Journal of Animal Diversity (2020), 2 (1): 1–92 Online ISSN: 2676-685X Research Article DOI: 10.29252/JAD.2020.2.1.1 An annotated checklist of fishes of the family Sciaenidae Paolo Parenti Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Milano-Bicocca Piazza della Scienza, 1, 20126 Milano, Italy Corresponding author : [email protected] Abstract A checklist of the croakers of the world, family Sciaenidae, is presented. A total of 584 nominal spe cies belonging to 289 valid species and 69 genera is included. Four genera, Johnius with 32 species, Cynoscion 25, Stellifer 24, and Umbrina 17 contains 30% of the species, whereas 43% Received: 17 January 2020 of the genera (31) are monotypic. Eques is a valid genus-name and shoul d Accepted: 8 March 2020 be used instead of Equetus . Fourteen nominal species remain Published online: 31 March 2020 unidentifiable and are placed in incertae sedis , whereas 12 nominal species currently described in sciaenid genera lay outside the family. Among this latter group two of them represent senior synonyms of well- established species: Sciaena guttata Bloch and Schneider, 1801 and Sciaena pallida Walbaum, 1792 predate Giuris margaritaceus (Valenciennes, 1837) and Cymolutes praetextatus (Quoy and Gaimard, 1824), respectively, and they are here declared nomina oblita . Key words: Croakers, Eques , nomina oblita , nominal species Introduction Sciaenidae are marine, brackish and freshwater fishes. They can be diagnosed as follows: body oblong to slightly elongate, compressed and some with moderately high body ( Eques , Pogonias , Cheilotrema ); head and body scaled except the tip of the snout. Scales cycloid or ctenoid covering the soft dorsal, anal and caudal fins; lateral line to end of caudal fin and with pored scales often with intercalated small scales, which make the lateral line appear much thicker. Two nostrils; mouth variable from strongly inferior to oblique with small, sharp, and conical teeth in rows on jaws; enlarged teeth always form outer series in upper jaw, inner Downloaded from jad.lu.ac.ir at 15:59 IRST on Tuesday October 5th 2021 [ DOI: 10.29252/JAD.2020.2.1.1 ] series in lower jaw; well-developed canines may be present at front of upper jaw ( Cynoscion ) or both jaws ( Macrodon ); vomer and palatine toothless; gill membranes free from isthmus. Barbel on the chin present or absent. Otoliths exceptionally large. Skull cavernous with a series of bridge-like bony struts; infraorbitals and preopercle with variously developed ridges which fold over canals of cephalic lateral-line system. A series of sensory pores are present at the tip of the snout (3–7 rostral pores), on the lower margin of the snout (2–5 marginal pores) and on the tip of the chin (2–6 mental pores); chin with a single barbel ( Menticirrhus ), or in pairs along median edges of lower jaw ( Micropogonias ) or subopercles ( Paralonchurus , Pogonias ). Branchiostegal rays 7. Dorsal fin continuous with VII–XIV spines and 18–46 soft rays, deeply notched before the last spine; anal fin with II spines (very strong in Bairdiella ; one spine in Menticirrhus americanus ), 6–9 soft rays; pectoral fin with 6–20 rays; pelvic fin I, 5. Caudal fin emarginated to pointed in juveniles, rounded to rhomboid in adult, with 15 This article is published with open access on www.jad.lu.ac.ir | © Lorestan University Press 1 Paolo Parenti 2 branched rays. The swim bladder is thick walled, typically occupies the abdominal cavity and varies from simple (e.g. Sciaena trewavasae ) or two chambered without appendages (e.g., Corvula macrops ) to divided into an anterior and posterior chamber with or without bud-like, horn-like, tube-like or arborescent appendages. The drumming muscle is typically found in males and weak or absent in females. The coloration varies from silvery to yellowish or dark brown; dark spots, vertical bars and longitudinal stripes are often present; tip of spinous dorsal fin is dark edged in many species; abdominal and lower fins are yellowish in many instances; a dark blotch is often present at pectoral-fin bases; roof of mouth and lining of gill cavity is often black. Their common name derives from their ability to produce drumming or croaking sounds through specialized body muscles connected to the swim bladder, which acts as a resonating chamber. The sound production could play a role during spawning season. Widespread in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans, they are generally bottom dwellers that inhabit sandy and muddy areas of near continental region, frequently off beaches, estuaries, sheltered bays and mouths of rivers (Nelson et al., 2016). Others occur offshore at greater depth ( Protosciaena bathytatos to 600 m), whereas a number are strictly freshwater, particularly in South