COMMENTS
v. 10.0 – 15 Aug. 2024 view/download PDF
Family HAEMULIDAE Grunts
21 genera · 138 species/subspecies
Subfamily HAEMULINAE
Anisotremus Gill 1861 anisos, unequal; tremus, aperture or hole, presumably referring to pair of close-set but morphologically different nares on each side of head of A. virginicus: posterior naris is small and oval-shaped and posterior margin of anterior naris is extended as a flap
Anisotremus caesius (Jordan & Gilbert 1882) silver gray (sometimes used for bluish gray), described as “grayish-silvery above” in life
Anisotremus davidsonii (Steindachner 1875) in honor of “revered friend” (translation) George Davidson (1825-1911), astronomer, geographer, and President of the California Academy of Sciences, for his contributions to the research of natural history in California (one of several California coast fishes Steindachner described after a voyage around South America from Boston to San Francisco)
Anisotremus espinozai Acevedo-Álvarez, Ruiz-Campos & Domínguez-Domínguez 2021 in honor of Eduardo Espinoza, conservationist and resource manager, Galapagos National Park Marine Reserve, Ecuador, who “strongly contributed” to the conservation and knowledge of Galapagos fishes
Anisotremus interruptus (Gill 1862) broken or interrupted, referring to black midlateral stripe in young specimens, from eye to a point just before caudal-fin base, where it is interrupted
Anisotremus perezponcedeleoni Acevedo-Álvarez, Ruiz-Campos & Domínguez-Domínguez 2021 in honor of parasitologist Gerardo Pérez Ponce de León, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico, who has “strongly contributed” to the study and knowledge of the systematics and phylogeny of helminth parasites of fishes in Latin America
Anisotremus scapularis (Tschudi 1846) of the shoulder, referring to large black spot at axil of pectoral fin
Anisotremus surinamensis (Bloch 1791) –ensis, suffix denoting place: Suriname, type locality (occurs in western Atlantic from Bahamas and Florida south to Uruguay)
Anisotremus taeniatus Gill 1861 banded, referring to dark-edged blue stripes on bright-yellow body
Anisotremus virginicus (Linnaeus 1758) –icus, belonging to: presumably named for Virginia (USA), but Linnaeus said type specimen came from South America and the western Atlantic distribution of this species extends only as far north as Florida
Boridia Cuvier 1830 etymology not explained, perhaps from Boridia, a name used by Xenocrates (ca. 396/5-314/3 BC) for an unidentified fish that Cuvier applied to this genus
Boridia grossidens Cuvier 1830 grossus, large; dens, teeth, referring to 6-8 enlarged anterior teeth on both jaws
Brachydeuterus Gill 1862 brachy, short; deuterus, second, referring to second dorsal fin as short as or shorter than first
Brachydeuterus auritus (Valenciennes 1832) eared, referring to large black spot at operculum
Brachygenys Poey 1868 brachy, short; genys, chin, referring to smaller mouth compared to Haemulon, cleft of mouth of B. taeniatum (=chrysargyreum) less than ⅓ in head
Brachygenys californiensis (Steindachner 1875) –ensis, suffix denoting place: San Diego, California (USA), type locality (occurs off southern California south to Gulf of California, México)
Brachygenys chrysargyrea (Günther 1859) chrysos, gold; argyreum, silvery, referring to silvery ground color; a narrow, golden, longitudinal streak descending from dorsal-fin origin to center of head; and five golden, parallel, longitudinal bands on sides
Brachygenys jessiae (Jordan & Bollman 1890) a “beautiful and most graceful fish” named for the senior author’s second wife, Jessie Knight Jordan (1866-1952)
Brachygenys peruana (Hildebrand 1946) Peruvian, named for Lobos de Tierra Island, Peru, type locality
Conodon Cuvier 1830 conus, cone; odon, tooth, referring to row of conical teeth on both jaws
Conodon macrops Hildebrand 1946 macro-, large; ops, eye, referring to its big eyes, nearly as long as snout
Conodon nobilis (Linnaeus 1758) well-known, majestic or excellent, allusion not explained nor evident
Conodon serrifer Jordan & Gilbert 1882 serra, saw; fero, to bear, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to smaller, more slender (i.e., saw-like) outer teeth compared to thicker and stronger outer teeth of C. nobilis
Emmelichthyops Schultz 1945 ops, appearance, referring to similarity to and presumed close relationship with Emmelichthys (Acanthuriformes: Emmelichthyidae)
Emmelichthyops atlanticus Schultz 1945 –icus, belonging to: referring to distribution in western Atlantic from southern Florida (USA) and Bahamas south to Venezuela, including Caribbean Sea
Haemulon Cuvier 1829 haemo-, blood; oulon, gums, referring to vivid red color inside mouth of H. elegans (=sciurus) and most congeners
Haemulon album Cuvier 1830 albus, white, referring to dull silvery white body color
Haemulon atlanticus Carvalho, Marceniuk, Oliveira & Wosiacki 2020 named for the Atlantic Ocean, referring to distribution along western Atlantic coast of Costa Rica to Santa Catarina, Brazil (proposed as a noun in apposition, not an adjective)
Haemulon aurolineatum Cuvier 1830 auro-, gold; lineatus, lined, referring to two bronze-yellow stripes, one along midline from snout to tail base, the other along upper side, plus other thin, faint yellow stripes in between
Haemulon bonariense Cuvier 1830 –ense, suffix denoting place: Buenos Aires, Argentina, type locality (occurs in western Atlantic from Antilles south to northern Argentina, including Caribbean Sea)
Haemulon boschmae boschmae (Metzelaar 1919) in honor of Hilbrand Boschma (1893-1976), Dutch zoologist and director of the Rijksmuseum of Natural History in Leiden [although named after a man, “ae” is an acceptable way to form a genitive from a masculine noun than ends in “a”]
Haemulon boschmae castroaguirrei Acero P. & Tavera 2023 in honor of Mexican ichthyologist José Luis Castro Aguirre (1943-2011), who discovered the presence of this subspecies in the Gulf of Mexico
Haemulon carbonarium Poey 1860 coaly, alluding to its common name in Cuba (type locality), Ronco carbonero, presumably referring to black dorsal, anal and caudal fins, and blackish paired fins
Haemulon flaviguttatum Gill 1862 flavus, yellow; guttatus, spotted, referring to “sulphur-colored” spots in the center of each scale (actually white or pale in life, yellow in alcohol)
Haemulon flavolineatum (Desmarest 1823) flavus, yellow; lineatus, lined, referring to ~12 bright yellow-to-orange stripes on sides
Haemulon macrostoma Günther 1859 macro-, large; stoma, mouth, referring to “very wide” cleft of mouth
Haemulon maculicauda (Gill 1862) maculosus, spotted; cauda, tail, referring to oblong black spot at end of caudal peduncle
Haemulon melanurum (Linnaeus 1758) melano-, black; oura, tailed, referring to horizontal, black sideways V on caudal fin
Haemulon parra (Desmarest 1823) in honor of Portuguese-Cuban naturalist Antonio Parra (1739-?), author of the first natural history of Cuba (type locality) [presumably a noun in apposition, without the patronymic “i”]
Haemulon plumierii (Lacepède 1801) in honor of Charles Plumier (1646-1704), Franciscan monk and naturalist, on whose drawing description is based
