Psammoperca, RICHARDSON, 1844

Otero, Olga, 2004, Anatomy, systematics and phylogeny of both Recent and fossil latid fishes (Teleostei, Perciformes, Latidae), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 141 (1), pp. 81-133 : 85

GENUS PSAMMOPERCA RICHARDSON, 1844

1828 – Labrax Cuvier & Valenciennes.

1844 – Psammoperca Richardson.

Type species: Labrax waigiensis Cuvier & Valenciennes, 1828 .

Emended diagnosis: Latid genus characterized by: a smooth horizontal limb of the preoperculum; single supramaxilla without any anterior process; dorsal and anal pterygiophores bipartite; no uroneural; and smooth posterior border of the cleithrum.

It differs from Lates but resembles † Eolates in having one row of lateral line scales on the caudal fin. It differs from Lates in having the nostrils widely separated on each side of the head and several supralamellar toothpatches only on the outer face of the first four gill arches and one tooth patch on the basihyal (both those characters are unknown in † Eolates ). In addition, Psammoperca is the only latid showing the combination of the following characters: VC = 11+14(4); no parapophysis on the first 5–6 abdominal vertebrae; epineurals on the first 7–8 abdominal vertebrae; Predorsal = 0/0/0+II/I+I/ D = VII - I+12; A = III+8; C = (7/8)-I-8: 7-I-8(7/8); caudal fin with posterior bor- der rounded; caudal spur absent.

Occurrence: One Recent species in the coastal Indo- Pacific marine waters.

Situation of Hypopterus: This genus was put in synonymy with Psammoperca by Greenwood (1976), who considered the type species of the genus Hypopterus ( Psammoperca macroptera Günther, 1859 ) as a synonym of P. waigiensis . Several authors ( Allen & Swainston, 1988; Paxton et al., 1989) consider this taxon to be a valid genus. The question is not discussed here, and no specimen attributed to Hypopterus has been examined.