ACANTHOPAGRUS AKAZAKII - (IWATSUKI, KIMURA & YOSHINO, 2006)
Actinopterygii (Gigaclass) > Actinopteri (Class) > Teleostei (Subclass) > Acanthuriformes (Order) > Sparidae (Family) > Acanthopagrus (Genus)
Perche de mer de Nouvelle-Calédonie, Brème calédonienne, New Caledonian seabream,
Description
Dorsal spines (total): 11; Dorsal soft rays (total): 11; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 8 (rarely: 9, 1 of 12 specimens); Pectoral fin rays: 15 (rarely: 14, 1 of 13 specimens); 4,1/2 scale rows between 5th dorsal fin spine base and lateral line; 4,1/2 scale rows above lateral line, 12-13 scale rows below; Pored lateral line scales: 44-46; Upward- and downward-oriented portions developed in anteriormost upper lip with growth, a downward portion also in anteriormost lower lip, particularly in specimens over ca. 160mm SL, a ventral lacrimal-suborbital series above posterior part of upper jaw remaining almost straight even throughout growth; Second anal fin spine robust and flattened; Anteriormost head scales rounded without small scales anteriorly; Upper and lower molar teeth strongly developed on both sides and somewhat flat in trend; Upper head profile becoming gently convex from snout to above eye with growth; Upper margin of spinous and soft dorsal fin and posterior margin of caudal fin black; Membrane of pelvic and anal fins black except for a few posteriormost anal fin rays. Body compressed; Mouth somewhat oblique; Maxillary reaching to below middle of pupil and larger than eye diameter; Lower jaw included; Jaw teeth in 3-5 crowded rows, anteriorly about 6 (6 or 7) curved canines in upper jaw and 6 in lower jaw; Suborbital depth slightly less than dermal eye opening (clearly less than dermal eye opening); 5 (5 or 6) irregular transverse rows of scales on preopercle; Anterodorsal profile slightly convex from above eye; Dorsal spines strong, second almost twice length of first, which shorter than third; Fourth or fifth spine longest; Longest soft dorsal ray shorter than longest spine; First anal spine short, much less than eye; Third anal spine shorter than second spine, which slightly longer than snout; First anal fin ray equal length to third anal spine (slightly longer than third one); Pectoral fin tip almost reaching level with first anal fin spine base, length clearly greater than head length; Longest pelvic fin ray clearly less than head length; Pelvic fin spine longer than snout. Max. length: 18.5 cm SL. Depth range: 1 - 20 m.
Color
Head and body silvery or golden-gray, ventral portion of head and abdomen whitish; Dorsal, caudal, anal, and pectoral fins dusky.
Etymology
Acanthopagrus: from Greek, akantha = thorn + from Greek, pagros, a kind of fish. Referring to strong dorsal-fin spines and/or enlarged second anal-fin spine of Acanthopagrus vagus; pagrus, from phagros, ancient Greek name for porgies, dating to at least Aristotle.
akazakii: the specific name is proposed in memory of the late Dr. Masato Akazaki in honor of his sparid studies.
Original description: Acanthopagrus akazakii Iwatsuki, Kimura & Yoshino, 2006 - Type locality: Pecheurs Bay, Yacht Harbor, Nouméa, New Caledonia - Sex not determined, 10 Nov. 1997, hook & line, collected by Y. Iwatsuki.
Distribution
Southwestern Pacific: Grande Terre (New Caledonia) endemic. According to local fishermen and commercial buyers, the species is common around Noumea. Efforts to locate specimens from Australia, the Indo-Malayan region, Philippines, Gulf of Thailand, China, Taiwan, and Japan, as well as the Indian Ocean, either by field sampling or in museum collections, were in vain. The species may be endemic to the immediate New Caledonia region.