Haemulon sciurus (Shaw 1803) squirrel, named for “Squirrel-fish,” one if its common names (in addition to “grunt”) of the “American seas,” presumably referring to grunting sounds produced by the grinding its pharyngeal teeth, amplified by the air bladder, especially when out of the water
Haemulon scudderii Gill 1862 in honor of entomologist-paleontologist Samuel Hubbard Scudder (1837-1911), “now engaged in the study of Hæmulon and the allied genera” under Louis Agassiz
Haemulon sexfasciatum Gill 1862 sex, six; fasciatus, banded, referring to 5-6 thick, blackish bars on upper sides of body
Haemulon squamipinna Rocha & Rosa 1999 squama, scale; pinna, fin, referring to scaled pectoral fin
Haemulon steindachneri (Jordan & Gilbert 1882) in honor of Austrian ichthyologist Franz Steindachner (1834-1919), who reported this species as H. caudimacula (=parra) in 1875
Haemulon striatum (Linnaeus 1758) striped, referring to five bronze-to-brown stripes along upper ⅔ of head and body
Haemulon vittatum (Poey 1860) banded, presumably referring to broad greenish stripe from eye to base of caudal fin and 3-4 brownish stripes above that
Haemulopsis Steindachner 1869 opsis, appearance, presumably referring to similarity with Haemulon and/or previous placement of type species, H. corvinaeformis, in it
Haemulopsis axillaris (Steindachner 1869) axillary, referring to large inky-black spot at axil of pectoral fin
Haemulopsis corvinaeformis (Steindachner 1868) Corvina (=Sciaena); formis, shape, allusion not explained but probably referring to its resemblance to drums or croakers of the genus Sciaena (Sciaenidae)
Haemulopsis elongata (Steindachner 1879) elongate, proposed (without description) as a variety (or subspecies) of H. leuciscus, presumably referring to its more elongate body
Haemulopsis leuciscus (Günther 1864) leukiskos, Greek word for chub, probably derived from leukos, white, referring to “bright silvery” scales
Haemulopsis nitida (Steindachner 1869) shining, referring to “golden shimmer” (translation) of lower body
Isacia Jordan & Fesler 1893 latinization of Isaki, Japanese name of Parapristipoma trilineatum
Isacia conceptionis (Cuvier 1830) –is, genitive singular of: Concepción, Chile, type locality
Microlepidotus Gill 1862 micro-, small; lepidotus, scaled, referring to smaller scales compared to Haemulon; also, Gill enigmatically added, name is given “in imitation of Hemilepidotus,” a genus of sculpins (Perciformes: Cottoidei: Cottidae)
Microlepidotus brevipinnis (Steindachner 1869) brevis, short; pinnis, finned, referring to lower dorsal and anal fins compared to Haemulopsis axillaris, described in same publication and its presumed congener at the time
Microlepidotus inornatus Gill 1862 undecorated or unadorned, presumably referring to absence of spots, stripes or other markings (described as “brownish, tinges with a golden hue”)
Microlepidotus lethopristis (Jordan & Fesler 1889) lethos, to forget; pristis, saw, referring to unserrated (smooth) preopercle
Orthopristis Girard 1858 orthos, straight; pristis, saw, referring to nearly straight, evenly serrated preopercle of O. duplex (=chrysoptera)
Orthopristis cantharina (Jenyns 1840) –inus, adjectival suffix: referring to oblong-oval shape, “much resembling” that of the sparid (Acanthuriformes) Cantharus griseus (=Spondyliosoma cantharus)
Orthopristis chalcea (Günther 1864) bronze or copper, described as “Bronze-coloured, shining silvery, perfectly immaculate”
Orthopristis chrysoptera (Linnaeus 1766) chrysos, gold; ptera, finned, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to rows of bronze spots on soft dorsal fin and/or yellowish pectoral and ventral fins
Orthopristis forbesi Jordan & Starks 1897 in honor of Stephen Alfred Forbes (1844-1930), University of Illinois, for his work on Percidae (Perciformes)
Orthopristis reddingi Jordan & Richardson 1895 in honor of Benjamin B. Redding (1824-1882), first Fish Commissioner of California, “a man deeply interested in scientific research,” to whom the junior author “has been indebted for many favors, in his former capacity of superintendent of the California Fish Hatching Station at Sisson”
Orthopristis rubra (Cuvier 1830) red, reported to Cuvier as being a “beautiful red” (translation) in life (but actually blue-gray above and silver below)
Orthopristis scapularis Fowler 1915 of the shoulder, referring to large, dusky brown humeral blotch
Parakuhlia Pellegrin 1913 para-, near, similar in general appearance to Kuhlia caudavittata and presumed to be related to Kuhlia (Centrarchiformes: Kuhliidae) due to shared presence of well-developed pseudobranchia
Parakuhlia macrophthalma (Osório 1893) macro-, large; ophthalma, eyed, allusion not explained but clearly referring to its large eyes
Paranisotremus Tavera, Acero P. & Wainwright 2018 para-, near, referring to close appearance to and previous placement in Anisotremus
Paranisotremus moricandi (Ranzani 1842) in honor of naturalist Moïse Etienne (Stéfano) Moricand (1779-1854), who provided a collection of Brazilian fishes (including type of this one) to the Natural History Museum of Geneva, where he served as treasurer and secretary
Pomadasys Lacepède 1802 poma, lid or covering; dasys, rough, referring to serrate preopercle
Pomadasys aheneus McKay & Randall 1995 alternate spelling of aeneus, bronze or brassy, referring to brassy-yellow anterodorsal coloration in life
Pomadasys andamanensis McKay & Satapoomin 1994 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Andaman Sea, Thailand, where type locality (Phuket Island) is situated
Pomadasys argenteus (Forsskål 1775) silvery, presumably referring to silvery-mauve body color
Pomadasys argyreus (Valenciennes 1833) silvery, referring to “shiny silver” (translation) color over most of body
Pomadasys auritus (Cuvier 1830) eared, referring to “unusual extension” (translation) of gill cover and angle of opercle, reaching nearly to middle of pectoral fin
Pomadasys bipunctatus Kner 1898 bi-, two; punctatus, spotted, allusion not explained nor evident (brief description does not include coloration and no illustrations or photographs are known) [provisionally treated as a valid species based on inclusion on two checklists without evaluation of its taxonomic status]
Pomadasys commersonnii (Lacepède 1801) in honor of French naturalist Philibert Commerçon (also spelled Commerson, 1727-1773), whose notes and illustration provided the descriptive material for Lacepède
Pomadasys empherus Bussing 1993 empheres, Greek for like or similar, referring to similarity to Pomadasys (now Rhencus) macracanthus
Pomadasys furcatus (Bloch & Schneider 1801) forked, referring to six dark stripes on sides, the second to fourth bifurcating anteriorly
Pomadasys grunniens (Bloch & Schneider 1801) Latin for grunting, presumably referring to sounds produced by the grinding of its pharyngeal teeth, amplified by the air bladder, especially when out of the water
Pomadasys incisus (Bowdich 1825) notched, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to deeply notched dorsal fin
Pomadasys jubelini (Cuvier 1830) in honor of Jean Jubelin (1787-1860), French governor of Senegal (1828-1829), type locality
