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SERRAN Cephal 12

1983 FAO SPECIES IDENTIFICATION SHEETS

FAMILY : FISHING AREA 51 (W. Indian Ocean)

Cephalopholis formosa (Shaw, 1804)

OTHER SCIENTIFIC NAMES STILL IN USE : (often misidentified as boenack, which is a dif- ferent species)

VERNACULAR NAMES: FAO : En - Bluelined hind Fr - Vielle lignes bleues Sp - Cherna rayada NATIONAL :

DISTINCTIVE CHARACTERS :

Body depth 2.5 to 2.9 times in standard length. Middle opercular spine much closer to lower than to upper spine; preopercle very finely serrate, the lower edge fleshy; a small knob on lower edge of maxilla near distal end; lower gillrakers 14 to 16. with 9 spines and 17 soft rays; anal fin with 3 spines and 8 soft rays; pectoral fin rays 17; caudal fin rounded. Pored scales 49 to 52; lateral scale series 99 to 102.

Colour: head and body usually dark brown, with wavy longitudinal blue lines; some specimens with ground colour yellowish or reddish brown on ventral half of head and body. DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERS OF SIMILAR SPECIES OCCURRING IN THE AREA:

Cephalopholis species: no blue lines on dark brown background of head and body

Gracila polleni: caudal fin truncate; body and fins yellowish, with horizontal blue lines; anal fin rays 9.

SIZE :

Maximum: 34 cm. Gracila polleni

GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION AND BEHAVIOUR :

Northern part of the Western Indian Ocean (northward from about 8° S), but not in the Red Sea or the "Gulf". Also present in the Eastern Indian Ocean and the Western Central Pacific to China, and southern Japan.

PRESENT FISHING GROUNDS : Coral reefs and rocky bottoms in depths of 10 to 30 m.

CATCHES, FISHWG GEAR AND FORMS OF UTILIZATION:

Separate statistics are not reported for this species.

Caught with hook and line, traps and gillnets.

Marketed fresh and dried salted.

SERRAN Cephal 13

1983

FAO SPECIES IDENTIFICATION SHEETS FAMILY: SERRANIDAE FISHING AREA 51 (W. Indian Ocean)

Cephalopholis hemistiktos (Rüppell, 1830)

OTHER SCIENTIFIC NAMES STILL IN USE: None

VERNACULAR NAMES: FAO : En - Yellowfin hind Fr - Vielled'Arabie Sp - Cherna aràbiga NATIONAL :

DISTINCTIVE CHARACTERS : Body depth less than head length, 2.7 to 3.0 times in standard length. Maxilla reaches to or beyond vertical at rear edge of eye; preopercle rounded, the lower edge fleshy; lower gillrakers 13 to 15. Dorsal fin with 9 spines and 14 (rarely 15) soft rays; anal fin with 3 spines and 9 soft rays; pectoral fins 1.4 to 1.6 times in head length, and with 16 to 18 rays; anal fin pointed, reaching to or beyond base of caudal fin; caudal fin rounded. Pored lateral line scales 48 to 52; lateral scale series 95 to 115. Colour: dark brown to red (fish from deeper water more reddish) with small, dark-edged, blue spots on ventrolateral parts of head and body, caudal fin and rear part of dorsal and anal fins; pectoral fins brown, with a few dark-edged blue spots at base, the distal margin broadly yellow. DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERS OF SIMILAR SPECIES OCCURRING IN THE AREA:

Cephalopholis argus: blue spots dorsally on body; no yellow margin on pectoral fins; soft rays of dorsal fin 15 to 17 (14, rarely 15, in C. hemistik- tos); anal fin rounded.

C. miniata: blue spots on head and body not more numerous ventrally; anal fin rounded; pectoral fins orange. C. argus C. sexmaculata: four squarish black blotches on body at base of dorsal fin extending onto the fin and 2 more on caudal peduncle; pectoral fins yellow-orange.

SIZE :

Maximum: 25 cm. C. miniata

GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION AND BEHAVIOUR :

Known with certainty only from the Red Sea, Gulf of Oman and the "Gulf"; records from else- where are apparently based on misidentifications of other species.

A coral reef fish that is the most abundant species of Cephalopholis in the Red Sea. In shallow water, the ground colour is dark brown; at 15 m, the colour is more red than C. sexmaculata brown, and at 30 to 55 m, the ground colour is completely red.

PRESENT FISHING GROUNDS :

Coral reefs in depths of 5 to 60 m.

CATCHES, FISHING GEAR AND FORMS OF UTILIZATION :

Separate statistics are not reported for this species.

Caught with hook and line, traps and gillnets.

Marketed fresh.

