Acanthopagrus catenula ( Lacepède, 1801 ), Lacepede, 1801

Siddiqui, Pirzada Jamal, Amir, Shabir Ali & Masroor, Rafaqat, 2014, The sparid fishes of Pakistan, with new distribution records, Zootaxa 3857 (1), pp. 71-100 : 76-77

Acanthopagrus catenula ( Lacepède, 1801)

Common name: Bridled Seabream

Local names: Daro-Dandya, Daleri (Sindh); Shumala (Balochistan) ( Figures 3 & 15 A, B; Table 1 )

Labrus catenula Lacepède, 1801: 426 , 468, Pl. 3 (fig. 3) (Grand Gulf of India and seas near gulf [= Mauritius, southwestern Indian Ocean]); Bauchot, 1963:97; Bauchot & Daget, 1972:63.

Sparus mylio Lacepède, 1802: 41 , 131 ( Mauritius, southwestern Indian Ocean); Bauchot & Daget, 1972: 62 –63 (Figure on Pl. 26 (fig. 2) of Lacepède, 1801).

Diagnosis. Acanthopagrus catenula is distinguishable from other Acanthopagrus species by following combination of characters: two conspicuous vertical black bars across the head, the first anterior one passing through eye and the second posterior bar from nape to operculum; dorsal-fin with black margin, hind margin of caudal fin with narrow and light black edge which usually disappear with the growth; dorsal-fin rays XI, 12; analfin rays III, 10; pored lateral line scales 47–48; scale rows above and below lateral line 4½–5½ and 12–13½, respectively; scale rows between the fifth dorsal-fin spine base and lateral line 4½–5½; no scales on preopercular flange; gill rakers 17–19, 8–11 on the lower limb; 2nd anal-fin spine (2 AS) slightly longer than 3rd anal-fin spine, its ratio (2 AS /3 AS) is 1.0–1.3; least infraorbital depth 5.6–6.8% of SL; upper jaw and lower jaws usually with 4–6 distinct incisor–like teeth in juveniles, 4 middle one becoming considerably larger and curved, forming canines in adults; molariform teeth strongly developed along both jaws, first to third rows of outer molar teeth extending to rear end of each side of upper and lower jaws.

Description. Body deep and compressed, its depth ranging 44.6–49.5% of SL; head large, 34–35% of SL; anterodorsal profile ascending gently, occipital profile weakly curved, eye moderate in size, orbit diameter 8–9.5% of SL; mouth somewhat oblique, lips thick; maxilla reaching to vertical below middle of pupil or little beyond; upper jaw length 12–17% of SL, lower jaw slightly included; cheek scales in 6–7 transverse rows; dorsal-fin spines strong, first spine smallest and slightly higher than half-length of 2nd, 2nd clearly shorter than 3rd, 4th and 5th spine longest; first dorsal-fin ray shorter than longest spine; first anal-fin spine short (5.2–6.9% of SL), much less than eye diameter (8.1–9.5 % of SL), 2nd spine longest (13.5–20 % of SL), 3rd anal-fin spine (12.9–15% of SL) less than first anal-fin ray; pectoral-fins (41–43% of SL) longer than head length, tip reaching beyond vertical at second or third anal-fin spine base; pelvic-fin clearly shorter than head, pelvic-fin spine (15.4–19 % of SL) longer than snout.

Colour of fresh specimens. Head and body silvery, sometimes with a black spot at center of each scale showing dotted lines. Interorbital, snout and infraorbital area yellow to orange with blackish. Dorsal, caudal and pectoralfins yellow to orange shade; dorsal-fin with a wide black margin; caudal fin with a very fine black edge which disappears with age growth over 30 cm SL ( Iwatsuki & Heemstra, 2011); pelvic and anal-fin rays dense black.

Distribution. Western Indian Ocean: Pakistan and Oman to South Africa, Madagascar, Mauritius and Rodriguez.

