COMMENTS
v. 3.1 – 30 March 2024 view/download PDF
Family GERREIDAE Mojarras
7 genera · 55 species
Deckertichthys Vergara-Solana 2014 in honor of Gary Dennis Deckert, who first recognized the distinctiveness of this genus in his 1973 Ph.D. dissertation, and for his contribution to the study of Gerreidae; ichthys, fish
Deckertichthys aureolus (Jordan & Gilbert 1882) gilded, presumably referring to “sides with distinct tinge of pale yellow” and/or “yellowish” fins
Diapterus Ranzani 1842 dia-, divided; pterus, fin, referring to how posterior dorsal fin and anal fins of D. auratus are divided or split into multiple finlets instead of a single fin (although the illustration accompanying Ranzani’s description shows a fish with finlets, the species actually has fin rays and spines connected with skin)
Diapterus auratus Ranzani 1842 golden, referring to golden-brown color on top of beak-like snout and/or golden sheen on sides
Diapterus brevirostris (Sauvage 1879) brevis, short; rostris, snout, referring to blunt snout, shorter than eye
Diapterus peruvianus (Cuvier 1830) Peruvian, referring to Payta, Peru, reported type locality (but may have been based on an Indo-Pacific specimen; other eastern Pacific populations classified as D. brevirostris)
Diapterus rhombeus (Cuvier 1829) referring to compressed body, rhomboidal in form
Eucinostomus Baird & Girard 1855 eu-, very; cineo-, move; stomus, mouth, referring to “very protractile” mouth of E. argenteus, “when protruded presenting a subconico-tubular appearance”
Eucinostomus argenteus Baird & Girard 1855 silvery, referring to ground color
Eucinostomus currani Zahuranec 1980 name proposed and patronym identified in Zahuranec’s 1967 M.Sc. thesis, in honor of Howard Wesley Curran, then of Queens University (Hamilton, Ontario, Canada), author of a 1942 Ph.D. dissertation on Eucinostomus, for his “clarifying contribution” to the classification of American gerreid fishes
Eucinostomus dowii (Gill 1863) in honor of the “excellent collector” John Melmoth Dow (1827-1892), Panama Railroad Company, ship captain and amateur naturalist, who presented type to the Smithsonian Institution
Eucinostomus entomelas Zahuranec 1980 entos, within; melas, black, referring color of gill chamber
Eucinostomus gracilis (Gill 1862) slender, referring to body shape (depth 23-31% of SL)
Eucinostomus gula (Quoy & Gaimard 1824) throat, from petite-gueule (“small-mouth”), its common name in Martinique as reported by Cuvier (1830)
Eucinostomus harengulus Goode & Bean 1879 diminutive of harengus, herring, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to vaguely shad-like shape and/or silvery coloration
Eucinostomus havana (Nichols 1912) named for Havana, Cuba, where Marianao Beach (type locality) is situated (occurs in Atlantic from Bermuda to northeast Brazil)
Eucinostomus jonesii (Günther 1879) in honor of naturalist John Matthew Jones (1828-1888), “who for several years has paid especial attention to the fishes occurring at the Bermudas …, [and] has again succeeded in discovering two species [including this one] which appear hitherto to have escaped observation”
Eucinostomus lefroyi (Goode 1874) in honor of John Henry Lefroy (1817-1890), Governor of Bermuda (type locality), “who while doing so much for the social and political welfare of the islands, is taking an active part in adding to our knowledge of their natural history”
Eucinostomus meeki Eigenmann 1903 in honor of Seth Eugene Meek (1859-1914), assistant curator of zoology, Field Museum (Chicago, USA), for his “excellent work” on Mexican fishes [species inquirenda, provisionally included here]
Eucinostomus melanopterus (Bleeker 1863) melano-, black; pterus, fin, referring to prominent black blotch on outer part of dorsal fin
Eugerres Jordan & Evermann 1927 eu-, well or very, proposed as a new genus with species formerly placed in Gerres characterized by a serrate preorbital and “very strong” dorsal- and anal-fin spines
