Scolopsis Cuvier, 1814

Russell, Barry C., Bogorodsky, Sergey V., Mal, Ahmad O., Bineesh, K. K. & Alpermann, Tilman J., 2022, The taxonomic identity of the monocle bream Scolopsis vosmeri species complex (Perciformes: Nemipteridae), with comments on molecular phylogenetic relationships within the genus Scolopsis, Zootaxa 5105 (4), pp. 501-538 : 503-504

Genus Scolopsis Cuvier, 1814

Ghanan (subgenus of Sciaena ) Forsskål, 1775: 44 (Vernacular name only, not available. Synonym of Scolopsis Cuvier 1814 — Kottelat 2013b: 349).

Scolopsis Cuvier, 1814: 90 (type species Scolopsis curite Cuvier, 1815: 361 , by subsequent monotypy, the name curite available by indication to Russell 1803: 5, pl. 106. ‘Kurite’; Vizagapatam [Visakhapatnam], India).

Scolopsides Cuvier, 1829: 178 (type species Scolopsides kurita Cuvier, 1829: 178 , by subsequent designation in Jordan 1917: 128; the name kurita available by reference to Russell 1803: 5, pl. 106, ‘Kurite’. The generic name Scolopsides mistakenly regarded as an incorrect subsequent spelling of Scolopsis Cuvier, 1814 by Kottelat 2013b: 349).

Lycogenis Cuvier (ex Kuhl & van Hasselt) in Cuvier & Valenciennes, 1830: 346 (not available, based on Lycogenis argyrosoma Kuhl & Van Hasselt —genus and species name in synonymy of Scolopsides lycogenis Cuvier, 1830 . Synonym of Scolopsis Cuvier 1814 — Kottelat 2013b: 349).

Ctenoscolopsis Fowler, 1931: 273 , 300 (subgenus of Scolopsis Cuvier, 1814 ; type species Holocentrus ciliatus Lacepède, 1802: 333 , 367, by original designation).

Diagnosis. Small to medium-sized fishes with a slender or moderately deep, laterally compressed body. Teeth villiform or small and conical, in tapering bands in both jaws; canine teeth absent. Gill rakers short and stubby, 8–12 on first arch. Pectoral fins short to moderately long, with 2 unbranched and 12–17 branched rays; second anal-fin spine usually longer and more robust than first or third; caudal fin emarginate or forked; upper lobe and/or lower lobe of caudal fin pointed, falcate or produced to form short filamentous extensions. Body covered with ctenoid scales; scales on top of head reaching forward to level of middle of eyes, to level of nostrils, or to in front of nostrils; suborbital naked, with a large backwardly pointing spine and a series of smaller spines or serrations on its posterior margin; a small antrorse spine beneath eye in some species; 4–7 transverse rows of cheek scales, lower limb of preopercle naked or scaly; posterior margin of preopercle serrate or spinous; opercle scaly; posterior margin of opercle with a small, flat embedded spine. Lateral line with 35–49 scales, 3–5½ transverse scale rows above lateral line, and 12–18 rows below. Color: extremely variable.

Scolopsis is distinct from all other nemipterid genera in having the suborbital (second infraorbital) with a large retrorse pointed spine, and sometimes a smaller antrorse spine also presents on third infraorbital, immediately above suborbital spine.

Remarks. The first use of the name Scolopsis is that of Cuvier (1814: 90), who distinguished his new genus from Anthias Bloch, 1792 by having spines on the suborbital and preopercle: “Un genre SCOLOPSIS , qu'il établit, comprend des espèces nouvelles qui, outre les dentelures de la préopercule, en ont aussi, et même d'épineuses, aux sous-orbitaires.” [A genus SCOLOPSIS , is established, which includes new species that, besides the serrations of the preopercule, also have spines on the suborbitals].

Subsequently, Cuvier (1815: 361) referred to the genus Scolopsis , by indication to Russell (1803, vol 2: 5, pl. 106) who used the local vernacular name ‘Kurite’ to describe and illustrated a species of Scolopsis from Vizagapatam [Visakhapatnam], India: “J’en fais un petite genre sous le nom de SCOLOPSIS . Tel est le curite de Russel , poiss. de Coramandel, II, 106.” [I make a small genus under the name Scolopsis . This is the curite of Russel [sic], fishes of Coromandel, II, 106]. Later, in a footnote in the first edition of Le Regne Animal, Cuvier (1816: 280) states “Les espèces m’en paraissent nouvelles, Aj. [Ajoutez] le kurite, Russ. corom. II, cvi;— botche, ib.[ibid.] cv.” [These species seem new to me, including the kurite, Russell [fishes of] Coromandel II, 106;— botche, ibid. 105].

