BULLETIN OF MARINE SCIENCE, 29(1): 117-121,1979

NOTE

LARVA OF THE SERRANID -FISH 16 pectoral rays, and the pelvic count is 1,5. GONIOPLECTRUS HISPANUS WITH In the caudal fin there are 9 + 8 principal COMMENTS ON ITS RELATIONSHIPS rays and 4 dorsal and 4 ventral procurrent rays. There are 7 branchiostegal rays and Arthur W. Kendall, Jr., 2 + 13 gill rakers. A radiograph showed and Michael P. Fahay 10 + 14 vertebrae. Scales are not yet A single post-flexion larval fish collected formed. in a modified Cobb mid-water trawl, 93 km Four adults of G. hispanus, loaned by the southeast of Cape Fear, North Carolina American Museum of Natural History\ had (33°06'N, 77°35'W) on 31 July 1967 was the following meristic characters: dorsal: determined to be Gonioplectrus hispanus VIII,13; anal: III,7; pectoral: 16; pelvic: (Cuvier), the Spanish flag. 1,5; branchiostegal rays: 7; gill rakers: (6- Gonioplectrus is monotypic; G. hispanus 7) + (14-16) = 20-22. occurring near rough bottoms of the lower In addition to the serrations on the fin shelf and upper slope of the tropical and spines, there are several serrate spines on subtropical western North Atlantic. These the head. There is a low, serrate ridge above areas are difficult to sample and this may the eye. The posttemporal has a low, pro- account for its not being mentioned in two truding spine, and the suprac1eithrum has a recent books on the ichthyofauna of the area strong, posteriorly-projecting serrate spine. (Bohlke and Chapman, 1968; Randall, The opercular region is heavily armed. 1968). It is discussed, however, in a recent Along the margin of the preoperc1e there book on marine fishes of Mexico (Instituto is a long (1.9 mm) serrate spine at the angle Nacional de Pesca, 1976). The characters and four blunt spines dorsal and two ventral of our larval specimen bear on the relation- to the one at the angle. The most ventral ships of this species to other serranids and spine is large and serrate and may develop on the relationships between the subfamilies into the antrorse spine on the adult's pre- and Epinephelinae. operc1e. The operc1e is armed with the three The larva is 13.4-mm SL, 16.9-mm TL. spines characteristic of serranids with the Its robust body is 6.8-mm deep and 4.7-mm central one being serrate. There are no wide at the pectoral-fin base. Other mea- strong spines on the interopercle. surements as defined by Ahlstrom et a1. The hindbrain, pectoral region and chest (1976) are (in mm): preanal length: 8.6; are covered with stellate melanophores. head length: 5.8; snout length: 1.6; eye There is a large "x" shaped spot over the diameter: 1.7. Several fin spines are elon- lateral septum of the peduncle. When freshly gate: second dorsal: 5.0; third dorsal: 3.8; preserved, a wash of red pigment extended pelvic: 4.5; second anal: 2.3. All of these from the pectoral region to the eye and was spines are stout and triangular in cross also present on the second dorsal and pelvic section with serrations along each of the spines. angles (Fig. 1). The position of Gonioplectrus in the Ser- Fin-ray counts are complete, except for ranidae is unclear. Jordan and Eigenmann procurrent caudal rays. The has (1890) placed it in their Epinephelinae, but VIII, 13. Although the anal fin has I1,8, noted that in some characters it resembled the first ray will presumably transform into Anthias which they placed in Anthiinae. a spine as it does in other serranid and percichthyid larvae, thus the adult formula 1 AMNH catalog numbers: 18182 (140 mm, Cuba), 29806 (163 mm, Puerto Rico), 20855 (198 mm, Virgin will be IlI,7 (Kendall, 1977). There are Islands), 35943 (198 mm, Surinam). 117 118 BULLETIN OF MARINE SCIENCE, VOL. 21, NO. I, 1979

