Serranus, Cuvier, 1816

Carvalho-Filho, Alfredo, Baldwin, Carole C., Fischer, Luciano G., Robertson, D. Ross, Bertoncini, Athila, Garcia, Lucas Canes, Silva, Jodir Pereira Da & Sampaio, Claudio L. S., 2023, Generic reassignment of Centropristis fuscula Poey, 1861 (Teleostei: Serranidae), with re-description of the species and comments on its geographical range and sexual system, Zootaxa 5346 (1), pp. 51-73 : 68-69

Key to western Atlantic species of Serranus

Adapted from Heemstra et al. (2002), and including Serranus sanctaehelenae and S. fusculus .

1a. Pectoral-fin rays 18 (rarely 17); dark oval spot at caudal-fin base and large dark blotch on lateral line at middle of body.... 2

1b. Pectoral-fin rays 13 to 17; branched caudal-fin rays 8+7; coloration not as above................................... 3

2a. Branched caudal-fin rays 9+8; 30–31 circumpeduncular scales; anterior nostril in a tube with a large lanceolate to heart-shaped flap posteriorly.................................................................................................... Serranus fusculus (Western Atlantic, North Carolina ( USA) through Caribbean to Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil).

2b. Branched caudal-fin rays 8+7; 32–34 circumpeduncular scales; anterior nostril in a simple tube lacking cirri or flaps......................................... Serranus sanctaehelenae (Central Atlantic, Saint Helena and Ascension islands).

3a. Circumpeduncular scales 20 or 21; rows of scales on cheek 5 or 6; total gill rakers on first branchial arch 23–28; pectoral-fin rays 14–15; number of lateral-line scales 46–48................................................................................................ Serranus aliceae ( Southwestern Atlantic , Espírito Santo to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil).

3b. Number of scales around the caudal peduncle 22–41......................................................... 4

4a. Middle opercle spine enlarged and curving distinctly upward; preorbital enlarged, snout length 12 to 14% standard length; caudal fin forked, upper lobe longest; lateral-line scales 50 to 55; rows of scales on cheek 8–10............................................................................. Serranus luciopercanus ( Bahamas to southern Caribbean).

4b. Middle opercle spine not curved upward; snout length 7 to 12% standard length; caudal fin truncate or emarginate; lateral-line scales 39 to 52....................................................................................... 5

5a. Head and body pale, without dark markings (live color unknown); eyes huge, their horizontal diameter contained 2.5 to 2.9 times in head length; top of head scaly to level of rear edge of pupil; body scales of adults rather deciduous; lateral-line scales 45 to 50; gill rakers 19 to 23.................... Serranus maytagi (Eastern Gulf of Mexico to southeastern Caribbean ) .

5b. Head and body not uniformly pale; eye diameter contained more than 3 times in head length......................... 6

6a. Top of head scaly forward to rear end of interorbital region; opercular spines poorly developed; scales weakly ctenoid and often deciduous........................................................................................... 7

6b. Top of head naked; opercular spines well developed; scales strongly ctenoid, not deciduous.......................... 8

7a. Inner surface of opercle with black mark just anterior to and slightly below middle spine (mark is wedge-shaped in fish from Gulf of Mexico, more ovate in Caribbean fish and roundest in fish from Brazil); rows of cheek scales 5; fish from northern Gulf uniformly pale brown, but southern specimens (from Venezuela and Brazil) show a distinct dark bar from bases of eighth and ninth dorsal-fin spines toward (but not quite reaching) anus; total gill rakers on first arch 15 to 20; pectoral-fin rays 15 to 17; circumpeduncular scales 22–25.......................... Serranus atrobranchus (Gulf of Mexico to southern Brazil).

7b. No black mark on inner side of opercle; black blotch in middle of soft dorsal fin, usually continued ventrally on body as a dark bar; body usually dusky, with a bright white bar extending from anus to lateral line and a dark vertical bar on caudal peduncle; head silvery, with a broad brown diagonal band from eye to interopercle; juveniles with nearly vertical black bar on body from dorsal-fin spines 3–5 and another from dorsal-fin soft rays 5–7, both bars cross dorsal fin and become fainter on ventral part of body; 3 dark stripes: first from eye to upper caudal peduncle; second from behind eye to base of first dorsal soft ray, and third from nape to base of fourth dorsal-fin spine............................. Serranus notospilus ( Georgia, to Suriname).

8a. Body reddish brown; belly bright white, sharply delimited from surrounding color; large black blotch on anterior soft dorsal-fin rays and continuing ventrally on body as the first of 4 dark vertical bars; median and pectoral fins covered with small dark brown or blackish spots; dorsal-fin soft rays 12 to 14; pectoral-fin rays 15 to 17; gill rakers 15 to 19; lateral-line scales 42 to 46............................................................ Serranus subligarius (North Carolina to Cuba).

