Epinephelus costae ( STEINDACHNER, 1878 )

Heemstra, P. C., 1991, A Taxonomic Revision Of The Eastern Atlantic Groupers (Pisces: Serranidae), Bol. Mus. Mun. Funchal 43 (226), pp. 5-71 : 26-30

Epinephelus costae ( STEINDACHNER, 1878)

Figs. 8a & 8b

Plectrapoma fasciatus COSTA, 1836: 1, Pl. 6 (type locality, Southern Italy; holotype not preserved; preoccupied in Epinephelus by Perca fasciata FORSSKAL, 1775 ).

Serranus costae STEINDACHNER, 1878: 389 (type locality, Messina, Sicily, Italy; holotype at NMW?).

Serranas chıysotaenia DODERLEIN, 1882: 208, Pl. 2, Fig. 4 (type locality, Sicily; holotype not located).

Cerna costae : DODERLEIN, 1882: 214, P 1. 3, Fig. 7 .

Cerna alaxandrina [non VALENCIENNBS] I DODERLEXN, 1882: 221, Pl. 4, Fig. 9 .

Epinephelus alexandrinus [non VALENCIENNES! DODERLEIN, 1889: 71; JORDAN & EIGENMANN,] 1890: 358; BOULENGER, 1895: 200; CADENA?, 1935: 396, Fig. 9 , 1951: 193, Fig. 126; FURNESTIN et al., 1958: 432; BINI, 1968: 67, fig; TORTONESE, 1973: 359; 1975: 66, Fig. 25; 1986: 784, Figs.; SMITH, 1981; BIANCHI, 1986: 42, Fig.; BAUCHOT, 1987: 1309, Fig.; MANZONI, 1987: 66, Fig.; BELLEMANS et al., 1988: 95, Pl. 11, Fig. 81.

Cerna catalonica GIBERT, 1913: 38 (type locality, Catalonia, Spain; holotype apparently not pre served).

Epínephelus zaslavskii Pou., 1949: 191 , Fig. 12 (type locality, Baie des Elephants, Angola; holotype IRSNB); 1954: 66, Fig. 18.

Epinephelus goreensis [non VALENCIENNES]: CADENAT, 1951: 193; BLACHE et al., 1970: 284, Fig. 757; Séret, 1981: 160, Fig.

Epinephelus sp. A 1 FRANCA, 1957: 33

Epinephelus sp. A 2 FRANCA, 1957: 34

Epinephelus castae ; SCHNEIDER, 1990.

Diagnosis: Dorsal fin XI, 15 - 17; anal fin III,8; pectoral fin rays 18- 19; lateral--line scales 70- 73; lateral scale series 113 - 130; gill-takers 8- 10 + 16 - 18, including 2- -7 rudiments on each limb. Body depth distinctly less than head length, contained 3.0-3.4 times in SL (for fish 10-46 cm. SL); head length 2.5 -2.7 times in SL; pectoral fins usually longer than pelvics, 1.6-2.1 times in head length. Caudal fin truncate or slightly convex in juveniles, becoming concave or lunate in adults larger than 40 cm. SL; dorsal fin with the third or fourth spine longest and the interspinous membranes distinctly incised. Interorbital area convex; preopercle angular, with 2 or 3 greatly enlarged serrae at the angle; in adults larger than 40 cm. SL, the preopercle angle is produced into a rounded lobe, with an indentation immediately above the lobe; middle and lower opercular spines flat but distinct, the upper spine not apparent; upper edge of operculum straight or slightly convex. Maxilla reaches about to vertical at rear edge of eye; ventral edge of maxilla with a low step; no scales on maxilla; midlateral part of lower jaw with 2 rows of teeth. Nostrils subequal in specimens less than 30 cm. SL; rear nostril diameter about twice that of front ones in fish of 40-50 cm. SL. Lateral body scales ctenoid; adults with auxiliary scales. Pyloric caeca 17.

Colour: Head and body brownish, the fins darker. Juveniles less than 15 cm. SL with 3 -5 narrow dark stripes (blue in life?) paralleling the lateral line on dorsal part of body, with 2 stripes above and 1 -3 stripes below lateral line. Two dark lines on head: one from lower edge of eye to ventral rear edge of interopercle, the second from dark maxillary streak to lower edge of preopercle. Adults brown or greyish brown, often with a large golden yellow blotch, vaguely defined at periphery, on body below spinous dorsal fin. Two specimens from Angola, (Museu Bocage nos. MB 2087 and 2091, 46 and 42 cm. SL) are distinctly bicolored, the body dark brown dorsally and abruptly paler ventrally, the two parts separated by a wavy boundary. Both fish are males, with flaccid testes containing a large empty lumen. If the condition of the testes is indicative of recent spawning, the bicolored pattern may be the spawning coloration of this species.

Maximum size, at least 80 cm. total length; according to TORTONESE (1986), E. costae attains 140 cm.

GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION

E. costae occurs in the Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean. I have examined specimens from Greece, (Corfu Island), the Cape Verde Islands, and Angola. Reliable literature records document its occurrence on the Mediterranean coasts of Italy, France, Spain, Egypt, Tunisia, also along the south coast of Portugal and along the west coast of Africa to southern Angola. Records of ' Epinephelus alexandrinus " from Madeira are apparently based on misidentifications of Mycteroperca fusca (see Remarks for M. fusca and also below).

REMARKS

Following BOULENGER's (1895) authoritative work on serranid fishes, this species has generally been referred to as Epinephelus alexandrinus ( VALENCIENNES, 1828) . However, a recent examination of VALENCIENNES ' holotype of Serranus alexandrinus (MNHN 7325), which was collected in Egypt by E. GEOFFROY SAINT-HILAIRE revealed that it is a specimen of the well-known Epinephelus fasciatus of the Red Sea and Indo-Pacific region. This holotype differs significantly from the species here recognized as E. costae in having fewer scales (lateral-line 54, versus 70-73; lateral scale series about 100, versus 113- 130), deeper body (depth 2.8 in SL, versus 3.0-3.4 in SL), 3 or 4 rows of teeth at midside of lower jaw (versus 2 rows), fewer gill-rakers (7 + 15 = 22, versus 8- 10 + 16- 18 = 24- 27); and a rounded caudal fin (The shape of the caudal fin of the holotype cannot now be determined, as it is damaged; but in his description of Serranus goreensis, VALENCIENNES (in CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, 1830) mentions that the caudal fin of alexandrinus is rounded). In his original description, VALENCIENNES (1828) mentions that “Sa couleur paraît avoir été brune, sans taches ni marbrures, sur tout le corps et sur les nageoires." E. fasciatus has distinctive black triangles at the margin of the interspinous dorsal fin membranes, and these are clearly seen on the holotype of S. alexandrinus if the fin is erected. This feature was overlooked by VALENCIENNES and subsequent workers. The holotype also still shows the dark pigment on the edge of the orbit that is typical of E. fasciatus . Although VALENCIENNES gives the provenance of his holotype as "rapportée de l'Egypte par M. GEOFFROY ", his choice of name for his new species ( Serranus alexandrinus ) implied that it was a Mediterranean species; and this accounts for the misapplication of this species name by subsequent authors.

BAUCHOT et al. (1960) discussed the synonymy of " Epinephelus alexandrinus ", in which they included Epinephelus zaslavskii POLL, 1949 , but they did not give any information on the holotype of alexandrinus .

E. costae is similar to E. gareensis in meristic and most morphornetric features. These two species differ in their colour patterns. The dark longitudinal lines on the body of juvenile costae are never seen on goreensis and the dark bars that are usually visible on goreensis are absent on costae . Also, E. goreensis never shows the golden blotch that is often seen on the dorsal part of the body of costae in life.

Reports of " Epinephelus alexandrinus " from Madeira ( WASCHKEWITZ and WIRTZ, 1990; visual identification of a live fish underwater) and the Azores ( SALDANHA, 1979; underwater photograph of live fish) are apparently misidentifieations of Mycteroperca fusca (see above), which is superficially similar to E. costae (both species are relatively elongate, somewhat compressed groupers with concave or lunate caudal fins in adults and a protruding lower jaw). The Spanish common name "falso abadejo" for E. costae alludes to its similarity to M. fusca , the true "abadejo" M. fusca is common at Madeira, and is well known to the fishermen as “badejo“ According to G.E. MAUL, ichthyologist at the Funchal Municipal Museum for the past 50 years, M. fusca and the mero ( E. marginatus ) are the only two species of groupers that occur in Madeiran waters. My examination of Madeiran specimens in the Funchal Museum, at the market in Funchal and at the British Museum (Natural History) also confirms Mr. MAUL's statement.

MATERIAL EXAMJNED

GREECE: RUSI 74-4 (103 mm.). CAPE VERDE ISLANDS: MNHN 1941-25 (273 mm); MNHN 1941 -26 (3, 174- 212 mm.). ANGOLA: MB 1033 (227 mm.); MB 1449 (166 mm.); MB 1597 (193 mm.); MB 2087 (462 mm.); MB 2091 (421 mm.); MB 2275 (352 mm); MB 2829 (246 mm.); RUSI 10713 (87 mm.); SAM 24984 (92 & 93 mm.).

Figures

Fig. 8a - Epinephelus castae, 14 cm. SL, Italy, redrawn from DODERLEIN (1882) by E. HEEMSTRA.

Fig. 4 - Epinephelus adscensionis, 17 cm. SL. Ascension Islands, from VAILLANT & BOCOURT, 1875.

Fig. 7 - Epinephelus coioides, 33 cm. SL, Persian Gulf, from photograph of J. E. RANDALL.

Fig. 9 - Epinephelus goreensis, 20 cm. SL, Sénégal (7), from STEINDACHNER. 1882.

Fig. 12 - Epinephelus marginatus, 45 cm. SL. Cape Vidal, South Africa, RUSI 12922. Drawn by E. HEEMSTRA.