Epigonus Rafinesque, 1810

Okamoto, Makoto & Gon, Ofer, 2018, A review of the deepwater cardinalfish genus Epigonus (Perciformes: Epigonidae) of the Western Indian Ocean, with description of two new species, Zootaxa 4382 (2), pp. 261-291 : 262

Genus Epigonus Rafinesque, 1810

Diagnosis (based on Western Indian Ocean species). A genus of the family Epigonidae with the following combination of characters: body elongate, body depth 16–27% SL; first dorsal-fin spines 7–8 (the 8th may present as an isolated spine between first dorsal and second dorsal fins); second dorsal-fin with a single spine and soft rays 9–11; anal fin with 2 spines and 8–9 soft rays; pectoral-fin rays 15–23; gill rakers 18–36; lateral-line scales 33–51; pyloric caeca 5–35; infraorbital bones 8, smooth; branchiostegal rays 7; edges of opercular bones smooth to weakly serrated; lateral line scales on caudal peduncle not forming a keel; no antrorse teeth in upper jaw; procurrent rays soft.

Remarks. The epigonid genera, Epigonus , Brephostoma Alcock, 1889 , Florenciella Mead & De Falla, 1965 , Rosenblattia Mead & De Falla, 1965 and Sphyraenops Poey, 1861 , are distributed in the Western Indian Ocean and closely related to each other. Epigonus differs from Brephostoma in having 7–8 first dorsal-fin spines and 2 anal-fin spines (vs. 6 first dorsal fin spines and one anal fin spine in Brephostoma ). Also, Epigonus differs from Florenciella and Rosenblattia in having 9–11 soft rays in the second dorsal fin (vs. 7–8 in the latter two genera), a shallower body depth [16–27 % SL vs. 25–42 % SL from Mead & De Falla (1965)], soft procurrent rays (vs. stiff), and in lacking antrorse teeth on the upper jaw (vs. present on the both jaws). Epigonus can be distinguished from Sphyraenops by having none or a single pungent opercular spine (vs. 3 opercular spines in Sphyraenops ), 2 spines and 8–9 soft rays on the anal fin (vs. 3 spines and 7 soft rays on the anal fin), and 7 branchiostegal rays (vs. 6 branchiostegal rays). The genus Epigonus of the Western Indian Ocean are represented by 14 species, including two new species here described ( Figs. 1–3 ).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Distribution of four species of the Epigonus oligolepis group and the E. telescopus group in the Western Indian Ocean.

FIGURE 2. Distribution of three species of the Epigonus pandionis group in the Western Indian Ocean.

FIGURE 3. Distribution of seven species of the Epigonus constanciae group inthe Western Indian Ocean.