Platycephalus Bloch, 1795

Imamura, Hisashi, 2015, Taxonomic revision of the flathead fish genus Platycephalus Bloch, 1785 (Teleostei: Platycephalidae) from Australia, with description of a new species, Zootaxa 3904 (2), pp. 151-207 : 153

Genus Platycephalus Bloch, 1795

Platycephalus Bloch, 1795: 96 (type species: Platycephalus spathula Bloch, 1795 , a junior synonym of Callionymus indicus Linnaeus, 1758 , according to de Beaufort & Briggs, 1962).

Calliomorus Lacépède, 1800: 343 (type species: Callionymus indicus ).

Neoplatycephalus Castelnau, 1872: 87 [type species: Neoplatycephalus grandis Castelnau, 1872 , a junior synonym of Platycephalus richardsoni Castelnau, 1872 (see Remarks under P. richardsoni )].

Cacumen Whitley, 1931a: 326 (type species: Platycephalus speculator Klunzinger, 1872 ).

Planiprora Whitley, 1931a: 327 (type species: Platycephalus fuscus Cuvier in Cuvier & Valenciennes, 1829).

Trudis Whitley, 1931a: 327 (type species: Platycephalus bassensis Cuvier in Cuvier & Valenciennes, 1829).

Longitrudis Whitley, 1931a: 327 (type species: Platycephalus longispinis Macleay, 1884 , a junior synonym of Platycephalus grandispinis Cuvier in Cuvier & Valenciennes, 1829, according to Imamura, 2013b).

Colefaxia Whitley, 1935: 249 [type species: Platycephalus macrodon Ogilby, 1885 , a junior synonym of Platycephalus richardsoni (see Remarks under P. richardsoni ), established as a subgenus of Neoplatycephalus ].

Diagnosis. A genus of the family Platycephalidae with the following characters: head and body usually well depressed (cylindrical and only slightly depressed in Platycephalus laevigatus ), covered with ctenoid scales dorsally, cycloid scales ventrally; postorbital region and opercle scaled; snout usually longer than orbital diameter (shorter in some P. laevigatus and smaller P. caeruleopunctatus ); eye becoming relatively narrower with growth; interorbit becoming relatively broader with growth; upper surface of eye without papillae or ocular flaps; upper iris lappet usually simple, triangular (broad, usually bilobed in P. westraliae and P. chauliodous , and some P. i nd i c u s and P. australis sp. nov.; simple, weakly pointed in P. conatus and P. richardsoni ; broad, well expanded, simple in P. marmoratus and P. orbitalis ), lower iris lappet usually broad, simple, weakly convex (absent in P. conatus and P. richardsoni ); usually one or two lachrymals (absent in P. laevigatus ), one preocular (absent in P. l a e vi ga t us and P. chauliodous ), two distinct preopercular and two opercular spines present [sometimes small third (= lowermost) preopercular spine present below others, except in P. richardsoni , in which small third spine always present]; one or two suborbital spines present or absent in smaller specimens (if present, disappearing with growth); some supraorbital, one (sometimes two or more) pterotic, one parietal, one supratemporal, one posttemporal and one supracleithral spine usually present in smaller specimens, tending to disappear with growth (except for supracleithral, these spines absent even in smallest examined specimen of P. laevigatus ); teeth on upper and lower jaws, palatine and vomer; tooth band on upper jaw without a distinct notch medially; a single tooth patch on vomer, arranged in shallow V-shape or crescentic; lip margins without papillae; all or most pored lateral-line scales with one pair of sensory ducts and exterior openings posteriorly ( P. richardsoni only with all or most scales usually with two pairs of ducts and openings); some anterior pored lateral-line scales sometimes with a small spine; first dorsal fin originating slightly posterior to opercular margin; first and second dorsal fins narrowly separated; pectoral fin rounded posteriorly; pelvic fin with one spine and five soft rays; all soft pelvic-fin rays branched, fourth soft pelvic-fin ray longest.

Remarks. The present study recognizes the following 16 species of Platycephalus from Australian waters: P. angustus , P. aurimaculatus , P. bassensis , P. caeruleopunctatus , P. chauliodous , P. conatus , P. endrachtensis , P. fuscus , P. grandispinis , P. laevigatus , P. marmoratus , P. orbitalis , P. richardsoni , P. speculator , P. westraliae and P. australis sp. nov. In addition to these, Platycephalus cultellatus Richardson, 1846 , Platycephalus indicus ( Linnaeus, 1758) and two undescribed species [ Platycephalus sp. 1 and sp. 2 (sensu Nakabo, 2002)] are known elsewhere in the Indo-western Pacific (e.g., Knapp, 1986; Nakabo, 2002; Imamura et al., 2006).

Imamura (1996) regarded Neoplatycephalus Castelnau, 1872 , Cacumen Whitley, 1931a , Planiprora Whitley, 1931a , Trudis Whitley, 1931a and Longitrudis Whitley, 1931a to be junior synonyms of Platycephalus based on the phylogenetic relationships of seven species of Platycephalus , or morphological comparisons among the genus. At that time, Imamura (1996) did not address the validity or otherwise of Calliomorus Lacépède, 1800 and Colefaxia Whitley, 1935 . However, the former is a synonym of Platycephalus , due to Platycephalus and Calliomorus having been based on P. i ndicus and P. spathula , respectively, the latter being a junior synonym of the former according to de Beaufort & Briggs (1962). Colefaxia was established as a subgenus of Neoplatycephalus on the basis of Platycephalus macrodon , a junior synonym of P. richardsoni (see Remarks under P. richardsoni ). Because Neoplatycephalus , a junior synonym of Platycephalus , was itself based on P. richardsoni , Colefaxia is a junior synonym of the former and is invalid [see ICZN (1999: Art. 61.3.3)].