Diplodus omanensis Bauchot & Bianchi, 1984

English Name: Oman Porgy

Local names: Kissi (Sindh); Tippuch (Balochistan) (Figures 9 & 15, Q; Table 1)

Diplodus cervinus omanensis Bauchot & Bianchi, 1984: 103, Fig. A (Kuria Muria Bay, Arabian Sea).

Diagnosis. Distinguished from other Diplodus by the following combination of characters: dorsal-fin rays XI, 11–12; anal-fin rays III, 10; pored lateral line scales 52; scale rows above and below lateral line 9½ and 17½; scale rows between the fifth dorsal-fin spine base and lateral line 8(2 AS) and third anal-fin spine subequal; least infraorbital depth 8.5% of SL; five broad black bars on head and body; one on head through eyes and four on rest of the body.

Description. Counts and proportional measurements of Diplodus omanensis are shown in Table 1. Head and body deep, its depth 37.2% of SL; head large, 37.5% of SL; dorsal profile of head moderately steep; scale rows 5 on cheek; mouth small and horizontal, the maxilla reaching to below anterior margin of eyes and completely hidden under suborbitals when mouth closed; gill rakers small and 14 in number, eight on lower arch; six pairs of projecting incisor teeth in upper jaw and four pairs in lower jaw; posterior part of jaw with three rows of small molars; first dorsal spine is smallest (4.5% of SL) while fourth (14.5% of SL) longest; first anal-fin spine short (4.8% of SL), 2nd and 3rd anal spines subequal (10% of SL); caudal fin forked; upper lobe of caudal fin is slightly longer than lower one; pectoral-fins reaching to anal spine (Amir et al., 2013).

Color of fresh specimens. Head and body with silvery grayish to black tinge; five broad black bars from head to body, first one on head through eyes and four on body, first and second indistinctly bifurcated ventrally; two indistinct short narrow black bars ventrally in first silver interspace on body and one indistinct ventrally after second; snout partly grayish and black; margins of fins are also partly yellow and blackish, anal-fins are more blackish.

Remarks. Diplodus omanensis was first recorded from Pakistan by Amir et al. (2013). This species was initially considered to be a subspecies Diplodus cervinus omanensis, described from Oman. Diplodus omanensis was known to be endemic to Oman but its distribution range has been extended up to Iran and Pakistan. The other subspecies Diplodus cervinus hottentotus (Smith, 1844) occurs only in southern Mozambique and South Africa (Randall, 1995).