Tubbia Whitley

Last, Peter R., Daley, Ross K. & Duhamel, Guy, 2013, A review of the rudderfish genus Tubbia (Stromateoidei: Centrolophidae) with the description of a new species from the Southern Hemisphere, Zootaxa 3616 (5), pp. 461-477 : 462-463

Genus Tubbia Whitley

Tubbia Whitley 1943: 178 . Type: Tubbia tasmanica Whitley 1943 , by original designation.

Definition. Centrolophid fishes with a soft, flabby, elongate and strongly compressed body, its shape varying ontogenetically, with adults much more elongate than young; dorsal fin single, long-based, low, not notched, with 46–53 elements; anal fin long based, with 32–38 elements; fin spines (4–6 in dorsal and 2–3 in anal fin) soft, indistinct from and grading into flexible rays; dorsal-fin origin above pectoral-fin base; pectoral and pelvic fins reduced in adults; bases of unpaired fins covered in thick, scaly skin with deep cutaneous furrows; longitudinal rows of small pores present on body, most obvious on head and adjacent dorsal and anal fins; skin supported by short papillose fibres (evident on body as papillae when skin removed); vertebral count relatively high, with 40–45 centra (including hypural).

Remarks. Ahlstrom et al. (1976) believed the pattern of predorsal bones was so distinctive that Tubbia needed to be considered as valid. McDowall (1979) followed suit by noting its similarity to some Schedophilus species and defining Tubbia by its unique vertebral count (i.e. 43–44 total centra including the hypural; a count from Haedrich and Horn (1972) of 46 centra was confirmed by McDowall as being erroneous). The counts obtained herein of 40–45 extend this range but are still well outside Schedophilus (i.e. 25–30; McDowall, 1979).