Figure 1. Upper: Post-flexion Gonioplectrus l1ispanlls, 13.4-0101 SL caught during cruise D-67-8, sta- tion BB-6 (Clark et aI., 1970). Red pigment indicated by fine st ppling behind eye, under pectoral fin and on second dorsal and pelvic spines. Lower: Adult Gonioplectrus hispanlls reproduced from Marine Zoogeography by Briggs. Copyright 1974 by McGraw-Hili, Inc. The 152.5-0101 specimen was taken in September 1961,74 km ESE of Port Aransas, Texas (Briggs, pw. comm., Briggs et aI., 1964). NOTE 119

Table 1. Some larval and adult characters of Gonioplectrus, Epinephelinae, and Anthiinae

Chnrnctcrs Epinephelinae Gonioplectrus AnLhiinae

ADULT Dorsal fin ~IX,13 VfII,13 ~X,13 Anal fin ~1II,7 11I,7 ~TIT,7 Vertebrae 10 + 14 IO + 14 10 + 15or 16 Predorsal bones" 0/0/1/ 0/0/1/ 0/0 + 0/2 or 0/0/2/ Lat. Line scales ~60 70 ~60 Lateral line low high, arched high, arched Supp!. max present present absent Habitat reefs continental continental slopes slopes LARVAL Body shape kite-shaped deep deep Dorsal fin spine 3rd mllch shorter 3rd slightly 3rd longer than than 2nd shorter than 2nd 2nd spine long, serrate long, serrate stall t, serrate in some Interopercular spine small, simple small, simple long, serrate in some Head armature little moderate much, complex Pigment on peduncle, on peduncle, small blotches over gut over gut variously located

• Formulae as in Ahlstrom et al. (1976)

Poey (quoted in Jordan and Eigenmann, ine larvae, the third dorsal spine is longest, 1890) stated that with respect to some skull whereas in epinepheline larvae the second characteristics Gonioplectrus "shows a great dorsal spine is longest, and the third is only affinity with Hypoplectrus", which Jordan a fourth as long as the second. In Gonio- and Eigenmann (l 890) placed in the Ser- pleclrus the second is longest, but the third raninae. Goniopleclrus was not mentioned is nearly as long. The preopercular spine in a recent revision of the Epinephelinae is similar in Goniopleclrus, anthiines, and (Smith, 1971). The other serranid sub- epinephelines, but the interopercle in anthi- families have not been reviewed in detail. ine larvae has an elongate spine which under- Our larval specimen shares characters with lies the spine at the preopercle angle. This both anthiine and epinepheline larvae but spine is moderate and simple in Gonioplec- more closely resembles the laUer (Table 1). lrus and epinepheline larvae. The body The second dorsal and pelvic spines are shape in larval Goniopleclrus is deep and elongate and serrate in Goniopleclrus as robust, as it is in anthiine larvae. Epinephe- they are in epinepheline larvae. Anthiine line larvae are roughly "kite-shaped", with larvae have only slightly elongate £pines the greatest body depth in the dorsal origin- which are, in some genera, serrate. In anthi- cleithral area. Pigmentation is similar in 120 BULLETIN OF MARINE SCIENCE, VOL. ::9, NO.1, 1979