It is questionable whether the use of the name ‘ curite ’ by Cuvier (1815), and his subsequent reference to ‘ kurite ’ ( Cuvier 1816) should be regarded as vernacular rather than scientific ( Kottelat 2013b). However, we consider Cuvier’s use of the name curite (and its alternative spelling kurite ) to be a clear reference to Russell’s (1803) description and a latinisation of the local Telugu language name ‘Kurite’. We therefore regard Scolopsis curite Cuvier, 1815 to be the oldest available binomen for Russell’s species, and thus the type species of Scolopsis Cuvier, 1814 by subsequent monotypy.

As pointed out by Kottelat (2013b), not accepting Scolopsis curite as available from Cuvier (1815) would create a number of serious nomenclatural problems, not the least of which is that the type species of Scolopsis would then be Scolopsis sayanus Gilliams, 1824 (p. 81, pl. 3), by subsequent monotypy, and this would make Scolopsis a senior synonym of Aphredoderus Lesueur in Cuvier & Valenciennes, 1833, the North American freshwater pirate perch (family Aphredoderidae ). Cuvier in Cuvier & Valenciennes (1830: 328) recognized this dilemma, stating: “Il est nécessaire de faire remarquer ici que l'on ne peut pas laisser dans ce genre le Scolopsis sayanus de M. Gilliams qui a des dents au palais, et dont les sous- orbitaires, comme le préopercule, ne paraissent être que dentelés et non épineux.” [It is necessary to remark here that one cannot leave in this genus the Scolopsis sayanus of M. Gilliams, which has teeth on the palate, and whose suborbitals, like the preopercule, appear to be only serrated and not spinous]; with Valenciennes in Cuvier & Valenciennes (1833: 448) later assigning Scolopsis sayanus to the genus Aphredoderu s.

The generic name Scolopsis Cuvier, 1814 was subsequently used by Cuvier (1815, 1816) and by Cuvier in Cuvier & Valenciennes (1828: 222). However, in the second edition of Le Regne Animal, Cuvier (1829: 178) inexplicably proposed a new generic name, Scolopsides , including (in a footnote) the following species: “ Scol. kate, Nob. , nommé par Bloch Anthias japonicus , 325, f. 2;— Anth. Vosmeri, Bl. , 321, figure très pen exact, et la même que Perca aurata, Mungo Park., Trans. Lin., III , 35;— Anth. bilineatus, Bl. , 325, 1;— Scol. lycogenis, Nob. , ou Holocentre cilié, Lacép., IV, 371;— Sciaena ghanam, Forsk , et plusiers especès nouvelles”.

Kottelat (2013b: 349) considered Scolopsides Cuvier, 1829 to be simply an incorrect subsequent spelling of Scolopsis Cuvier, 1814 . However, the unambiguous and consistent use of the name Scolopsides by Cuvier in Volume 3 of the Histoire naturelle des poissons (Cuvier in Cuvier & Valenciennes 1830: 527) as well as in contemporary works by others (e.g., Bennett 1832; Richardson 1846; Bleeker 1849, 1852, 1855; Thiollière in Montrouzier 1857) provides no evidence for any such lapsus. Regardless, the name Scolopsis also continued in prevailing use ( Richardson 1842; Günther 1859, 1872; Playfair & Günther 1867; Kner 1868; Bleeker 1873, 1876-77, Peters 1877; De Vis 1882, 1884; Ramsay & Ogilby 1886; Evermann & Seale 1907; Jordan & Seale 1907; Jordan & Richardson 1909; Weber 1913; Whitley 1937; Akazaki 1962, and all recent authors), and we accept Scolopsis here as the oldest valid available name for this taxon.

Etymology. Scolopsis (fem.) is derived from the Greek masc. noun skolos (thorn) and suffix - opsis (from Gr. fem. n. opsis —aspect, appearance), meaning ‘thorny appearance’ presumably in reference to “les dentelures de la préopercule, en ont aussi, et même d'épineuses, aux sous-orbitaires” mentioned by Cuvier (1814) in his designation of the genus. Names ending in - opsis are treated as feminine ( ICZN 1999: Article 30.1.2).