Pomadasys kaakan (Cuvier 1830) local name for this fish in Puducherry (or Pondicherry), India, co-type locality (occurs in Red Sea and Indo-West Pacific from East Africa, Socotra, Persian Gulf and Madagascar east to Philippines and Papua New Guinea, north to southern Japan, south to Australia)
Pomadasys laurentino (Smith 1953) “Named to commemorate the many desperate battles with the seas of the Moçambique channel by the trawler Laurentino” (presumably vessel from which type was collected)
Pomadasys maculatus (Bloch 1793) spotted, referring to several dark large elongate blotches on upper back, one forming a saddle on nape
Pomadasys multimaculatus (Playfair 1867) multi-, many; maculatum, spotted, referring to head, back, dorsal fin, and upper part of sides “thickly covered” with small brown spots (one at base of each scale, smaller and closer on occiput), and those on lower body “minutely punctulated with brown”
Pomadasys olivaceus (Day 1875) olive-colored, referring to “olive-grey” body color
Pomadasys perotaei (Cuvier 1830) in honor of botanist and explorer Georges (Guerrard or Gustave Samuel Perrotet (1793-1867 or 1870), spelled “Pérotet” by Cuvier and presumably latinized as “Perotae”), who collected type
Pomadasys punctulatus (Rüppell 1838) diminutive of punctum, spot, i.e., dotted, referring to “slightly wavy longitudinal rows of small dense brown spots” (translation) on upper ⅔ of body
Pomadasys quadrilineatus Shen & Lin 1984 quadri-, four; lineatus, lined, referring to four gold-yellow stripes on body (disappearing in spirits)
Pomadasys ramosus (Poey 1860) branched, referring to very branched (“trés-branchus”) soft rays of ventral fins
Pomadasys rogerii (Cuvier 1830) in honor of Jacques-François Roger (1787-1849), jurist, agronomist, colonial administrator, and governor (1821-1827) of Senegal, type locality
Pomadasys schyrii Steindachner 1900 patronym not explained but probably named (per Ronald Fricke, pers. comm) for Schyri, an old name for Scheyern, the counts of whom were the ancestors of the Wittelsbach family, which included Princess Therese of Bavaria (1850-1925), an explorer and amateur naturalist who collected type [Steindachner changed spelling from schyrii to schryi in 1902 but original spelling stands]
Pomadasys striatus (Gilchrist & Thompson 1908) striped, referring to three dark longitudinal lines on each side
Pomadasys stridens (Forsskål 1775) strident (i.e., grunting), presumably referring to sounds produced by grinding of pharyngeal teeth, amplified by the air bladder, especially when out of the water
Pomadasys suillus (Valenciennes 1833) swinish or pig-like, allusion not explained, possibly referring to pig-like grunts produced by grinding of pharyngeal teeth, amplified by the air bladder, especially when out of the water
Pomadasys taeniatus McKay & Randall 1995 banded, referring to seven undivided dark-bronze longitudinal stripes in life
Pomadasys trifasciatus Fowler 1937 tri-, three; fasciatus, banded, referring to three broad, dark longitudinal bands on body
Pomadasys unimaculatus Tian 1982 uni-, one; maculatus, spotted, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to coffee-colored predorsal blotch, which does not extend below lateral line, unlike predorsal blotch of P. maculatus, which does
Rhencus Jordan & Evermann 1896 Greek for snore, referring to the grunting sound haemulids produce (hence the “grunt” name) by grinding their pharyngeal teeth, amplified by the air bladder, especially when out of the water
Rhencus macracanthus (Günther 1864) macro-, long or large; acanthus, spined (proposed as an adjective), presumably referring to its “exceedingly strong” (and long) dorsal- and anal-fin spines
Rhencus panamensis (Steindachner 1875) –ensis, suffix denoting place: Bay of Panama, Panama, type locality (occurs in eastern Pacific from Gulf of California south to Peru)
Rhonciscus Jordan & Evermann 1896 diminutive of rhencus, Greek for snore, referring to the grunting sound haemulids produce (hence their common name) by grinding their pharyngeal teeth, amplified by the air bladder, especially when out of the water
Rhonciscus bayanus (Jordan & Evermann 1898) –anus, belonging to: Río Bayano, Panama, type locality (occurs in eastern Pacific from Baja California south to Ecuador)
Rhonciscus branickii (Steindachner 1879) in honor of Hieronim Florian Radziwill Konstanty, Count Branicki (1823-1884), Polish nobleman who employed ornithologist Jan Stolzmann (also spelled Sztolcman, 1854-1928), who collected type
Rhonciscus crocro (Cuvier 1830) local name for this grunt at Martinique Island, West Indies, type locality (occurs in western Atlantic from Florida and Antilles south to Brazil)
Rhonciscus pauco Tavera, Schärer-Umpierre & Acero P. 2022 in honor of Edwin Font, nicknamed Paúco, a fisher who provided the initial collection of this species and who shared traditional ecological knowledge about it [presumably a noun in apposition, without the patronymic “i”]
Xenichthys Gill 1863 xenos, strange or foreign (i.e., different), referring to a combination of characters presented by X. xanti (e.g., absence of teeth on palatine, seven branchiostegal rays), which might cause, Gill said, “some doubt as to the affinities of this genus”; ichthys, fish
Xenichthys agassizii Steindachner 1875 patronym not identified but almost certainly in honor of zoologist-geologist Louis Agassiz (1807-1873)
Xenichthys rupestris Hildebrand 1946 living among rocks, described from a rocky inlet in Lobos de Afuera Bay, Peru, type locality
Xenichthys xanti Gill 1863 in honor of John Xantus de Vesey (1825-1894), Hungarian exile and zoologist, “to whom we are indebted for the noble collection of fishes and other animals of Lower [Baja] California [including type of this one], and who has, more than any other single man, contributed to our knowledge of the natural history of the Western coast”
Subfamily PLECTORHINCHINAE
Diagramma Oken 1817 tautonymous with Anthias diagramma Bloch 1792 (=D. pictum), which was based on a misidentified Perca diagramma (now Plectorhinchus diagrammus) Linnaeus 1758, yet is treated as an independent new-species description since a well-entrenched genus in the literature is based on it; etymology of Linnaeus’ original application of diagramma is uncertain, perhaps meaning “figure marked by lines” or “divided lines,” either way almost certainly referring to “irregular longitudinal yellow lines” (translation) of subadult P. diagrammus as described by Gronovius 1754, which Linnaeus cited [treated as a junior synonym nested within Plectorhinchus by some workers]
Diagramma labiosum Macleay 1883 large-lipped, referring to its smooth, fleshy lips
Diagramma melanacrum Johnson & Randall 2001 melanos, black; akros, tip or at the end, referring to black outer part of anal and pelvic fins and lower part of caudal fin
Diagramma pictum (Thunberg 1792) painted, referring to black bands on silver or white body of juveniles
Diagramma punctatum Cuvier 1830 spotted, referring to dark spots on head and body of subadults and adults
Genyatremus Gill 1862 genys, chin; a-, without; tremus, aperture or hole, similar to Anisotremus but lacking central pore or groove on chin
