Parascombrops serratospinosus Smith & Radcliffe 1912
Creators: name: Schwarzhans, Werner W.
name: Prokofiev, Artem M.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2017
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Actinopterygii
Perciformes
Acropomatidae
Parascombrops
Parascombrops serratospinosus

description: Parascombrops serratospinosus (Smith & Radcliffe, 1912)
Figs. 6A, B, F, 7K, 8D, 10C, 13K, 15 P – R, 28, 37, Tables 2–7
Synagrops serratospinosus Smith & Radcliffe 1912: 444, pl. 38, fig. 2 (holotype: USNM 70254; Philippines, Batangus Bay, Luzon Island, 13°44’2’’N, 120°45’3’’E, Albatross: stn 5365, depth 391 m).
Synagrops serratospinosus: Schultz, 1940: 417; Mochizuki, 1984: 125; Yamanoue & Matsuura, 2002b: 381.
Material examined (42 specimens): AMS I.22822-017, 14 specimens, 58.5–72 mm SL, 18°23’S, 117°41’E, 396–418 m; ASIZP, uncatalogued, 42 mm SL, north-eastern coast of Taiwan; BSKU 16826-33, 8 specimens, 59–67.5 mm SL, 09°34’S, 128°06’E; BSKU 117731, 37.5 mm SL, Tosa Bay; CAS 88693, 50 mm SL, 13°08’N, 124°04’E, 363–385 m; CAS 238016, 4 specimens, 61–67.5 mm SL, 14°41’N, 123°24’E, 435–451 m; IOM, uncatalogued, 2 specimens, 60.0–62.0 mm SL, Java I., 08°30’ N, 110°56’ E, 400–450 m; MNHN 1998-0993, 2 specimens (otoliths only), 16°33’S, 167°55’E, 602–620 m; MNHN 1998-1056, 63 mm SL, 16°52’S, 168°10’E, 486–494 m; NMMBA 6852, 68 mm SL, Dong-gang, Pingtung, southwestern Taiwan; USNM 99324, 5 specimens (otoliths only), 10°08’N, 123°52’E, 291 m; ZMUC P44348-49, 2 specimens, donated from NMMB, Dong-gang, Pingtung, southwestern Taiwan.
Diagnosis. Small deep-bodied species with convex dorsal head profile. Second spine of first dorsal fin, spine of second dorsal fin and second spine of anal fin serrated in addition to spine of pelvic fin. Anal fin II + 7. Pectoral fin with 14–16 rays, pectoral length 20.3–26.5% SL. Gill rakers 13–16. Pseudobranchial filaments (13) 16–21. First anal-fin pterygiophore long, straight, with broad tip and hollow. Palatines and ectopterygoids moderately wide, with 1–2 rows of denticles. Orbital diameter 11.7–13.6% SL. Posterior edge of maxillary plate slightly concave. No longitudinal ridges on preopercular lobe. Otolith very compressed (OL:OH = 1.35–1.4).
Description. Counts and measurements are summarized in Tables 2–7. Snout bluntly rounded; interorbital space convex. Posterior edge of maxillary weakly concave with postero-dorsal and postero-ventral angles slightly sharp and postero-ventral angle extended downward and slightly backward resulting in slightly oblique posterior margin of maxillary. Preopercular lobe without longitudinal ridges; hind margin of interopercle and lower part of subopercle strongly serrated; inner edge of preopercle with 4–8 small denticles not extending along ventral branch. Two anal-fin spines, the second serrated. Second spine of first dorsal fin and spine of second dorsal fin serrated. Pelvic fin spine serrated along its outer edge. First anal-fin pterygiophore broad, straight, with broad hollow tip, reaching last pair of pleural ribs. First haemal spine with a narrow posterior expansion.
Dentition. Premaxilla with a pair of strong canines near symphysis, followed posteriorly by a wide band of minute conical teeth. Dentary with a pair of strong canines and a band of small conical teeth near symphysis, followed by a row of small conical teeth and 2–4 enlarged canines. Vomer triangular with small patch 2–3 rows of granular teeth anteriorly and 1or 2 long teeth posteriorly on each side. Palatines moderately wide, with 1 row of granular and few longer teeth anteriorly and 1–2 rows granular teeth posteriorly. Ectopterygoid moderately wide, mostly with 2, rarely 1, rows of denticles. Tongue toothless.
Otolith morphology (n = 12). Otolith very compressed, moderately thin, up to about 6 mm length. OL:OH = 1.35–1.4; OL:OT about 5. Dorsal rim with prominent, obtuse mid-dorsal angle and weak, inferior, rounded postdorsal angle close to posterior rim. Ventral rim deep, deepest slightly in front of its middle, below collum of sulcus. Rostrum well developed, short, robust, sharply pointed; weak excisura and antirostrum. Posterior rim rounded, distinctly dorsally pronounced. All rims smooth or slightly undulating. Inner face moderately convex with markedly supramedian positioned sulcus. Sulcus moderately shallow, with narrow, long, slightly deepened cauda and wide, shallower ostium. Ostium about twice as wide as cauda, with distinct colliculum. Cauda slightly widened posteriorly, with slightly downward bent and rounded tip, terminating close to posterior tip of otolith. CaL:OsL = 1.1–1.25. Dorsal depression distinct, narrow. Ventral furrow distinct, close to ventral rim of otolith anteriorly, running parallel and at some distance to ventral otolith rim at mid section and posteriorly and approaching caudal tip. Outer face slightly concave, rather smooth.
Size. Small fishes, to about 75 mm SL.
Discussion. Parascombrops serratospinosus is a small, robust species and is readily recognized by the presence of serration on the pelvic spine, and the second spine of the first dorsal, the spine of the second dorsal, and the second spine of the anal fin. It is further characterized by the most compressed otoliths found in the genus. The only other species with an additional serrated spine is P. spinosus from the western tropical Atlantic, which lacks a serrated spine on the second dorsal fin, has longitudinal ridges on the preopercular lobe, has the first anal-fin pterygiophore sharply pointed, not hollow, and has much more elongate otoliths (OL:OH = 1.75–1.8 vs 1.35–1.4).
Geographic and bathymetric distribution. Parascombrops serratospinosus is a common species throughout the Western Pacific, from Taiwan and the Philippines to northwestern Australia and Vanuatu. It is rare off Japan. Its distribution appears to be somewhat patchy: is common to abundant when caught, but absent from many intermediate locations for no obvious reason. Parascombrops serratospinosus has been generally caught at greater depths (predominantly 300–600 m) than, for instance P. philippinensis (predominantly 80–380 m).
description: Published as part of Schwarzhans, Werner W. & Prokofiev, Artem M., 2017, Reappraisal of Synagrops Günther, 1887 with rehabilitation and revision of Parascombrops Alcock, 1889 including description of seven new species and two new genera (Perciformes: Acropomatidae), pp. 1-74 in Zootaxa 4260 (1) on pages 51-53, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.571305