Taractes rubescens (Jordan & Evermann, 1887)

González-Lorenzo, Gustavo, González-Jiménez, José F., Brito, Alberto & González, José A., 2013, The family Bramidae (Perciformes) from the Canary Islands (Northeastern Atlantic Ocean), with three new records, Cybium 37 (4), pp. 295-303 : 299

Taractes rubescens ( Jordan & Evermann, 1887)

Material examined. - TFMC-VP/764 , 1 spm, 831 mm TL, 669 mm SL, off Arguineguín, SW Gran Canaria, 5 Mar. 2002, SLL ; TFMC-VP/1382 , 1 spm, 768 mm TL, 586 mm SL, off Puerto Rico, SW Gran Canaria, 15 Oct. 2004, SLL. Both specimens caught on surface by the local artisanal fleet .

Additional material. - 1 spm, 890 mm TL, 772 mm SL, off Punta de la Dehesa, El Hierro, 27°47’N 18°07’W, 14 Oct. 2009, on a HL; examined and identified at the local fish market. One more specimen, identified from a photograph, caught at El Hierro in 2006 at 400-500 m of depth, also on a HL.

Remarks. - An oceanic pelagic to benthopelagic species widely distributed in circumglobal tropical waters, between surface and 600 m of depth ( Yoshida, 1973; Masuda et al., 1984; Carvalho-Filho et al., 2009; Froese and Pauly, 2013). In the Eastern Atlantic Ocean it is known from the Azores ( Santos et al., 1997), Madeira ( Haedrich, 1986) and off West Africa ( Mauritania and Namibia) (e.g. Mead, 1972; Lloris et al., 1991; Froese and Pauly, 2013). Although it is widespread in the World Ocean, this species is rare and often solitary ( Carvalho-Filho et al., 2009).

This is the first record for this species from the Canary Islands. The present material was collected between surface and 400-500 m of depth, confirming its habitat in both the epipelagic and benthopelagic communities. The two specimens from El Hierro were caught as by-catch in the artisanal fishery for the alfonsino Beryx splendens Lowe, 1834 ( Berycidae ), a benthopelagic fish found in groups on rocky substrata, close to or within 5-20 m of slopes at a depth between 200 and 1240 m; and also found in 10-50 m dense shoals above seamounts (see Busakhin, 1982). The 772 mm SL specimen from El Hierro is apparently the biggest ever recorded [700 mm SL in FishBase, 742 mm SL in Thompson and Russell (1996)].

Selected body proportions and meristics of the material studied are shown in table III and compared with data available from literature. The Canarian specimens agree in almost all respects with the material from Western Atlantic and from both Eastern and Western Pacific Oceans. The only major difference found shows that the Canarian specimens have slightly smaller pre-dorsal length, pre-pelvic length and body depth (Tab. III). Last and Moteki (2001) proposed that values of pectoral-fin length over 36% in SL separate T. rubescens from T. asper . The Canarian material values (33.9-34.9%) are within Thompson and Russell (1996) range (the most complete data series) (Tab. III). Lloris (1986) also gives values of 26.8-32.4% SL for 3 individuals of T. rubescens from Namibia ranging 315-410 mm SL. These differences in the proportions of pectoral-fin length may be due to the low number of specimens of this rare species measured and/or to intra-specific variability. All Canarian specimens have a keel in the caudal peduncle as a result of a series of 4 or 5 transformed scales; this characteristic (not present in T. asper ) combined with body proportions and counts is enough to warrant the correct identification of the Canarian specimens.