Genyatremus dovii (Günther 1864) in honor of John Melmoth Dow (1827-1892), Panama Railroad Company, ship captain and amateur naturalist, who sent a collection of Central American fishes to the British Museum, including type of this one [“w” latinized as a “v”]
Genyatremus luteus (Bloch 1790) yellow, referring to yellow or golden fins in life
Genyatremus pacifici (Günther 1864) of the Pacific Ocean, described from Chiapam, Guatemala, and occurring in eastern Pacific from Costa Rica to Peru
Parapristipoma Bleeker 1873 para-, near, i.e., similar to Pristipoma Cuvier 1829 (=Pomadasys) [not to be confused with Pristipoma Quoy & Gaimard 1824 (=Pelates) in Centrarchiformes: Terapontidae]
Parapristipoma humile (Bowdich 1825) low, presumably referring to forehead with “but little elevation” (italics in original)
Parapristipoma macrops (Pellegrin 1912) macro-, large; ops, eye, referring to larger eye compared to Diagramma citrinellum (=P. humile)
Parapristipoma octolineatum (Valenciennes 1833) octo-, eight; lineatum, lined, referring to four longitudinal stripes on each side, for a total of eight
Parapristipoma trilineatum (Thunberg 1793) tri-, three; lineatus, lined, referring to three white lines or stripes (“lineis tribus albis”) along body
Plectorhinchus Lacepède 1801 plecto-, plaited; rhynchus, snout, referring to skin folds on snout folded into upper lip of P. chaetodonoides
Plectorhinchus albovittatus (Rüppell 1838) albus, white; vittatus, striped, referring to white-to-yellow stripes on body of juveniles
Plectorhinchus caeruleonothus Johnson & Worthington Wilmer 2015 caeruleus, blue, referring to blue sheen in life; nothus, bastard, referring to name applied to grunts by anglers due to their difficulty to hook and land on artificial fly; this grunt was called “Blue Bastard” years before it was scientifically named
Plectorhinchus centurio (Cuvier 1830) centurion (professional officer of the Roman army), perhaps referring to capitaine, local name for this species among French colonists in the Seychelles (type locality)
Plectorhinchus ceylonensis (Smith 1956) –ensis, suffix denoting place: Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), type locality (occurs in eastern Indian Ocean off Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Andaman Islands)
Plectorhinchus chaetodonoides Lacepède 1801 –oides, having the form of: Chaetodon (Acanthuriformes: Chaetodontidae), which at that time included both butterflyfishes and angelfishes (Pomacanthidae), referring to angelfish-like serrated operculum and presumed close relationship with that genus
Plectorhinchus chrysotaenia (Bleeker 1855) chrysos, gold; taenia, banded, referring to multiple yellow stripes along body
Plectorhinchus chubbi (Regan 1919) in honor of ornithologist Ernest Charles Chubb (1884-1972), Curator of the Durban Museum (South Africa); type specimen was collected off the coast of Durban and description appeared in the Museum’s publication
Plectorhinchus cinctus (Temminck & Schlegel 1843) belt or girdle, referring to wide, brown bands on body of juveniles
Plectorhinchus diagrammus (Linnaeus 1758) etymology uncertain, perhaps meaning “figure marked by lines” or “divided lines,” either way almost certainly referring to “irregular longitudinal yellow lines” (translation) of subadults as described by Gronovius 1754, which Linnaeus cited
Plectorhinchus flavomaculatus (Cuvier 1830) flavus, yellow; maculatus, spotted, referring to small orange spots on upper body
Plectorhinchus gaterinus (Forsskål 1775) adjectival form of gaterin, Arabic name for this species along the Red Sea of Saudi Arabia, type locality
Plectorhinchus gibbosus (Lacepède 1802) humpbacked, referring to high body with convex dorsal profile
Plectorhinchus griseus (Cuvier 1830) gray, described as having a light-brown or ash-gray body with gray fins tinged with pink
Plectorhinchus lessonii (Cuvier 1830) in honor of René Lesson (1794-1849), French surgeon-naturalist, who created drawing upon which description is based
Plectorhinchus lineatus (Linnaeus 1758) lined, presumably referring to multiple dark bands on body, horizontal on juveniles and subadults, oblique on adults
Plectorhinchus macrolepis (Boulenger 1899) macro-, large; lepis, scale, referring to larger scales between dorsal fin and lateral line compared to the similar Diagramma crassispinum (=P. gibbosus)
Plectorhinchus macrospilus Satapoomin & Randall 2000 macro-, large; spilos, mark or spot, referring to distinct large black spots on body and fins
Plectorhinchus makranensis Damadi, Moghaddam, Ghassemzadeh & Ghanbarifardi 2020 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Makran, coastal region of southeastern Iran and southwestern Pakistan, where type locality (Beris coast, Gulf of Oman, Sistan and Baluchestan provinces, Iran) is situated
Plectorhinchus mediterraneus (Guichenot 1850) referring to its occurrence in the eastern Mediterranean Sea (also occurs in eastern Atlantic from Portugal south to Namibia, including Madeira)
Plectorhinchus multivittatus (Macleay 1878) multi-, many; vittatus, banded, referring to wavy horizontal lines on face and dense yellow spots forming oblique wavy lines on upper sides
Plectorhinchus paulayi Steindachner 1895 in honor of Stefan Paulay (1839-1913), ship’s surgeon and botanist who took part in expeditions of the Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften, including a trip to Mauritius, where he collected or secured type
Plectorhinchus pica (Cuvier 1828) magpie, probably referring to black-and-white color of juveniles, similar to the color of the European Magpie, Pica pica [often incorrectly treated as an adjective and misspelled picus]
Plectorhinchus pictus (Tortonese 1936) painted, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to dark spots on body and dorsal and anal fins of adults
Plectorhinchus plagiodesmus Fowler 1935 plagio, oblique; desmus, band (according to Fowler), referring to four blackish, oblique bands on body
Plectorhinchus playfairi (Pellegrin 1914) in honor of Lieut.-Col. Robert Lambert Playfair (1828-1899), British Consul to the Sultanate of Oman in Zanzibar (Tanzania), who, with Albert Günther, described this species as a variety (i.e., subspecies) of Diagramma griseum (=P. griseus) in 1867 but did not name it
Plectorhinchus polytaenia (Bleeker 1853) poly, many; taenia, banded, referring to bold pattern of black-edged bluish stripes on sides of adults (juveniles with alternating brown and white stripes)
Plectorhinchus schotaf (Forsskål 1775) Arabic name (also spelled sofat) for this species along the Red sea
Plectorhinchus sordidus (Klunzinger 1870) dirty, presumably referring to its “dirty brown” (translation) fins
Plectorhinchus umbrinus (Klunzinger 1870) Latin for dull brown, described as having a “coffee brown” (translation) body
Plectorhinchus unicolor (Macleay 1883) uni-, one, referring to “uniform, dark gray” color in spirits, with a “greenish yellow tinge towards the belly”
Plectorhinchus vittatus (Linnaeus 1758) banded, referring to alternating black-and-white stripes on body of adults
Family LUTJANIDAE Snappers and Fusiliers
26 genera/subgeners · 137 species · Taxonomic note: includes taxa often placed in the family Caesionidae (now nested in Lutjanidae).