Remarks. The sparid species Acanthopagrus catenula has recently been resurrected as valid species by Iwatsuki and Heemstra (2011). Acanthopagrus bifasciatus is distributed in Red Sea ( Israel, Egypt, Eriteria, and Saudi Arabia), Persian Gulf ( Bahrain and Kuwait), and off southern Oman (not Gulf of Oman) whereas A. catenula is found in east coast of Africa, off the Horn of Africa to off Socotra Island of Somalia, including Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, Madagascar, Mauritius, Rodriguez, Mascarene Islands and Madrakah, southern Oman. Iwatsuki and Heemstra (2011) believe that the area of southern Oman and Somalia is the zone of contact of A. catenula and A. bifasciatus . This record of A. catenula from Pakistan extends the range of this species and likely represents the northeastern record. The other distribution record for A. catenula is provided by Jawad et al. (2012) from the Oman Sea (Gulf of Oman). All the earlier workers presumably lumped A. catenula into A. bifasciatus , which was described from a specimen collected from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Red Sea by Forsskål (1775). According to Iwatsuki and Heemstra (2011), this species is not likely to occur in India, but it was reported from Sindh, Pakistan by Day 1875 (fig. 5, plate 34), and also appeared in Bianchi (1985) and Hoda (1988). In the present study, however, we did not find any specimens of A. bifasciatus .

In personal communication with Y. Iwatsuki during the review process, he is of the opinion that all the previously referred specimens of A. bifasciatus from Pakistan he examined during his visit to Pakistan (May 2012) were A. catenula , contrary to his published results ( Iwatsuki & Heemstra, 2011) where he stated that A. catenula did not enter in Pakistani coastal areas and A. bifasciatus does. Furthermore, the historical illustrations in Figure 34-5 (noted as 15 inches) of Day (1875) collected from Sind, Pakistan strongly supports this observation by Y. Iwatsuki by having a clearly black upper margin of spinous dorsal fin, being a same character with growth ( A. bifasciatus of Figure 2 H of Iwatsuki & Heemstra, 2011). A. bifasciatus could be highly applied for A. catenula , unless true A. bifasciatus from Pakistan has been confirmed on practical specimens from Pakistan.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Acanthopagrus catenula, PMNH 53001, 221 mm SL, WWFH, Karachi, showing black margin on dorsal fin and caudal fin (fine black edges on rear end of upper and lower caudal fin lobes, more apparent in fresh specimens).

FIGURE 15. Details of dentition (A-Y) and gill rakers (Z & Z 1) in species of family Sparidae from Pakistan; Acanthopagrus catenula, A) upper jaw & B) lower jaw; A. berda, C) upper jaw & D) lower jaw; A. arabicus, E) upper jaw & F) lower jaw; A. sheim, G) upper jaw & H) lower jaw; Sparidentex hasta, I) upper jaw & J) lower jaw; Sparidentex jamalensis., K) upper jaw & L) lower jaw; Crenidens indicus, M) upper jaw & N) lower jaw; Diplodus capensis, O) upper jaw & P) lower jaw; Q) upper and lower jaws of Diplodus omanensis; Rhabdosargus sarba, R) upper jaw & S) lower jaw; Rhabdosargus haffara, T) upper jaw & U) lower jaw; V) upper and lower jaws of Agryrops spinifer; W) upper and lower jaws of Cheimerius nufar; Pagellus affinis, X) upper jaw & Y) lower jaw; Z) Argyrops spinifer, showing comparatively small gill rakers; and Z 1) Cheimerius nufar, showing elongated fan-like gill rakers.

FIGURE 2. a) Acanthopagrus berda, MUFS 39775 (formerly CEMB- P 201200137), 133.6 mm SL, Keti Bunder, Thatta, Sindh. Position of arrow indicates a slight concavity on ventral edge of first two infraorbitals, b) Acanthopagrus berda, 330 mm SL, Manora, Karachi, showing black morph. Position of arrow indicates strong curved concavity on ventral edge of first two infraorbitals.