Parastromateus niger (Bloch, 1795)

Bogorodsky, Sergey V., Alpermann, Tilman J., Mal, Ahmad O. & Gabr, Mohamed H., 2014, Survey of demersal fishes from southern Saudi Arabia, with five new records for the Red Sea, Zootaxa 3852 (4), pp. 401-437 : 421-422

Parastromateus niger (Bloch, 1795)

( Fig. 9 )

Material examined. SMF 35116 (1: 15.6 cm); KAUMM 157 (1: 15.8 cm), obtained from local fishermen at the Jizan fish market, collected in the near surroundings of Jizan.

Description (data for specimen KAUMM 157 in parenthesis). Dorsal-fin rays V + I,41 (44) (the spines very short, embedded); anal-fin rays II + I,36 (38); pectoral-fin rays 21 (21); no finlets; no pelvic fins; gill rakers 5 + 13 (5 + 13); lateral line with a low arch over pectoral fin, the straight posterior part with 8 (11) small scutes which form a low keel on side of caudal peduncle and caudal-fin base; scales small and deciduous (some parts of head and body missing scales), nearly covering dorsal and anal fins; teeth small, conical, in one row in both jaws; body deep, the depth 1.8 (1.8) in fork length, and compressed, the width 3.1 (3.0) in depth; head length 3.5 (3.4) in fork length; snout length 3.2 (3.3) in head length; eye small, its diameter 5.4 (5.4) in head length; mouth small, upper jaw extending to anterior margin of eye, upper-jaw length 3.2 (3.3) in head length; interorbital width 2.8 (2.7) in head length; anterior part of second dorsal and anal fins elevated as lobes, the lobe of dorsal fin longer than head, 3.0 (3.0) in fork length, the lobe of anal fin as long as head length; pectoral fins long, falcate, and slender, 2.9 (2.8) in fork length; caudal peduncle narrow, the depth 4.5 (4.6) in head length.

Color (when fresh): Brownish grey, the front of the head brownish orange; edges of dorsal and anal fins and posterior margin of caudal fin blackish; posterior margin of gill opening narrowly blackish; three indistinct pale bars present on body in specimen KAUMM 157.

Distribution. Known from the Red Sea ( Dor 1970; this study) and Oman, south to South Africa, east to the Philippines, in the western Pacific Ocean north to southern Japan, south to Queensland, Australia ( Randall 1995; Smith-Vaniz 1999b).

Remarks. The species forms small aggregations over soft substrata in open sandy areas, and was trawled at a depth of about 20 m. Dor (1970) listed one specimen as Apolectus niger from the Red Sea without a description, and without providing information on the collection locality. Here we confirm the Red Sea record of Parastromateus niger on the basis of voucher specimens. Hilton et al. (2010) provided detailed osteology and comments on the systematics of P. niger .

Figures

FIGURE 9. Parastromateus niger, KAUMM 157, 15.8 cm FL, Jizan, Saudi Arabia.