8b. Color not as in 5a; dorsal-fin soft rays 10 to 12 (rarely 13); pectoral-fin rays 13 to16; gill rakers on first arch 14 to 31; lateral-line scales 39 to 52....................................................................................... 9

9a. Body depth contained 2.7 to 3.0 times in standard length; caudal fin mottled, with 2 distinct black spots, one above the other, at fin base; body mottled brown, with 7 faint dark bars; prominent white area on belly; spinous dorsal fin with large black blotch at front, small black blotch at rear; pectoral-fin rays 16 or 17; gill rakers on first arch 15 to 18; lateral-line scales 39 to 44..................................................... Serranus flaviventris (North Carolina to southeastern Brazil).

9b. Body depth 2.9 to 3.9 times in standard length; color pattern not as in 6a; pectoral-fin rays 13 to 16; gill rakers on first arch 14 to 25; lateral-line scales 42 to 52........................................................................ 10

10a. Head and body pale brownish orange, with large pale blotches dorsally; caudal fin with black ‘V’ formed by submarginal black stripes along upper and lower edges of fin, edges pale greenish blue in live fish; juveniles with black blotches dorsally; dorsal-fin margin notched before soft-rayed part, the fourth and fifth spines distinctly longer than tenth spine; pectoral-fin rays 15; gill rakers on first arch 21–25; lateral-line scales 50–52................ Serranus tabacarius ( Georgia to northeastern Brazil)

10b. Color not as in 7a; pectoral-fin rays 13 to 16; dorsal-fin margin not notched before soft-rayed part, the fourth and fifth spines not much longer than tenth spine; gill rakers on first arch 14 to 20; lateral-line scales 42 to 51........................ 11

11a. Head and front of body dark brown, with several irregular blue stripes in life; 6 or 7 dark brown or blackish spots along upper and lower margins of caudal fin; belly (from pectoral-fin base to anus) snow white; body above anal fin reddish brown; soft dorsal and anal fins with brown spots; pectoral-fin rays 13 or 14; lateral-line scales 45 to 47; caudal-peduncle scales 26 to 30; gill rakers on first branchial arch 17–20, rows of scales on cheek 8 or 9..... Serranus chionaraia (Florida to Bahia, Brazil).

11b. Color not as in 8a; pectoral-fin rays 13 to 16; lateral-line scales 42 to 51; caudal peduncle scales 23 to 39.............. 12

12a. Body pale greenish dorsally, shading to pale yellow ventrally, with 6 or 7 irregular dark brown to black vertical bars and longitudinal rows of small dark blotches, which become vertically elongate in adults; lower part of head and chest with prominent black spots; black spot distally in dorsal fin from third to fifth spines; snout longer than eye diameter; gill rakers on first arch 15–19; lateral-line scales 48 to 51; rows of scales on cheek 11–13............................................................................................. Serranus tigrinus (North Carolina to southern Caribbean ) .

12b. Color not as in 9a; snout not longer than eye; gill rakers on first arch 17 to 31; lateral-line scales 42 to 51.............. 13

13a. Body pale brownish to whitish; a diagonal dark bar under eye; a strong brown bar from front to dorsal fin to lower belly; a dark stripe along midbody to end of caudal peduncle; no dark spots on fins; pectoral-fin rays 15 or 16; gill rakers 17 to 20; lateral-line scales 47 to 51; rows of scales on cheek 9–12..................... Serranus phoebe (North Carolina to southern Brazil).

13b. Color not as in 10a; pectoral-fin rays 13 to 15; lateral-line scales 42 to 51........................................ 14

14a. Body orange-brown to pink, shading to white or bluish white below; 7 thin pale blue (rarely greenish) bars above lateral line, first on nape, last on caudal peduncle, bars 2 to 6 extend into dorsal fin; body below lateral line with 3 or 4 vertically elongate, chalky blotches; blue bar across top of head just behind eyes; snout and interorbital region bluish green; gill rakers on first arch 27 to 31; lateral-line scales 46 to 50; cheek scale rows 5 or 6; lower edge of operculum serrate................................................................................ Serranus tortugarum ( Bahamas to southern Caribbean).

14b. Color not as in 11a; gill rakers on first arch 14 to 18; lateral-line scales 42 to 50; cheek scales 6 to 12.................. 15

15a. Caudal-fin base with 4 dark spots in a curved vertical series; a series of 4 to 6 dark brown spots, each with a yellow bar (fish from deep water) or red bar (fish from shallow water) below, on lower belly, from belly to lower edge of caudal peduncle; dark brown stripe or series of blotches along lateral line; cheek scale rows 6 or 7; lateral-line scales 42 to 48; caudal-peduncle scales 23 to 26; total gill rakers on first arch 14–17.................. Serranus baldwini (North Carolina to southeastern Brazil)

15b. Body orange or salmon dorsally; ventral body white, with 7 orange yellow bars; 2 black-edged, yellow-orange blotches behind eye; an irregular dark brown area along midbody below spinous dorsal fin; a row of black spots on body along base of dorsal fin; dorsal-fin spines tipped with pale blue; cheek scale rows 10 to 12; lateral-line scales 46 to 50; caudal peduncle scales 31 to 36................................................ Serranus annularis (North Carolina to Espírito Santo, Brazil).