Paranthias furcifer ( VALENCIENNES, 1828 )

Heemstra, P. C., 1991, A Taxonomic Revision Of The Eastern Atlantic Groupers (Pisces: Serranidae), Bol. Mus. Mun. Funchal 43 (226), pp. 5-71 : 57-58

Paranthias furcifer ( VALENCIENNES, 1828)

Fig. 16

Serranus fiırcifer VALENCIENNES , in CUV. & VAL., 1828: 264 (type locality, Brazil; holotype MNHN 7028. 137 mm. SL).

Serranus creolus VALENCIENNES , in Cuv. & VAL., 1828: 265 (type localities, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Martinique; syntypes MNHN 4326, 172 mm. SL, Martinique, MNHN 4327, 162 mm. SL. Dominican Republic).

Corvina axyptera DeKAY, 1842: 77 , PL 30, Fig. 96 (type locality, "New York"; holotype not located).

Centropristes nebulasus CASTELNAU, 1855: 5 , PL 1, Fig. 4 (type locality, Rio de Janeiro; holotype MNHN 7821, 260 mm. SL, dry specimen).

Serranus castelnaui JORDAN & EIGENMANN, 1890: 490 (type locality, Rio de Janeiro; replacement for Centropristes nebulosus , preoccupied in Serranus ).

Diagnosis: Dorsal fin IX, 17- 19; anal fin III, 8- 10; pectoral fin rays 19-20; lateral--line scales 69-77; lateral scale series 124-129; gill-rakers 12-14 + 24-26, total 38. Body depth greater than head length, contained 2.9-3.4 times in standard length (for fish 19-28 cm. SL); head 3.5-3.8 times in SL; length of dorsal fin base 56-58% SL; anal fin base 16-19% SL. Caudal fin deeply forked; dorsal fin interspinous membranes slightly indented. Interorbital area convex, the width greater than eye diameter of fish larger than 15 cm. SL; preopercle subangular, the vertical edge and rear half of lower edge finely serrate; nostrils subequal. Maxilla scaly, with long slender supramaxilla. Mid-lateral body scales ctenoid.

Colour: Head and body reddish brown, paler ventrally; bright orange-red spot at upper end of pectoral fin base; 3 widely-spaced white spots between lateral line and dorsal fin base; 2 blue lines on cheek, one approximately horizontal and tangent to lower edge of eye, the other along upper edge of maxilla and continued onto lower part of check; yellow-green spot on each interspinous dorsal fin membrane and continued on soft-rayed part of fin as a dark green submarginal line.

Maximum size about 35 cm. to tip of middle caudal fin rays.

GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION

Tropical and subtropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean. In the eastern Atlantic, P. furcifer has been reported from Ascension Island ( LUBBOCK, 1980), and the Gulf of Guinea islands of Principe, São Tomé and Annobon ( OSÓRIO, 1894). In the western Atlantic, it is known from Bermuda (common), North Carolina to Florida, Gulf of Mexico (rare), Campeche Bank and throughout the Caribbean (except absent in the northern Bahamas) to São Paulo Brazil.

REMARKS

Serranus nebulosus VALENCIENNES, 1828 was incorrectly listed as a synonym of P. furcifer by BAUCHOT et al. (1984); according to RANDALL and HEEMSTRA (in press), this species is a synonym of Epinephelus coioides .

MATERIAL EXAMINED

BERMUDA: ANSP 11799 (212 mm.); FMNH 5265 (244 mm.), FMNH 5266 (215 mm), FMNH 5267 (240 mm.). PUERTO RICO: UPR 3248 (184 mm.). ASCENSION ISLAND: RUSI 11799 (212 mm.).

Figures

Fig. 16 - Paranthias furcifer, 19 cm. SL, Puerto Rico, specimen skeletonized.

Fig. 4 - Epinephelus adscensionis, 17 cm. SL. Ascension Islands, from VAILLANT & BOCOURT, 1875.