SERRAN Cephal 14

1983

FAO SPECIES IDENTIFICATION SHEETS

FAMILY: SERRANIDAE FISHING AREA 51 (W. Indian Ocean)

Cephalopholis leopardus (Lacepede, 1802)

OTHER SCIENTIFIC NAMES STILL IN USE : None

VERNACULAR NAMES: FAO : En - Leopard hind Fr - Vielle léopard Sp - Cherna leopardo NATIONAL:

DISTINCTIVE CHARACTERS

Body depth less than head length, 2.6 to 2.8 times in standard length. Maxilla reaches well past eye; preopercle rounded, the lower edge fleshy; sides of lower jaw with 3 to 5 rows of teeth; lower gillrakers 14 to 17. Dorsal fin with 9 spines and 14 (rarely 15) soft rays; anal fin with 3 spines and 9 (rarely 10) soft rays; pectoral rays 16 to 18; pectoral fins 1.4 to 1.7 times in head; pelvic fins usually not reaching anus; caudal and anal fins rounded. Pored lateral line scales 46 to 53; lateral scale series 80 to 90. Colour: body, cheeks, lips and bases of all fins with pinkish red spots; a red-brown blotch on top of caudal peduncle set right behind base of dorsal fin, followed by a smaller and fainter blotch; caudal fin with an oblique, red-brown band dorsally and an oblique dark red line ventrally (the latter very faint on preserved fish). DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERS OF SIMILAR SPECIES OCCURRING IN THE AREA:

Other Cephalopholis species: no dark saddle-blotches on peduncle.

SIZE :

Maximum : 20 cm.

GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION A BEHAVIOUR :

A coral-reef species known from the East African coast from about 12°N to Mozambique, Mafia Islands, Comores, Aldabra, Seychelles, Mauritius, Reunion, Rodriguez Island and Chagos Archipelago. Absent from the Red Sea and the "Gulf". Also found in the Eastern Indian Ocean and the Western Central Pacific to China, Japan, Marshall Islands and French Polynesia.

PRESENT FISHING GROUNDS :

Taken incidentally throughout its range.

CATCHES, FISHING GEAR AND FORMS OF UTILIZATION :

This species is probably too small to be of commercial importance.

SERRAN Cephal 15

1983

FAO SPECIES IDENTIFICATION SHEETS

FAMILY : SERRANIDAE FISHING AREA 51 (W. Indian Ocean)

Cephalopholis nigripinnis (Valenciennes, 1828)

OTHER SCIENTIFIC NAMES STILL IN USE : None

VERNACULAR NAMES : FAO : En - Duskyfin hind Fr - Vielle aile noire Sp - Cherna alinegra NATIONAL:

DISTINCTIVE CHARACTERS :

Body depth contained 2.6 to 3.2 times in head length and 2.4 to 2.9 times in standard length. Preopercle rounded, lower edge fleshy; maxilla end with distinct knob ventrally covered by upper lip); sides of lower jaw with 4 or 5 rows of teeth; lower gillrakers 15 to 17. Dorsal fin with 9 spines and 15 (rarely 16) soft rays; anal fin with 3 spines and 9 soft rays; pectoral fin rays 17 to 19; pelvic fins not reaching anus, 1.9 to 2.2 times in head length; pectoral fin 1.3 to 1.6 times in head length; caudal and anal fins rounded. Pored lateral line scales 53 to 70; lateral scale series 89 to 110. Colour: head and body mostly reddish; distal 2/3 of pectoral fin, most of anal fin, rear part of dorsal fin and all of caudal fin and peduncle dusky black; 2 dark spots usually present at tip of lower jaw. Specimens from deep water may lack the darker pigmentation in the fins. DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERS OF SIMILAR SPECIES OCCURRING IN THE AREA :

Cephalopholis aurantia: pored lateral line scales 47 to 53 (53 to 70 in C. nigripinnis); fins not dusky black; pelvic fins reach anus. C. sonnerati: pored lateral line scales 72 to 76; lateral scale series 110 to 128 (89 to 110 in C. nigripinnis); pelvic fins reach to or beyond anus; total length more than 30 cm. C Other Cephalopholis species: colour pattern . aurantia not as above.

Gracila species: caudal fin truncate; colour pattern not as above.

SIZE :

Maximum: 25 cm. C. sonnerati

GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION AND BEHAVIOUR:

Widely distributed in the Western Indian Ocean but absent from the Red Sea and the "Gulf". Also present in the Eastern Indian Ocean.

PRESENT FISHING GROUNDS :

Coral reefs in depths of 5 to 40 m. Gracila Cephalopholis caudal fin

CATCHES, FISHING GEAR AND FORMS OF UTILIZATION :

Separate statistics are not reported for this species.

Caught with hook and line and in traps.

Marketed fresh and dried salted.

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