Similar species
Last update: 13, March 2023
Perche de mer de Nouvelle-Calédonie, Brème calédonienne, New Caledonian seabream,
Description
Dorsal spines (total): 11; Dorsal soft rays (total): 11; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 8 (rarely: 9, 1 of 12 specimens); Pectoral fin rays: 15 (rarely: 14, 1 of 13 specimens); 4,1/2 scale rows between 5th dorsal fin spine base and lateral line; 4,1/2 scale rows above lateral line, 12-13 scale rows below; Pored lateral line scales: 44-46; Upward- and downward-oriented portions developed in anteriormost upper lip with growth, a downward portion also in anteriormost lower lip, particularly in specimens over ca. 160mm SL, a ventral lacrimal-suborbital series above posterior part of upper jaw remaining almost straight even throughout growth; Second anal fin spine robust and flattened; Anteriormost head scales rounded without small scales anteriorly; Upper and lower molar teeth strongly developed on both sides and somewhat flat in trend; Upper head profile becoming gently convex from snout to above eye with growth; Upper margin of spinous and soft dorsal fin and posterior margin of caudal fin black; Membrane of pelvic and anal fins black except for a few posteriormost anal fin rays. Body compressed; Mouth somewhat oblique; Maxillary reaching to below middle of pupil and larger than eye diameter; Lower jaw included; Jaw teeth in 3-5 crowded rows, anteriorly about 6 (6 or 7) curved canines in upper jaw and 6 in lower jaw; Suborbital depth slightly less than dermal eye opening (clearly less than dermal eye opening); 5 (5 or 6) irregular transverse rows of scales on preopercle; Anterodorsal profile slightly convex from above eye; Dorsal spines strong, second almost twice length of first, which shorter than third; Fourth or fifth spine longest; Longest soft dorsal ray shorter than longest spine; First anal spine short, much less than eye; Third anal spine shorter than second spine, which slightly longer than snout; First anal fin ray equal length to third anal spine (slightly longer than third one); Pectoral fin tip almost reaching level with first anal fin spine base, length clearly greater than head length; Longest pelvic fin ray clearly less than head length; Pelvic fin spine longer than snout. Max. length: 18.5 cm SL. Depth range: 1 - 20 m.
Color
Head and body silvery or golden-gray, ventral portion of head and abdomen whitish; Dorsal, caudal, anal, and pectoral fins dusky.
Etymology
Acanthopagrus: from Greek, akantha = thorn + from Greek, pagros, a kind of fish. Referring to strong dorsal-fin spines and/or enlarged second anal-fin spine of Acanthopagrus vagus; pagrus, from phagros, ancient Greek name for porgies, dating to at least Aristotle.
akazakii: the specific name is proposed in memory of the late Dr. Masato Akazaki in honor of his sparid studies.
Original description: Acanthopagrus akazakii Iwatsuki, Kimura & Yoshino, 2006 - Type locality: Pecheurs Bay, Yacht Harbor, Nouméa, New Caledonia - Sex not determined, 10 Nov. 1997, hook & line, collected by Y. Iwatsuki.
Distribution
Southwestern Pacific: Grande Terre (New Caledonia) endemic. According to local fishermen and commercial buyers, the species is common around Noumea. Efforts to locate specimens from Australia, the Indo-Malayan region, Philippines, Gulf of Thailand, China, Taiwan, and Japan, as well as the Indian Ocean, either by field sampling or in museum collections, were in vain. The species may be endemic to the immediate New Caledonia region.
Similar species
- Acanthopagrus australis (Günther, 1859) - Reported from Western Pacific: eastern Australia and one specimen from New Zealand.
- Acanthopagrus butcheri (Munro, 1949) - Reported from Eastern Indian Ocean, southwestern Pacific: New South Wales (Australia), Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia (north to Shark Bay).
- Acanthopagrus latus (Houttuyn, 1782) - Reported from Northwestern Pacific: Vietnam and China to Korea and Japan; Introduced elsewhere.
- Acanthopagrus pacificus (Iwatsuki, Kume & Yoshino, 2010) - Reported from Western Pacific: Ryukyu Islands (Japan), Vietnam to northern Australia (and one specimen from New Zealand).
Last update: 13, March 2023