Serranus hepatus (Linnaeus, 1758)

González-Lorenzo, J. Gustavo, González-Jiménez, José F. & González, José A., 2021, Review of the family Serranidae (Perciformes) from the Canary Islands (eastern-central Atlantic), with the first records of Serranus hepatus and Epinephelus aeneus, Cybium 45 (2), pp. 141-154 : 143-144

Serranus hepatus (Linnaeus, 1758)

– Brown comber

Paracentropristis hepatus : Fowler, 1936: 765-766 (C); Lozano y Rey, 1952: 82 (C).

Serranus hepatus : Tortonese, 1979: 356 (C), 1986: 791 (C); C.L. Smith, 1981: vol. 4 (C), 1990: 705; Dooley et al., 1985: 15 (GC); Parenti and Randall, 2020: 125 (C).

An Atlanto-Mediterranean species, distributed throughout the western and eastern Mediterranean, and in the Eastern Atlantic from Portugal to Morocco ( Cadenat, 1935; Collignon, 1973) and southwards to Senegal ( Heemstra and Anderson, 2016; Froese and Pauly, 2020). The report of this species from the Canaries by Dooley et al. (1985) was considered as a misidentification ( Brito et al., 2002). This is the first documented record for S. hepatus in Canary Islands waters; see Discussion.

Material examined. – GBIF-CFM-IEOCA 1198 and 1199, two specimens, 87.6 mm and 86.0 mm total length (TL) ( Fig. 2 ), off Roque de Fasnia , eastern Tenerife, 28°13’04”N 16°24’11”W, 120 m depth, F/ V Mencey, 3 Mar. 2020, bottom traps. GBIF-CFM-IEOCA 1200, one specimen, 84.4 mm TL, off Punta Prieta, eastern Tenerife , 28°15’31”N 16°22’46”W, 90 m depth, F/ V Ciclón Uno, 27 Oct. 2020, bottom trap. Additionally , five unpreserved specimens, 57, 66, 68.5, 72, and 84.5 mm TL, off Playa de Las Gaviotas, eastern Tenerife, 28°29’34”N 16°09’34”W, 140 m depth, F/V Rosario I, 12 Nov. 2020, one bottom trap.

Morphology data. – Taken from the three preserved specimens (66.6-71.5 mm standard length, SL). Meristics: Fins formulae, D X+11-12, A III+7, P 15, V I+5, C 15. Gill rakers 7-7+13-14 (total 20-21). Lateral-line (LL) scales 49-50; scales between first-dorsal base and LL 6-7, circumpeduncular scales 21-24. Other diagnostic characters: body depth contained 2.9 to 3.2 times in SL (but 2.5 to 3.0 times in Heemstra and Anderson, 2016). Eye diameter contained 3.2 to 3.6 times in head length.

Additional sightings and remarks. – Both masters of the aforementioned fishing vessels reported frequent catches of S. hepatus in the zone, sometimes more than one individual per trap. Also observed and photographed on the eastern coasts of Gran Canaria (off Taliarte, May 2020, a 5 cm individual, 5-6 m depth; off Tufia, Nov. 2020, a 5 cm individual, 6 m depth) and Lanzarote (off Puerto del Carmen, Sep. 2020, a 12 cm individual, 12-13 m depth) ( Fig. 3 ) (A. Telle, professional submarine photographer, pers. comm. 2020).

It is a locally rare-to-frequent species of recent occurrence in the Canaries. Reported maximum size: to 12 cm TL.

Figures

Figure 2. – Serranus hepatus from Tenerife, Canary Islands (GBIF- CFM-IEOCA 1199, 86.0 mm TL, 69.2 mm SL) (Credits: J.F. González-Jiménez, 2020).

Figure 3. – Serranus hepatus from Lanzarote, Canary Islands (Credits:A. Telle, 2020).