Cephalopholis taeniops ( VALENCIENNES, 1828 )

Heemstra, P. C., 1991, A Taxonomic Revision Of The Eastern Atlantic Groupers (Pisces: Serranidae), Bol. Mus. Mun. Funchal 43 (226), pp. 5-71 : 13-14

Cephalopholis taeniops ( VALENCIENNES, 1828)

Fig. U. 3

Serranus taeniops VALENCIENNES , in Cuv. & VAL., 1828: 307 (type locality, Cape Verde Islands; syntypes at MNHN [see BAUCHOT et al., 1984]). DUMÉRIL, 1861: 261; GÜNTHER, 1859: 121; TROSCHEL, 1866: 195; CAPELLO, 1871: 194; STEINDACHNER, 1882: 20, Pl. 1, Fig. 1 .

Epinephelus taeniops : BOULENGER, 1895: 186; PELLEGRIN, 1914: 39; CHABANAUD & MONOD, 1927: 262.

Cephalopholis taeniops : FOWLER, 1919: 209; 1936: 750, Fig. 332; CADENAT, 1935: 393, Fin. 7 (wpied from STEINDACHNER, 1882); 1951: 189, Fig. 121; PoLL, 1954; 47, Fig. 12 , Pl. 3; SÉREI, 1981: 150 (excellent colour painting).

Diagnosis: Dorsal fin IX, 15- 16; anal fin III,9-10; pectoral fin rays 18 - 19; lateral-line scales 68-72; lateral scale series 114- 122; gill-rakers 8 + 15- 16; 5 or 6 rudiments on each limb. Body depth distinctly less than head length, contained 2.8-3.2 times in SL (for fish 22-34 cm. SL); head length 2.7-3.0 times in SL; pectoral fins 1.5 - 1.7 times in head length; pelvic fins reaching or nearly reaching anus. Caudal fin rounded; dorsal fin membranes distinctly indented between the spines. Interorbital area convex; preopercle rounded, finely serrate, the lower edge fleshy; subopercle and interopercle interopercle with a few small serrae covered with skin; upper edge of operculum convex. Maxilla scaly, reaching vertical at rear edge of eye or beyond. Lateral body scales ctenoid, without auxiliary scales.

Colour: Reddish orange, the head, body and median fins covered with small blue spots; fins blackish distally, the soft dorsal, caudal and anal fins with a narrow bluish margin; horizontal blue line just below eye. CADENAT (1951) and SÉRET (1981) mentioned a black variety that also has blue spots; it is much less common than the orange variety

According to SÉRET (1981), C. taeniops attains 40 cm. Reports of larger specimens are dubious.

GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRBUTION

Eastern Atlantic from West Sahara to Angola, including the Cape Verde Islands, Principe Island and São Tomé Island. Reports from the Western Atlantic ( STEINDACHNER, 1882) are probably the result of Confusion with Cephalopholis fulva .

REMARKS

Cephalopholis taeniops prefers sandy and rocky bottoms in depths of 20-200 m. B. SÉRET informs me that this species is now imported from Sénégal and marketted in France. It is an important species in the fishery at Dakar.

MATERIAL EXAMINED

CAPE VERDE ISLANDS: MNHN A. 7720 (31 cm), holotype of Serranus taeniops VALENCIENNES ; MNHN 1962-74 (162 mm.); Porto Praia , MNHN 6233 (220 mm.). SÉNÉGAL: Dakar, CAS/ SU 15899 (130 mm.); MNHN 7263 (175 mm.). SÃO TOMÉ: MNHN 1900-293 (134 mm.).

Figures

Fig. 3 - Cephalopholis taeniops, 16 cm. SL, Sénégal, from STEINDACHNER, 1882.

Fig. 1 - Diagramatic illustration of a grouper's head to show method of measuring maxilla width (MW); UL =upper lip; SM=supramaxilla.

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