Acanthopagrus sheim Iwatsuki, 2013

Siddiqui, Pirzada Jamal, Amir, Shabir Ali & Masroor, Rafaqat, 2014, The sparid fishes of Pakistan, with new distribution records, Zootaxa 3857 (1), pp. 71-100 : 77-78

Acanthopagrus sheim Iwatsuki, 2013

Common name: Spotted Yellowfin Seabream Local names: Dandya, Nehra (Sindh); Tintle (Balochistan) ( Figures 4 & 15 G, H; Table 1 )

Acanthopagrus sheim Iwatsuki, 2013: 85 , Fig. 4 (c) (off Hawar Island, Oatar).

Diagnosis. Distinguished from all congeners of Acanthopagrus by the following combination of characters: Body relatively deep and thicker, its depth 42–45% and width at pectoral base 16–20% of SL. Dorsal-fin rays XI–XII, 10–11 (mostly XI, 11); anal-fin rays III, 8; pored lateral line scales 42–44; scale rows above and below lateral line 4½–5½ and 11½–12½; scale rows between the fifth dorsal-fin spine base and lateral line 4½; no scales on preopercular flange; gill rakers 16–18 whereas 9–10 on the lower limb; 2nd anal-fin spine (2 AS) longer than 3rd anal-fin spine, its ratio (2 AS / 3 AS) 1.2–1.6 (mean 1.4); least infraorbital depth 4.9–6.9% of SL; two to three black blotches just beneath inter-radial membranes between dorsal-fin rays, upper dorsal-fin membrane usually with darker margin; pelvic and anal-fins yellow; black streaks usually present on inter-radial membranes between yellow anal-fin rays; weak diffuse dark blotch at origin of lateral line.

Description. Body deep, compressed; head 31–37% of SL, eye moderate in size, orbit diameter 7.9–9.4% of SL; dorsal profile of head steep and convex ascending sharply from just above eye; snout pointed; mouth slightly oblique, lips thick; maxilla reaching vertical at rear edge of pupil, longer than orbit diameter; upper-jaw length 12.8–14.6% of SL; lower jaw slightly included; four to six incisor like teeth (canines like in adults) in upper and lower jaws; three to five rows of well-developed molariform teeth in each side of both jaws, smaller anteriorly and larger posteriorly; four to five transverse rows of scales on cheek; preopercular flange lacking scales, posterior margin weakly serrated; low scaly sheath on bases of soft dorsal and anal-fin ray; dorsal-fin spines strong, first one is smaller (6.5–8% of SL), 4th one is longer (16–20.2% of SL); first anal-fin spine short (5.1–7.3% of SL), 2nd analfin spine heavy and long (17.1–22 % of SL), 3rd anal-fin spine thin and shorter (12.6–16.5 % of SL) than 2nd anal-fin spine; pectoral-fin tip nearly reaching level with first anal-fin spine base vertically, its length greater than head length; first pelvic-fin ray length clearly greater than third anal-fin spine; pelvic-fin spine longer than snout length.

Color of fresh specimens. Head and body silvery pale grey. Belly whitish silvery. Faint streaks along longitudinal rows of body scales in comparison to visible streaks in A. arabicus . Conspicuous diffused dark blotch at origin of lateral line. Dorsal-fin greyish to hyaline and upper margin of dorsal-fin membrane little blackish, dorsal-fin membrane between spines and soft rays with two to three black spots. Pelvic and anal-fins light yellow, but not bright yellow as in A. arabicus . Black streaks on inter-radial membranes between yellow anal-fin rays. Caudal fin blackish with some yellowish to greyish color, fin rays in terminal lower caudal fin lobe whitish. Pectoral-fins somewhat whitish hyaline, pale blotch at origin of pectoral-fin.

Distribution. Acanthopagrus sheim is only known from The Gulf and Pakistan. This species is very likely to occur in Iran and India.

Remarks. One of the specimens (AMS B. 8280, 124 mm SL, from Sind, Pakistan) in Iwatsuki (2013) was identified as A. arabicus and erroneously listed in the description of A. sheim in the “other specimens” in the same publication. Acanthopagrus sheim can be easily mistaken for Acanthopagrus arabicus for its nearly identical appearance, scalation and morphometric proportions, but the local fishermen of Sindh coast consider them of different types. A. sheim is locally known as Chaann and A. arabicus is called Nehra. There are also some color variations in this species compared to the specimens listed by Iwatsuki (2013).

Figures

FIGURE 4. Acanthopagrus sheim, PMNH 53008, 196 mm SL, WWFH, Karachi. Faint yellowish color in pelvic and anal fin and whitish lower margin of lower caudal lobe.

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.