Gonioplectrus and epinepheline larvae. Both or ]0 + Hi vertebrae. Median fin-ray counts have pigment over the brain and in the are lower in Gonioplectrus than in most pectoral fin area and a prominent spot on epinephelines and anthiines. The anal fin- the caudal peduncle. Anthiine larvae have ray count sIll, 7; anthiines commonly have smaller spots scattered over the various parts such a low count but epinephelines rarely do. of the head and body (Kendall, 1977). The dorsal fin-ray count (VIII,13) is lower The median fin counts of Gonioplectrus than the count in any epinephe1ine or anthi- are similar to those of Liopropoma, a ine. The high lateral line is one of the few that on the basis of several characters is adult characters which Gonioplectrus shares aligned with the Grammistinae (Kendall, with anthiines. 1976). However, Gonioplectrus differs from Thus, 011 the basis of both adult and larval Liopropoma and other grammistines in characters, Gonioplectrus appears to be more trenchant characters such as predorsal bone closely related to the Epinephelinae than to pattern and nasal organ characteristics as the Anthiinae. The few common features in well as larval morphology. Goniopleclrus and the Anthiinae (high lat- The predorsal bone and first pterygio- eral line in adults; robust body and subcC[ual phore arrangement in serranids varies among length of ~econd and third dorsal spines in the subfamilies and may be related to the larvae) may indicate convergence, or may character of the first two dorsal spines of indicate th It Gonioplectrus lies between the the larvae. Serranines have three predorsal two subfamilies. If the latter be the case, bones, anthiines have two or three and epi- certain characters in Gonioplectrus would nephelines and Gonioplectrus have two indicate that the Epinephelinae arose from (Kendall, 1976). The first pterygiophore in the Anthiinae. These characters include the anthiines (and serranines) supports the first two dorsal spines while it supports only the reduction in predorsal bone numbcr and the first spine in Gonioplectrus and epinephe- extremely dongate second dorsal and pelvic lines. This change allows more flexibility spines in t Ie larvae. between the first two spines with the result that the short first spine in the larva may LITERA TURE CITED contribute to the support of the second spine Ahlstrom, E. H., J. L. Butler, and B. Y. Sumida. when it is held upright. There is also only 1976. Pelagic stromateoid fishes (Pisces, one spine on the elongate first pterygiophore PercifOlmes) of the eastern Pacific: Kinds, in the grammistines (fishes which apparently distribu ions and early life histories and ob- arose from the epinephelines and which also servatio 1S on five of these from the northwest Atlantic. Bull. Mar. Sci. 26: 285-402. have elongate dorsal spines in the larvae). Bohlke, J.~., and C. C. G. Chapman. 1968. The spines in these fishes are more flexible Fishes cf the Bahamas. Livingston Publishing and apparently capable of a wider range Co. 77 pp. of movements than those of epinephelines. Briggs, J. C. 1974. Marine Zoogeography. Mc- In Pseudogramma and Rypticus, the first Graw-Hili, New York. 475 pp. (rather than the second) dorsal spine is --, H. D. Haese, F. Hadley, and R. S. Jones. 1964. fwenty-two new marine fish records elongate in the larva, and is supported by for the northwestern Gulf of Mexico. Texas both the first and second pterygiophore, J. Sci. 16: 113-116. presumably providing even more control Clark, J., "". G. Smith, A. W. Kendall, Jr., and (Kendall, ]977). M. P. Fahay. 1970. Studies of estuarine dependence of Atlantic coastal fishes. Data Adult Gonioplectrus shares characters with report I .: Southern section, New River, N. C. both anthiines and epinephelines (Table 1). to Palrr Beach, Fla. R. V. Do/phil! cruises The vertebral count in Gonioplectrus is 1967-6~: Zooplankton volumes; surface me- ter net (ollections, temperatures and salinities. lO + 14, which is the typical count in epi- U.S. BLr. Sport Fish Wild1., Tech. Pap. 59. nephelines. Anthiines typically have 10 + 15 97 pp. NOTE 121

Instituto Nacional de Pesca. 1976. Catiilogo de Randall, 1. E. 1968. Caribbean reef fishes. peces marinos mexicanos. Secretaria de indus- Trop. Fish Hobbyist Pub. 318 pp. tria y comercio, Subsecretaria de pesca. Mex- Smith, C. L. 1971. A revision of the American ico. 462 pp. : and allied genera. Jordan, D. S., and C. H. Eigenmann. 1890. A Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. 146: 67-241. review of the genera and species of found in the waters of America and Europe. DATE ACCEPTED: March 3, 1978. Bull. U.S. Fish Comm. 8: 329-441. Kendall, A. W., Jr. 1976. Predorsal and associ- ADDRESS: U.S. Department of Commerce, Na- ated bones in serranid and grammistid fishes. tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Bull. Mar. Sci. 26: 585-592. National Marine Fisheries Service (A .W.K.) North- 1977. Relationships among American west alld Alaska Fisheries Cellter, 2725 MOlltlake serranid fishes based on the morphology of Blvd. E., Seattle, Washingtoll 98/12; (M.P.F.) their larvae. Ph.D. Dissertation, U niv. of Northeast Fisheries Cellter, Sandy Hook Labora- California, San Diego. 208 pp. tory, Highlands, New Jersey 07732.