Cynoscion acoupa (Lacepède 1801)

Ceríaco, Luis M. P., Santos, Bruna S., Semedo, Thiago B. F., Garcia, Lucas Canes & Moreira, Cristiano Rangel, 2023, The fish collection of José Mariano da Conceição Veloso (1742 - 1811) and the beginning of ichthyological research in Brazil, with a taxonomic description of the extant specimens, Zootaxa 5391 (1), pp. 1-85 : 69-70

Cynoscion acoupa (Lacepède 1801)

Extant specimens: MCUC ZOO.0000003 ( Fig. 55a ), MCUC ZOO.0000010 ( Fig. 55b ), MCUC ZOO.0000035 ( Fig. 56a ), and ACL-HN-0049 ( Fig. 56b ).

Classification on the specimen: “P. Th. Labrus ” ( MCUC ZOO.0000003 and MCUC ZOO.0000035), “P. Th. Labrus argenteus ” ( MCUC ZOO.0000010) and “P. Th. Labrus laevis ” (ACL-HN-0049).

Common names on the specimen (Portuguese/Tupi): “Pescada” (MCUC ZOO.0000010) and “Pescadinha (ACL-HN-0049)/ None.

Comments: This species was undescribed at the time Veloso prepared it. Species of the genus Cynoscion are very similar morphologically. This is evident here, as two of the three specimens possess different identifications Laburs laevis and Labrus argenteus . Additionally, the species name Labrus laevis was used to identify different species, Cynoscion acoupa and C. microlepidotus (see below). The same fact is observed for the Portuguese common names. “Pescada” and “Pescadinha” were both attributed to specimens of C. acoupa , but the name “Pescadinha” was also used as a common name for one of the specimens of C. microlepidotus (MCUC ZOO.0000001). Labrus laevis is described in the Ichthyologia Fluminensis manuscript (as Labrus levis ) and could refer to Labrus laevis Lacepède 1801 (= Plectropomus laevis ). However, this species is very distinct from Cynoscion acoupa , and was probably a coincidence. Labrus argenteus is also described in the Ichthyologia Fluminensis manuscript and since the name was not available at the time, we believe that Veloso intended to name it. There are 112 herborized specimens of Labrus listed in the Ajuda’s inventory ( Ferreira 1794), and one specimen of L. argenteus and one of L. levis [sic] in the transference document to the Lisbon Academy of Sciences. None of these two species is listed in the transference to the University of Coimbra. Antunes & Balbino (2003) also identified the specimen ACL-HN-0049 as Cynoscion acoupa . The specimen ACL-HN-0049 has the common name centered below the specimen, a pattern that deviates from most other specimens. Nowadays, this species has the common name of “pescada-amarela”. Cynoscion acoupa occurs in the western Atlantic from Panama to Argentina ( Menezes & Figueiredo 1980) .

Figures

FIGURE 55. Cynoscion acoupa (Lacepède 1801); a: MCUC ZOO.0000003, 495 mm SL; b: MCUC ZOO.0000010, 445 mm SL. Photos by Luis M. P. Ceríaco.

FIGURE 56. Cynoscion acoupa (Lacepède 1801); a: MCUC ZOO.0000035, 400 mm SL; b: ACL-HN-0049, 490 mm SL. Photos by Luis M. P. Ceríaco.