Subfamily ETELINAE
Aphareus Cuvier 1830 a name from an “unintelligible and probably corrupt passage from Aristotle, where it seems to designate a fin specific to the female of the tuna” (translation), which Cuvier applied this genus (also similar to its Arabic name farès, but this may be a coincidence)
Aphareus furca (Lacepède 1801) fork, referring to deeply forked caudal fin
Aphareus rutilans Cuvier 1830 reddening, referring to rusty or reddish color of head and back and pink fins [may belong in Pristipomoides]
Aprion Valenciennes 1830 a-, without; prion, saw, referring to smooth (unserrated) preoperculum
Aprion virescens Valenciennes 1830 greenish, referring to dark-green to bluish body color
Etelis Cuvier 1828 a name “quoted once in Aristotle, without any detail that can help us recognize to which fish it belongs” (translation), which Cuvier applied to this genus
Etelis boweni Andrews, Fernandez-Silva, Randall & Ho 2021 in honor of Brian W. Bowen, Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawaiʻi, his contributions to ichthyology, and in particular for his use of molecular genetic techniques in support of fish taxonomy
Etelis carbunculus Cuvier 1828 a red precious stone, referring to its “sparkling ruby color, highlighted with golden longitudinal lines” (translation)
Etelis coruscans Valenciennes 1862 to flame or flash, named for le Vivaneau flame, the Red Snapper, its local name among the fishermen of Bourbon (now Réunion), Mascarene Islands (type locality), referring to its “red, lively and brilliant color” (translation)
Etelis oculatus (Valenciennes 1828) eyed, named for gros-yeux (big-eye), its local name in Martinique (type locality), believed to be a Serranus (Perciformes: Serranidae) with exceptionally large eyes
Etelis radiosus Anderson 1981 emitting many beams (i.e., rayed), referring to large number of gill-rakers on first gill arch (33-36), compared to 17-28 on congeners
Pristipomoides Bleeker 1852 –oides, having the form of: Pristipoma Cuvier 1829 (=Pomadasys, Haemulidae, then considered confamilial), but differing in the absence of lower jaw pores and strongly scaled caudal fin
Subgenus Pristipomoides
Pristipomoides auricilla (Jordan, Evermann & Tanaka 1927) aurum, gold; cilia, tail, presumably referring to upper lobe of caudal fin a “vivid clear yellow”
Pristipomoides filamentosus (Valenciennes 1830) filamentous, referring to elongate last soft ray of dorsal fin
Pristipomoides flavipinnis Shinohara 1963 flavus, yellow; pinnis, fin, referring to yellowish dorsal and anal fins, light yellowish-rose pectoral and ventral fins, and yellowish margin of caudal fin
Pristipomoides multidens (Day 1871) multi-, many; dens, teeth, referring to six canines in lower jaw, and two large canines and “some smaller ones” in upper jaw, with villiform teeth on vomer and palate
Pristipomoides sieboldii (Bleeker 1855) patronym not identified, probably in honor of Philipp Franz von Siebold (1796-1866), German physician and traveler, who collected many of the fishes described in the Fauna Japonica monograph series (1833-1850)
Pristipomoides typus Bleeker 1852 serving as type of genus
Subgenus Platyinius Gill 1862 platys, flat; inion, nape, referring to “flattened” occiput of Mesoprion vorax (=P. macrophthalmus)
Pristipomoides amoenus (Snyder 1911) charming or beautiful, allusion not explained, presumably referring to Snyder’s opinion about its color and/or overall appearance (pink body color with yellow blotches on dorsal area in life)
Pristipomoides aquilonaris (Goode & Bean 1896) northern, from aquila, the north wind, presumably referring to its northerly distribution (Gulf of Mexico) compared to Etelis oculatus (Martinique Islands, West Indies), its presumed closest relative at the time
Pristipomoides argyrogrammicus (Valenciennes 1832) argyros, silver; grammicus, lined, referring to numerous silver (actually, silvery blue) wavy lines between yellow blotches on back and sides
Pristipomoides freemani Anderson 1966 in honor of marine biologist Harry W. Freeman (1923-2012), College of Charleston (Charleston, South Carolina, USA), who introduced Anderson to the study of fishes
Pristipomoides macrophthalmus (Müller & Troschel 1848) macro-, large; ophthalmus, eye, described as “larger than the space between the eyes, and amounts to a third of the length of the head”
Pristipomoides zonatus (Valenciennes 1830) banded, referring to four red-to-pink and four yellow oblique bars on sides
Randallichthys Anderson, Kami & Johnson 1977 in honor of John E. Randall (1924-2020), Bishop Museum (Honolulu), for numerous contributions to the understanding and appreciation of Indo-Pacific fishes; ichthys, fish
Randallichthys filamentosus (Fourmanoir 1970) filamentous, referring to several lower caudal-fin rays produced into long filaments on holotype (but not produced on other specimens)
Subfamily APSILINAE
Apsilus Valenciennes 1830 a-, not; psilos, bare or bald, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to caudal fin, the only fin that is not scaleless
Apsilus dentatus Guichenot 1843 toothed, referring to enlarged, canine-like teeth in anterior upper jaw (not enlarged on A. fuscus) [often incorrectly dated to 1853 French translation of original Spanish text]
Apsilus fuscus Valenciennes 1830 dusky, dark or swarthy, referring to its brown coloration
Lipocheilus Anderson, Talwar & Johnson 1977 lipos, fat; cheilus, lip, referring to fleshy projection of upper lip of adults [replacement name for Tangia Chan 1970, preoccupied by Tangia Stål 1859 in Hemiptera]
Lipocheilus carnolabrum (Chan 1970) carno-, fleshy; labrum, lip, referring to fleshy projection of upper lip of adults
Paracaesio Bleeker 1874 para-, near, presumed to be intermediate between Caesio and Maena (=Spicara, Acanthuriformes: Sparidae)
Paracaesio brevidentata White & Last 2012 brevis, short (or small, according to authors); dentata, toothed, referring to very small teeth, smaller than in congeners
Paracaesio caerulea (Katayama 1934) blue, referring to dark-blue color in spirits, slightly paler below
Paracaesio gonzalesi Fourmanoir & Rivaton 1979 in honor of Pedro C. Gonzales, Curator of Zoology at the National Museum of Manilla (Philippines), who first noticed this species at a Manilla fish market
Paracaesio kusakarii Abe 1960 in honor of T. Kusakari, Hachije Branch, Tokyo Prefectural Fisheries Experiment Station, “who has continued to co-operate with the present writer for the past eight years” (no other information available)
Paracaesio paragrapsimodon Anderson & Kailola 1992 paragrapsimos, exceptional; odon, tooth, referring to prominent exserted canine teeth at anterior ends of both upper and lower jaws
Paracaesio sordida Abe & Shinohara 1962 dirty, reflecting two local names in Japan, Yogore-aodai (yogore=dirty, aodai=P. tumidus [=xanthura] and Hinga-shitchu (hinga=dirty, shitchu=P. caerulea), presumably referring to deep-violet body color with deep-brown fins in life (dark-brown all over in alcohol)
Paracaesio stonei Raj & Seeto 1983 in honor of Robert Stone (no other information available), who caught type specimens with hook and line off Beqa Island, Fiji, in 1981
Paracaesio waltervadi Anderson & Collette 1992walter, derived from Walters; vadum, shoal, referring to Walters Shoals, Madagascar Ridge, western Indian Ocean, type locality