Eugerres awlae Schultz 1949 in honor of Aime M. Awl (1887-1973), artist, U.S. National Museum, who has “willingly and expertly drawn for [Schultz] very numerous figures of new fishes over a period of years” (including type of this species)
Eugerres axillaris (Günther 1864) pertaining to the axil, or armpit (of pectoral fin), referring to blackish “hinder side of the axil, and sometimes the anterior”
Eugerres brasilianus (Cuvier 1830) Brazilian, described from the Atlantic of Brazil (occurs from South Carolina, USA, south to Brazil, including Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea)
Eugerres brevimanus (Günther 1864) brevis, short; manus, hand, referring to shorter pectoral fins compared to E. axillaris (described in same publication)
Eugerres lineatus (Humboldt 1821) lined, referring to 9-12 olive-brown longitudinal lines or streaks along scale rows on body
Eugerres mexicanus (Steindachner 1863) Mexican, described from Río Teapa, Tabasco, México (also occurs off Guatemala)
Eugerres plumieri (Cuvier 1830) in honor of Charles Plumier (1646-1704), Franciscan monk and naturalist, who apparently discovered this fish in Martinique, and on whose drawing and/or notes Cuvier’s description is based
Gerres Quoy & Gaimard 1824 manuscript name proposed by Cuvier, who, in 1830, said it was based on gerres, a name used by Pliny possibly for Spicara maena (Acanthuriformes: Sparidae), which, like gerreids, has a protractile mouth
Gerres akazakii Iwatsuki, Kimura & Yoshino 2007 in memory of Masato Akazaki (d. 1999), who studied fish taxonomy and phylogeny
Gerres baconensis (Evermann & Seale 1907) –ensis, suffix denoting place: Bacon, Luzon Island, Philippines, type locality
Gerres chrysops Iwatsuki, Kimura & Yoshino 1999 chrysos, gold; ops, appearance, referring to silvery-gold sheen on head and body
Gerres cinereus (Walbaum 1792) ash-colored, referring to gray or silvery-white body color
Gerres decacanthus (Bleeker 1864) deca-, ten; acanthus, thorn or spine, referring to 10 dorsal-fin spines on type specimen (most specimens studied since then have only 9)
Gerres equulus Temminck & Schlegel 1844 diminutive of equus, horse, i.e., colt or foal, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to superficial resemblance with the ponyfish genus Equula (=Leiognathus: Leiognathidae)
Gerres erythrourus (Bloch 1791) erythros, red; oura, tailed, described and illustrated as having red fins, including caudal (fin color is actually yellow)
Gerres filamentosus Cuvier 1829 filamentous, referring to very long, filamentous second spine of dorsal fin
Gerres infasciatus Iwatsuki & Kimura 1998 in-, not; fasciatus, banded, referring to absence of bands on body in fresh and preserved specimens, in contrast to color patterns of the similar G. filamentosus and G. macracanthus
Gerres japonicus Bleeker 1854 Japanese, described from Nagasaki, Japan (also occurs off China and probably South Korea)
Gerres limbatus Cuvier 1830 edged or bordered, referring to dark patch on tip of spinous portion of dorsal fin
Gerres longirostris (Lacepède 1801) longus, long; rostris, snout, described as having a “very advanced” (translation) snout, perhaps referring to fully extended protractile mouth (as shown in plate accompanying description)
Gerres macracanthus Bleeker 1854 macro-, long; acanthus, thorn or spine, presumably referring to elongate and filamentous second dorsal-fin spine
Gerres maldivensis Regan 1902 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Maldives, Indian Ocean, type locality and only known area of occurrence
Gerres methueni Regan 1920 in honor of Paul Ayshford Methuen (1886-1974), English painter and zoologist who worked at the Transvaal Museum of Pretoria, South Africa (1910-1914) and collected type in Madagascar
Gerres microphthalmus Iwatsuki, Kimura & Yoshino 2002 micro-, small; ophthalmus, eye, referring to smaller eyes compared to the similar G. filamentosus
