Oligoplites saliens (Bloch 1793)

Ceríaco, Luis M. P., Santos, Bruna S., Semedo, Thiago B. F., Garcia, Lucas Canes & Moreira, Cristiano Rangel, 2023, The fish collection of José Mariano da Conceição Veloso (1742 - 1811) and the beginning of ichthyological research in Brazil, with a taxonomic description of the extant specimens, Zootaxa 5391 (1), pp. 1-85 : 39

Oligoplites saliens (Bloch 1793)

Extant specimens: MCUC ZOO.0000007 ( Fig. 24a ) and MCUC ZOO.0000030 ( Fig. 24b ).

Classification on the specimen: “P. Th. Scomber cordyla ” ( MCUC ZOO.0000007) and “P. Th. Scomber villosus ” ( MCUC ZOO.0000030).

Common names on the specimen (Portuguese/Tupi): Solteira/ None.

Comments: This species was undescribed at the time Veloso prepared it. No reference to the name Scomber villosus was found, suggesting that Veloso may have recognized this species as new and intended to name it. Scomber cordyla Linnaeus 1758 (= Megalaspis cordyla ) on the other hand was already described when Veloso prepared this specimen. However, the specific name is written with different lettering and on a piece of paper glued over what we believe was the original name, making a subsequent reclassification of this specimen. Megalaspis cordyla is a carangid fish from the Pacific, but morphologically similar to the species of the genus Oligoplites . On the back of the herbarium sheet of both specimens, there is a subsequent identification with the name Chorinemus saliens . This pencil inscription was certainly done by someone other than Veloso as genus Chorinemus Cuvier 1832 was described only after his death. There are 66 herborized specimens of Scomber in the Ajuda’s inventory ( Ferreira 1794), but no S. villosus or S. cordyla , is listed in the transference lists to the University of Coimbra. One specimen of S. cordyla is listed in the transference to the Lisbon Academy of Sciences and was not found in that collection. There is no reference to this species in the Ichthyologia Fluminensis. Presently, species of Oligoplites can be referred to as “Salteira” in certain parts of Brazil. Oligoplites saliens occurs in the Western Atlantic from Honduras to Uruguay ( Smith-Vaniz 2002).

Figures

FIGURE 24. Oligoplites saliens (Bloch 1793); a: MCUC ZOO.0000007, 460 mm SL; b: MCUC ZOO.0000030, 445 mm SL. Photos by Luis M. P. Ceríaco.