Paracaesio xanthurus (Bleeker 1869) xanthos, yellow; urus, tail, referring to bright-yellow caudal peduncle and fin (continuing a yellow band along the back) [name often spelled xanthura, treated as an adjective (tailed), but Bleeker consistently used the Greek oura (Latinized as urus) as a noun]
Parapristipomoides Kami 1973 para-, near, proposed as a subgenus of Pristipomoides
Parapristipomoides squamimaxillaris (Kami 1973) squamus, scale; maxillaris, of the jaw, referring to 4-7 oblique rows of scales on maxillary
Subfamily PARADICICHTHYINAE
subfamily proposed by Whitley 1930 for Paradicichthys venenatus, new genus and species, now a junior synonym of Symphorus nematophorus; etymology of Paradicichthys not explained but almost certainly an ichthys, fish, named for Whitley’s late friend and collaborator William E. J. Paradice (1897-1927), Surgeon Lieutenant-Commander, Royal Australian Navy and amateur naturalist, who wrote about P. venenatus in 1924 (Paradice was killed in a ferry collision on Sydney Harbour)
Symphorichthys Munro 1967 Symphorus, referring to previous placement of S. spilurus in that genus; ichthys, fish
Symphorichthys spilurus (Günther 1874) spilos, mark or spot; oura, tail, referring to large black spot on upper caudal peduncle of adults
Symphorus Günther 1872 etymology not explained nor evident, but here is a guess: sym [physis], grown together; phorus, bearer, referring to “One continuous dorsal fin” (i.e., bearing a dorsal fin in which the rayed and soft portions have grown together)
Symphorus nematophorus (Bleeker 1860) nemato-, thread; phorus, to bear, referring to one or more anterior dorsal soft rays produced into long filaments on young specimens
Subfamily LUTJANINAE
Caesio Lacepède 1801 from caesius, blue, referring to upper body of C. caerulaurea, described as a “sky blue most pleasant to the eye” (translation)
Subgenus Caesio
Caesio caerulaurea Lacepède 1801 caeuruleus, sky blue, referring to color of upper body; aurea, golden, referring to yellow stripe on sides (actually, upper body is blue-green and golden stripe is flanked by two thinner sky-blue stripes)
Caesio striata Rüppell 1830 striped, referring to four narrow, black, longitudinal stripes on upper sides
Caesio varilineata Carpenter 1987 vari-, various; lineata, lined, referring to variable number of golden stripes on sides (name also serves as an English mnemonic, “very lined,” referring to primary difference with C. caerulaurea, which has only one)
Caesio xanthalytos Holleman, Connell & Carpenter 2013 xanthos, yellow; alytos, continuous or unbroken (authors say it means “line”), referring to prominent deep-yellow band along middle of body
Subgenus Flavicaesio Carpenter 1987 flavus, yellow, referring to yellow color on caudal fin and parts of the body of all included species; Caesio, nominate genus
Caesio suevica Klunzinger 1884 –ica, belonging to: presumably referring to Gulf of Suez, just north of where type locality (El Qoseir, Red Sea Governorate, Egypt) is situated
Caesio teres Seale 1906 cylindrical, referring to more cylindrical shape compared to C. lunaris
Caesio xanthonota Bleeker 1853 xanthos, yellow; nota, back, referring to bright-yellow back and upper body
Subgenus Odontonectes Günther 1859 odontos, tooth; nectes, swimmer (i.e., a fish), presumably referring to “distinct bands of palatine and vomerine teeth” of C. erythrogaster (=cuning)
Caesio cuning (Bloch 1791) from Ikan (=fish) Tembra Cuning, its local name in Indonesia
Caesio lunaris Cuvier 1830 of the moon; Cuvier attributes name to Ehrenberg (who collected type), “no doubt because of the [crescent-shaped] row of scales on his neck” (translation), i.e., supratemporal scale band
Dipterygonotus Bleeker 1849 di-, two; pterygion, fin; notus, back, presumed to be a porgy (Acanthuriformes: Sparidae) but with “two diverging fins” (i.e., spinous portion of dorsal fin clearly different, and sometimes separated, from soft portion)
Dipterygonotus balteatus (Valenciennes 1830) belted or banded, described as having a silver stripe (actually tan) on upper body from orbit to caudal fin
Dipterygonotus marisrubri (Fricke, Golani & Appelbaum-Golani 2014) maris, sea; rubrus, red, referring to the Red Sea, where it is endemic
Gymnocaesio Bleeker 1876 gymnos, bare or naked, similar and/or related to Caesio but with scaleless median fins
Gymnocaesio gymnoptera (Bleeker 1856) gymnos, bare or naked; ptera, fin, referring to scaleless median fins (vs. scaled in Caesio)
Hoplopagrus Gill 1861 hoplo-, armed (with a weapon), allusion not explained, perhaps referring to the “armature” of its sharply serrate preopercle; pagrus, porgy, presumed to be intermediate between snappers and porgies (Pagrus, Acanthuriformes: Sparidae)
Hoplopagrus guentherii Gill 1862 in honor of ichthyologist-herpetologist Albert Günther (1830-1914), British Museum (Natural History), for “advances rendered [by him] towards a more natural classification of the Sparoids, Pristipomatoids and allied groups” (per Gill’s 1861 “communication” to the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia)
Lutjanus Bloch 1790 tautonymous with L. lutjanus, from Ikan (=fish) Lutjang, local Indonesian name for snappers (although Bloch believed it was from Japan)
Lutjanus adetii (Castelnau 1873) in honor of “Mr. Adet” (forename not available), a French merchant in Nouméa, New Caledonia, who collected all the fishes Castelnau studied during his stay in Nouméa, including type of this one
Lutjanus agennes Bleeker 1863 etymology not explained, perhaps agenes, of low family, referring to its similarity to L. modestus (=endecacanthus), i.e., the “modest or unassuming one”
Lutjanus alexandrei Moura & Lindeman 2007 in honor of “pioneer” Brazilian naturalist Alexandre Rodrigues Ferreira (1756-1815), “whose many years of field work in Brazil during the late 18th Century remain underrecognized due to the confiscation of his and others’ collections at Lisbon’s Museu da Ajuda in 1808”; Ferreira “collected many specimens that were ultimately described as new without any reference to his efforts”
Lutjanus analis (Cuvier 1828) anal, referring to pinkish or reddish anal fin (as are pelvic fins and lower part of tail)
Lutjanus apodus (Walbaum 1792) a-, without; podus, foot, described from an illustration missing the pectoral fins
Lutjanus aratus (Günther 1864) plowed, allusion not explained; according to Jordan & Evermann (1898), referring to dark-brown stripes on sides
Lutjanus argentimaculatus (Forsskål 1775) argentum, silver; maculatus, spotted, described as having silver spots, perhaps referring to light, sometimes white, color at margin of each scale
Lutjanus argentiventris (Peters 1869) argentum, silver; ventris, belly, referring to silvery belly, slightly washed with red
Lutjanus bengalensis (Bloch 1790) –ensis, suffix denoting place: Bengal, Bay of Bengal, eastern Indian Ocean, type locality (occurs in Indo-West Pacific from India and Myanmar east to Indonesia and Philippines, north to Ryukyu Islands, Japan)
Lutjanus biguttatus (Valenciennes 1830) bi-, two; guttatus, spotted, referring to two white spots on back below dorsal-fin base
Lutjanus bitaeniatus (Valenciennes 1830) bi-, two; taeniatus, banded, allusion not explained but described as easily distinguished from presumed congeners by the presence of two red lines crossing cheek below eye
Lutjanus bohar (Forsskål 1775) Bohár (also spelled Bhâr), Arabic name for this species along the Red Sea