America ( Pachypops , Pachyurus , Plagioscion ). Others inhabit coral reefs ( Eques ). Members of the Sciaenidae are absent from the islands of the central Indian and Pacific oceans. They are generally voracious carnivores feeding on small fishes and benthic invertebrates. Croakers represent an important component of near- shore bottom trawl catches. Nearly all are excellent food. The swim bladders of Cynoscion are used in the industrial production of isinglass. Material and Methods Genera and species are listed alphabetically together with synonyms, type localities, type material and distribution. Authorship, date of publication, and details of subsequent designation of type species of the genera are given by Fricke et al. (2019). Misidentifications are included only when a later author, upon noting that a misidentification is a new species, named it for the author who made the misidentification. The list of institutions where the type material is located is in Appendix. Results and Discussion Trewavas (1962) revised the West African species of sciaenids and Trewavas (1977) also revised the Indo-West Pacific species, while Chao (1978) reviewed the western Atlantic species. A key to the eastern Pacific species, representing about one third of the world Downloaded from jad.lu.ac.ir at 15:59 IRST on Tuesday October 5th 2021 [ DOI: 10.29252/JAD.2020.2.1.1 ] Sciaenidae, has been prepared first by McPhail (1958) and later by Chao (1995). The FAO species identification guides cover the sciaenid species because of their interest to fisheries of the major marine resource groups exploited in the Western Central Pacific (Sasaki, 2001), Western Indian Ocean (Lal Mohan, 1983), Eastern Central Atlantic (Chao, 2016) and Western Central Atlantic (Chao, 2002b). About 265 species distributed in 10 subfamilies are reported in the revision of the family prepared by Sasaki (1989) while 67 genera with 283 species are recorded in a more recent account by Nelson et al. (2016). Allen and Robertson (1994) following the opinion of Chao (pers. comm. in Bauchot and Desoutter, 1987) estimate there are 80 genera with about 300 species. After recent contributions (Sasaki, 1995b, 1996, 1997, 1999; Casatti, 2002b; Iwatsuki et al., 2012; Azpelicueta et al., 2019; Chao et al., 2019; Marceniuk et al., 2019) there are 289 species in 69 genera. Journal of Animal Diversity (2020) | © Lorestan University Press An annotated checklist of fishes of the family Sciaenidae In the present checklist, information about the status of 584 nominal species is included. Thirty percent of the sciaenid species are included in four genera ( Johnius with 32 species, Cynoscion 25, Stellifer 24, and Umbrina 17) whereas 43% of the genera (31) are monotypic. Eques is a valid genus-name and should be used instead of Equetus . Two nominal species represent senior synonyms of well-established species: Sciaena guttata Bloch and Schneider, 1801 is a senior synonym of the eleotrid Giuris margaritaceus (Valenciennes, 1837) and Sciaena pallida Walbaum, 1792 predates Cymolutes praetextatus (Quoy and Gaimard, 1824). Sciaena guttata and Sciaena pallida are here declared nomina oblita . Species accounts Class Actinopterygii Cope, 1887 Order Perciformes Bleeker, 1863 Family Sciaenidae Cuvier, 1829 (Croakers; drummers; kobs) Scienoides Cuvier, 1829: 171 (proposed as family). Type genus Sciaena . Family name latinized to Sciaenidae by Bonaparte, 1831: 156, 170. Genus Aplodinotus Rafinesque, 1819 Aplodinotus Rafinesque, 1819: 418. Masculine. Type species Aplodinotus grunniens Rafinesque, 1819. Type by original designation. Haploidonotus Gill, 1861d: 101 (unjustified emendation). Eutychelithus Jordan, 1876: 242 Masculine. Corvina richardsonii Cuvier, 1830. Type by monotypy. Freshwaters of North and Central America on bottoms of medium to large river and lakes. Monotypic. Aplodinotus grunniens Rafinesque, 1819 Aplodinotus grunniens Rafinesque, 1819: 419 (Ohio River, U.S.A.). No types known. Sciaena grisea Lesueur, 1822: 254 (Ohio River, U.S.A.). Syntypes: (2) whereabouts unknown. Sciaena oscula Lesueur, 1822: 252, unnumbered plate (apparently 13) (Lake Erie or Lake Ontario, North America). Syntypes: MNHN A-5696 (1, dry, poor condition), A-7536 (lost). Corvina richardsonii Cuvier in Cuvier and Valenciennes, 1830: 100 (Lake Huron, North America). Holotype (unique): not found at MNHN. Amblodon concinnus Agassiz, 1854: 307 (Tennessee River at Huntsville, Alabama, U.S.A.). Lectotype: MCZ 21970, selected by Chao (1978: 42). Amblodon lineatus Agassiz, 1854: 307 (Osage R., Missouri, U.S.A.). Syntypes: MCZ 569 (2), 569a (5), 573 (1); SMNS 1198 (2). Downloaded from jad.lu.ac.ir at 15:59 IRST on Tuesday October 5th 2021 [ DOI: 10.29252/JAD.2020.2.1.1 ] Amblodon neglectus Girard, 1858b: 167 (Mouth of Rio