-fin spine distinctly stouter and longer than 3rd anal-fin spine, ratio of 2nd anal-fin spine / 3rd anal-fin spine 1.4.

Description. Body relatively deep and compressed; mouth somewhat oblique, lips thick; snout pointed, two nostrils just in front of both eyes, anterior nostril small and rounded and posterior one long oval-like or slit-like; upper jaw protruding slightly in front of lower jaw; maxilla reaching to bellow mideye level (pupil or center of orbit); at front of each jaw, 6 enlarged fang-like slightly curved conical teeth at anterior portion of both jaws, two or three villiform teeth rows in lower jaw and three to four villiform teeth rows on upper jaw; gill rakers 15–18 (upper + lower limb, 6–7 + 9–11); preopercular flange scale-less, its posterior margin weakly serrated; low scaly sheath on soft dorsal and anal-fin ray bases; dorsal-fin spines strong, first one is smaller (5–7% of SL), 4th and 5th longer (13–16% of SL); first anal-fin spine short (3–6% of SL), 2nd anal-fin spine heavy and long (17–26% of SL), third anal-fin spine thin and shorter (13–15% of SL) than 2nd anal-fin spine; pectoral-fin long, its length slightly greater than head length, tip nearly reaching to anal opening; pelvic-fin spine longer than snout length; first ray of pelvicfin intruded and clearly longer than 2nd anal-fin spine; caudal fin forked.

Color of fresh specimens. Head and dorsal part of body dull olive silvery, becoming silvery-white up to belly; scales are with diffuse black margins that shows longitudinal and transverse narrow stripes on the body; dorsal-fin and anal rays gray, soft rays hyaline, membranes of the dorsal and anal-fins are dusky grey; pectoral-fins light yellow to whitish and pelvic-fins light grayish to whitish; a black spot in pectoral axilla is always present.

Distribution. Currently known only from Pakistan. It is highly probable that this species may also occur in the coastal waters of northern Arabian Sea, India and Persian Gulf.

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1st dorsal-fin spine 5.6–7.4 (DS) length 5.2–6.9 (6.0) 6.8–8.9 (8.0) 5.9–8.7 (7.6) 6.5–8.0 (7.5) 4.5–5.9 (5.2) 5–7 (6) (6.6) ......continued on the next page

Proportions as % of SL ......continued on the next page

Diplodus Diplodus Rhabdosargus Rhabdosargus Argyrops Cheimerius Pagellus capensis (n = omanensis sarba haffara spinifer nufar affinis 6) (n = 1) (n = 7) (n = 3) (n = 6) (n = 2) (n = 1)

Body width at pectoral- 14.2–15.9 13.6–16.6 13.3–17.7 12.5–14

fin base (15.2) 15.8 (15.5) 13.5–16 (15) (16.1) (13.4) 18

12.3–15.4 14.2–16.8 14.7–16.6 15.7–17.4 13.3–13.9

Snout length (13.8) 13.6 (15.3) (15.7) (16.7) (13.6) 12.2

9.2–10.2

Orbit diameter 8.0–9.9 (9.0) 8.5 7.7–10 (9) 8.2–8.8 (8.5) (9.7) 6.8–7.2 (7.0) 9.8

Dermal eye opening 8.2–8.6 (8.4) 7 7.5–8.7 (8.0) 7.3–8.1 (7.6) 9–10 – 8.3 1st dorsal-fin spine

(DS) length 4.4–6.8 (5.9) 4.5 4.2–5.9 (5.2) 4.5–6.1 (5.1) – 3.0–3.4(3.2) 10.7 ......continued on the next page

Diplodus Diplodus Rhabdosargus Rhabdosargus Argyrops Cheimerius Pagellus capensis (n = omanensis sarba haffara spinifer nufar affinis 6) (n = 1) (n = 7) (n = 3) (n = 6) (n = 2) (n = 1) 7.9–10.3 10.3–12.4 9.2–12.2

Last DS length (9.5) 9 (10.3) 11.7–12 (11.8) (11.2) 9.3–9.5 (9.4) 9

1st anal spine length 6.9–7.8 (7.2) 4.8 4.5–5.3 (4.8) 3.5–4.1 (3.8) 4.0–6.2 (5.5) 4.0–7.7 (5.9) 4.8

Figures

FIGURE 14. Sparidentex jamalensis., PMNH 52062, 186 mm SL, WWFH, Karachi. Showing relatively deeper body than S. hasta in Fig. 5, the second anal spine is much longer than third anal-spine.

FIGURE 15. Details of dentition (A-Y) and gill rakers (Z & Z 1) in species of family Sparidae from Pakistan; Acanthopagrus catenula, A) upper jaw & B) lower jaw; A. berda, C) upper jaw & D) lower jaw; A. arabicus, E) upper jaw & F) lower jaw; A. sheim, G) upper jaw & H) lower jaw; Sparidentex hasta, I) upper jaw & J) lower jaw; Sparidentex jamalensis., K) upper jaw & L) lower jaw; Crenidens indicus, M) upper jaw & N) lower jaw; Diplodus capensis, O) upper jaw & P) lower jaw; Q) upper and lower jaws of Diplodus omanensis; Rhabdosargus sarba, R) upper jaw & S) lower jaw; Rhabdosargus haffara, T) upper jaw & U) lower jaw; V) upper and lower jaws of Agryrops spinifer; W) upper and lower jaws of Cheimerius nufar; Pagellus affinis, X) upper jaw & Y) lower jaw; Z) Argyrops spinifer, showing comparatively small gill rakers; and Z 1) Cheimerius nufar, showing elongated fan-like gill rakers.

Tables

TABLE 1. Counts and morphometric data of sparid species occurring in the coastal waters of Pakistan; mean in parenthesis.

	Acanthopagr us catenula (n = 4)	Acanthopagr us berda (n = 4)	Acanthopagr us arabicus (n = 4)	Acanthopagrus sheim (n = 5)	Sparidentex hasta (n = 6)	Sparidentex jamalensis (n = 11)	Crenidens indicus (n = 4)
Dorsal-fin rays	XI, 12	XI, 11	XI–XII, 10–11	XI–XII, 10– 11	XI, 11–12	XI, 11	XI, 11
Anal-fin rays	III, 10	III, 9	III, 8	III, 8	III, 8	III, 8	III, 10
Pectoral-fin rays	15	15	15	15	15	15	14
Pelvic-fin rays	I,5	I,5	I, 5	I, 5	I,5	I, 5	I, 5