Lutjanus boutton (Lacepède 1802) named for Boutton, a Dutch settlement in the Molucca Islands of Indonesia, presumably type locality
Lutjanus buccanella (Cuvier 1828) from boucanella, its local name in Martinique, West Indies, co-type locality
Lutjanus campechanus (Poey 1860) –anus, belonging to: off Campeche, Yucatán Peninsula, México, type locality (occurs in Gulf of Mexico and along east coast of USA)
Lutjanus carponotatus (Richardson 1842) karpos, wrist; notatus, marked, referring to blackish spot covering uppermost rays and upper axil of pectoral fin
Lutjanus coeruleolineatus (Rüppell 1838) coeruleo-, blue; lineatus, lined, referring to 7-8 narrow, blue longitudinal stripes on sides
Lutjanus colorado Jordan & Gilbert 1882 Spanish for red-colored, from its common name in México, Pargo colorado, referring to bright-red head and lower body
Lutjanus cyanopterus (Cuvier 1828) cyano-, blue; pterus, fin, described as having bluish-black (actually grayish-black) membranes of dorsal, anal and caudal fins
Lutjanus decussatus (Cuvier 1828) divided crosswise in the form of an X, referring to five longitudinal red bands crossed by seven vertical brown bands, thus creating a checkerboard-like pattern on body
Lutjanus dentatus (Duméril 1861) toothed, referring to longer and stronger teeth compared to its sympatric congener L. goreensis
Lutjanus dodecacanthoides (Bleeker 1854) –oides, having the form of: Mesoprion dodecacanthus (=L. malabaricus), both of which have, or have been reported to have, 12 dorsal-fin spines (duodecim, 12; acanthus, thorn or spine)
Lutjanus ehrenbergii (Peters 1869) in honor of Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg (1795-1876), German naturalist, comparative anatomist and microscopist, who collected type
Lutjanus endecacanthus Bleeker 1863 endeka, eleven; acanthus, thorn or spine, referring to 11 dorsal-fin spines (but usually 10)
Lutjanus erythropterus Bloch 1790 erythros, red; pterus, fin, referring to red fins except pelvics and pectorals, which are pinkish
Lutjanus fulgens (Valenciennes 1830) bright or brilliant, referring to the “brightest carmine” color of lower body and/or how background color “shines” with 15-56 longitudinal bands of the “most beautiful golden yellow” (translation)
Lutjanus fulviflamma (Forsskål 1775) fulvus, brownish yellow (but often used to mean yellow in general); flamma, fire (i.e., burning or bright), allusion not explained, perhaps referring to bright yellow color of upper body and tail seen on some specimens
Lutjanus fulvus (Forster 1801) fulvus, brownish yellow, referring to generally tan or brownish to pale yellow-white body color in life (generally yellowish tan to brown in alcohol)
Lutjanus fuscescens (Valenciennes 1830) darkish, presumably referring to greenish-brown body color, darker on back than on sides
Lutjanus gibbus (Forsskål 1775) humpbacked, referring to high, steeply sloping forehead of adults
Lutjanus goldiei (Macleay 1882) in honor of Andrew Goldie (1840-1891), Scottish-born merchant who collected type, a “well known New Guinea Explorer and Naturalist” who has “shown himself to be a most excellent and intelligent collector” (Macleay said Goldie’s fishes are well preserved and that he provided native names and notes on colors in life)
Lutjanus goreensis (Valenciennes 1830) –ensis, suffix denoting place: Gorée, Senegal, type locality (occurs along West African coast including Madeira, Canary and Cape Verde islands)
Lutjanus griseus (Linnaeus 1758) gray, referring to grayish body color (back and upper sides gray, greenish-gray or olive; lower sides and belly grayish with a reddish tinge)
Lutjanus guilcheri Fourmanoir 1959 in honor of André Guilcher (1913-1993), French geographer and researcher on coral reefs, part of the expedition during which type was collected (he also provided photographs)
Lutjanus guttatus (Steindachner 1869) spotted, referring to bluish spots on head and sides and/or large blackish blotch on upper back below posterior dorsal-fin spines
Lutjanus indicus Allen, White & Erdmann 2013 Indian, referring to occurrence in Indian Ocean (also occurs in Red Sea)
Lutjanus inermis (Peters 1869) unarmed, referring to thin or weak dorsal-fin spines
Lutjanus jocu (Bloch & Schneider 1801) from Jocú, local name for this snapper in Cuba as reported by Parra (1787)
Lutjanus johnii (Bloch 1792) in honor of Christoph Samuel John (1747-1813), a German missionary in the Danish colony of Tranquebar (now called Tharangambadi) in India, who collected natural history specimens for Bloch, including type of this snapper
Lutjanus jordani (Gilbert 1898) in honor of David Starr Jordan (1851-1931), Gilbert’s high-school teacher and ichthyological mentor, frequent collaborator, and colleague at Stanford University (California, USA)
Lutjanus kasmira (Forsskål 1775) from Kasjmiri, Arabic name for this species along the Red Sea
Lutjanus lemniscatus (Valenciennes 1828) adorned with ribbons or bands, presumably referring to broad, black horizontal band from snout (interrupted by eye) to caudal-fin base, bordered above and below by broad white bands
Lutjanus lunulatus (Park 1797) somewhat moon-shaped, referring to crescentic black band on caudal fin
Lutjanus lutjanus Bloch 1790 from Ikan (=fish) Lutjang, local Indonesian name for snappers (although Bloch believed it was from Japan)
Lutjanus madras (Valenciennes 1831) local name for this snapper among the fishermen of the Seychelles (type locality)
Lutjanus mahogoni (Cuvier 1828) mahogany, named for sarde acajou (Sardinian mahogany), its local name at Martinique Island, West Indies (type locality), referring to its brown coloration
Lutjanus malabaricus (Bloch & Schneider 1801) –icus, belonging to: Malabar (i.e., southern India), presumably referring to Coromandel coast of India, type locality (occurs in Indo-West Pacific from East Africa, north to southern Japan, south to Western Australia, New South Wales, and New Caledonia)
Lutjanus maxweberi Popta 1921 in honor of ichthyologist Max Weber (1852-1937), leader of the Siboga expedition (1898-1899) to Indonesia, during which type was collected
Lutjanus mizenkoi Allen & Talbot 1985 in honor of David Mizenko, School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island (USA), for his efforts in procuring type specimens and bringing to the authors’ attention that it may represent an undescribed species (Mizenko wrote his master’s thesis on Samoan snappers and purchased holotype at a Samoan fish market)
Lutjanus monostigma (Cuvier 1828) mono-, one; stigma, mark or spot, referring to black spot below anterior soft dorsal rays, bisected by lateral line (usually prominent in juveniles, gradually shrinking and changing from rounded to elongate as the fish grows)
Lutjanus notatus (Cuvier 1828) marked, referring to black spot frequently present below anterior part of soft dorsal fin at level of lateral line
Lutjanus novemfasciatus Gill 1862 novem, nine; fasciatus, banded, referring to nine faint vertical bands on body (dark on juveniles)
Lutjanus octolineatus (Cuvier 1828) octo-, eight; lineatus, lined, presumably referring to four blue bands on each side, for a total of eight
Lutjanus ophuysenii (Bleeker 1860) in honor of Johannes Adrianus Wilhelmus Van Ophuysen (1820-1890), a Dutch colonial administrator in Benkoelen (now Bengkulu, a province of Sumatra), Indonesia, and amateur naturalist, who collected type [Bleeker incorrectly gave initials as “J. J. W.”]
Lutjanus papuensis Allen, White & Erdmann 2013 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Cenderawasih Bay, West Papua, Indonesia, type locality and what appears to be a stronghold of its distribution compared to other locations within its known range
Lutjanus peru (Nichols & Murphy 1922) named for Lobos de Tierra Island, Peru, type locality (occurs in eastern Pacific from Baja California and Gulf of California south to Peru)
Lutjanus quinquelineatus (Bloch 1790) quinque, five; lineatus, lined, referring to five blue stripes on sides
Lutjanus rivulatus (Cuvier 1828) rivulated, i.e., marked by irregular streaks, referring to numerous undulating blue lines on head
Lutjanus rufolineatus (Valenciennes 1830) rufus, red; lineata, lined, referring to 7-8 longitudinal red lines on body
Lutjanus russellii (Bleeker 1849) in honor of surgeon-herpetologist Patrick Russell (1726-1805), who described and illustrated, but did not name, this snapper in 1803
Lutjanus sanguineus (Cuvier 1828) bloody or blood red, referring to body color (red-orange in life, reddish-brown to tan in alcohol)
Lutjanus sapphirolineatus Iwatsuki, Al-Mamry & Heemstra 2016 sapphirus, sapphire; lineatus, lined, referring to four blue stripes on body
Lutjanus sebae (Cuvier 1816) in honor of Albertus Seba (1665-1736), Dutch pharmacist, zoologist and natural history collector, who published a lavish series of illustrations depicting, in part, marine life of the Indo-Pacific, including this species [although named after a man, some classically trained zoologists latinized the names of individuals whose names ended with the letter “a” by adding an “e” to the spelling]
Lutjanus semicinctus Quoy & Gaimard 1824 semi-, half; cinctus, belt or girdle, referring to seven narrow brown bars on upper back extending about half-way down the sides
Lutjanus stellatus Akazaki 1983 starry, referring to “stellar white spot” on side below origin of soft dorsal fin
Lutjanus synagris (Linnaeus 1758) ancient Greek name of Dentex dentex (Acanthuriformes: Sparidae) dating back to Aristotle, a species which this one was thought to resemble
Lutjanus timoriensis (Quoy & Gaimard 1824) –ensis, suffix denoting place: Timor Island, southern Malay Archipelago, type locality (occurs in eastern Indian Ocean and western Pacific from Sri Lanka and Myanmar east to Samoa, north to Philippines, south to Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands)
Lutjanus viridis (Valenciennes 1846) green, described and illustrated as having a greenish body with dark-green stripes along sides; in reality, body is bright yellow and the stripes are bluish-white edged with black
Lutjanus vitta (Quoy & Gaimard 1824) band or ribbon, presumably referring to dark-brown to black stripe along middle of side from posterior edge of eye to upper half of caudal peduncle
Lutjanus vivanus (Cuvier 1828) from vivaneau and vivanet, French names for this snapper at Martinique Island, West Indies (type locality), perhaps allied to vivax, meaning lively
Lutjanus xanthopinnis Iwatsuki, Tanaka & Allen 2015 xanthos, yellow; pinnis, finned, referring to vivid yellow dorsal, caudal, anal, and pectoral fins (pelvic fins whitish with yellow tinge)
Macolor Bleeker 1860 tautonymous with Diacope macolor Cuvier 1828, which Bleeker unnecessarily renamed Macolor typus (=M. niger), based on “Macolor” as reported by publisher Louis Renard (ca. 1678-1746) in 1719, possibly derived from macula, spot, referring to spots of blotches of white color on black body of juvenile M. niger
Macolor macularis Fowler 1931 spotted, presumably referring to “most every scale with gray or blue spot”
Macolor niger (Forsskål 1775) black, referring to blackish body color of adults (juveniles are black and white)
Ocyurus Gill 1862 ocy, swift (bird); oura, tail, referring to forked caudal fin, with “slender acute lobes” like the tail of a swift
Ocyurus chrysurus (Bloch 1791) chryso-, gold; oura, tail, referring to golden-yellow caudal fin
Pinjalo Bleeker 1873 tautonymous with Caesio pinjalo Bleeker 1850 (although Bleeker proposed the name P. typus, a nomen nudum, in 1845)
Pinjalo lewisi Randall, Allen & Anderson 1987 in honor of Anthony D. Lewis (b. 1948), Fisheries Division of the Ministry of Primary Industries in Fiji, for the many “valuable” specimens and photographs he provided the authors (he also donated paratype)
Pinjalo pinjalo (Bleeker 1850) from Ikan (=fish) Pinjalo, local name for this species at Jakarta, Java, Indonesia (type locality)
Pterocaesio Bleeker 1876 ptero-, fin, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to more rays (21) in soft portion of dorsal fin of P. multiradiatus (=tile) compared to Caesio (13-18)
Subgenus Pterocaesio
Pterocaesio tile (Cuvier 1830) from tile, name for this species among natives of the Caroline Islands, western Pacific
Subgenus Pisinnicaesio Carpenter 1987 pisinnus, small or little, referring to generally small size, particularly P. chrysozona and P. pisang; Caesio, type genus of original family Caesionidae, possibly used here as a shorthand for Pterocaesio
Pterocaesio chrysozona (Cuvier 1830) chrysos, gold; zona, band, referring to broad yellow stripe on sides just under lateral line
Pterocaesio digramma (Bleeker 1864) di-, two; gramma, line, presumably referring to pair of narrow yellow stripes (described as purple by Bleeker) along back and midside [often but incorrectly spelled diagramma]
Pterocaesio pisang (Bleeker 1853) from Ikan (=fish) Pisang pisang, local name in Jakarta (formerly Batavia), Indonesia, for this fish; according to Carpenter (1987), pisang means “banana,” apparently referring to its shape (although we see no such resemblance)
Subgenus Squamosicaesio Carpenter 1987 squamosus, scaled, referring to “relatively numerous” scales of most members of this subgenus; Caesio, type genus of original family Caesionidae, possibly used here as a shorthand for Pterocaesio
Pterocaesio capricornis Smith & Smith 1963 –is, genitive singular of: Capricorn, referring to type locality (Pinda, Mozambique) at or near the Tropic of Capricorn
Pterocaesio lativittata Carpenter 1987 latus, wide; vittata, banded or striped, referring to wide, bright-yellow stripe straddling lateral line for most of its length
Pterocaesio marri Schultz 1953 in honor of John C. Marr, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in charge of the commercial fishing operations at Bikini Atoll (type locality) in the Marshall Islands, South Pacific Ocean
Pterocaesio monikae Allen & Erdmann 2008 in honor of film producer and philanthropist Monika Bacardi (b. 1968), an “avid marine conservationist who successfully bid to support the conservation of this species at the Blue Auction in Monaco on 20 September 2007 and has given generously to support Conservation International’s Bird’s Head Seascape initiative”
Pterocaesio randalli Carpenter 1987 in honor of John E. Randall (1924-2020), Bishop Museum (Honolulu), who brought this species to Carpenter’s attention, and for “stimulating” his interest in systematic ichthyology in general and the systematics of Caesionidae (now nested in Lutjanidae) in particular
Pterocaesio tessellata Carpenter 1987 mosaic or inlaid with small square stones, referring to shading pattern on sides, a result of dark margins on the scales
Pterocaesio trilineata Carpenter 1987 tri-, three; lineata, lined, referring to three dark stripes and three alternating light stripes on upper side of body in life (stripes become less visible after death and are often totally obscured in preservation)
Rhomboplites Gill 1862 rhombo-, rhombic; hoplites, armed, referring to rhombic patch of vomerine teeth
Rhomboplites aurorubens (Cuvier 1829) aureus, golden; rubens, reddish, referring to its golden-pinkish color in alcohol (vermilion red in life)