Gerres mozambiquensis Iwatsuki & Heemstra 2007 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Mozambique, where type locality (southern Nampura, upper reaches of Larde Estuary) is situated
Gerres nigri Günther 1859 of the Niger River, coast of African (presumably Nigeria), type locality (occurs along Atlantic coasts of Senegal south to Angola)
Gerres oblongus Cuvier 1830 oblong, referring to more elongate body compared to congeners known by Cuvier
Gerres oyena (Forsskål 1775) öyena, Arabic name for this species along the Red Sea (widely occurs in Indo-West Pacific from Africa to Australia)
Gerres phaiya Iwatsuki & Heemstra 2001 local name for this species at Mangalore, Karnataka, India, type locality (occurs in Indian Ocean from Pakistan east to Singapore)
Gerres ryukyuensis Iwatsuki, Kimura & Yoshino 2007 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Ryukyu Islands, Japan, type locality and only known area of occurrence
Gerres septemfasciatus Liu & Yan 2009 septem, seven; fasciatus, banded, referring to 7-8 (usually 7) blue-grayish bands on sides
Gerres setifer (Hamilton 1822) seti, setae (hair-like structures); fero, to bear, allusion not explained, presumably referring to first branch of second ray of ventral fins “lengthened out in the form of a bristle”
Gerres shima Iwatsuki, Kimura & Yoshino 2007 shima, Japanese for vertically striped, referring to 14-18 indistinct dark vertical bars on body
Gerres silaceus Iwatsuki, Kimura & Yoshino 2001 ocher or ocherous, referring to uniformly silvery-ocher color of body and head
Gerres simillimus Regan 1907 very similar, this Pacific species differing “slightly” from its Atlantic congener G. cinereus
Gerres subfasciatus Cuvier 1830 sub-, somewhat; fasciatus, banded, referring to 6-7 narrow, vertical, brownish stripes on upper half of body
Parequula Steindachner 1879 para-, near, i.e., close to Equula, reflecting Steindachner’s opinion that this genus should be classified between Equula (=Leiognathus, Leiognathidae) and Capros, Caproidae)
Parequula elongata Iwatsuki, Pogonoski & Last 2012 elongate, referring to more slender body compared to P. melbournensis
Parequula melbournensis (Castelnau 1872) –ensis, suffix denoting place: fish market at Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, type locality
Pentaprion Bleeker 1850 etymology not explained, perhaps penta-, five, referring to five (sometimes six) anal-fin spines; prion, saw, referring to serrated lower edge of preopercle
Pentaprion longimanus (Cantor 1849) longus, long; manus, hand, referring to “very elongated and falcated” pectoral fins
Family LETHRINIDAE Emporerfishes and Large-eye Breams
5 genera · 44 species
Subfamily LETHRININAE Emporerfishes
Lethrinus Cuvier 1829 per Valenciennes (1830), a modern Greek name for members of Pagellus (Sparidae) which Cuvier applied to this genus, possibly a corruption of erythrós (red), referring to the reddish color of some Pagellus
Lethrinus amboinensis Bleeker 1854 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Ambon Island, Molucca Islands, Indonesia, type locality (occurs in eastern Indian Ocean and western Pacific from Indonesia east to Marshall Islands and Samoa, north to Japan, south to Western Australia)
Lethrinus atkinsoni Seale 1910 patronym not identified but probably in honor of William Sackston Atkinson (1864-ca. 1925), an illustrator who prepared the plates for a paper published by Seale in 1905 and presumably the plates in this 1910 paper as well
Lethrinus atlanticus Valenciennes 1830 Atlantic, the only species of the genus (and family) known to occur in the Atlantic
Lethrinus borbonicus Valenciennes 1830 –icus, belonging to: Borbon (or Bourbon), early name for Réunion island, western Mascarenes, type locality (occurs in Red Sea and western Indian Ocean from Persian Gulf and East Africa to Socotra, Seychelles, Madagascar, Réunion, and the Mascarenes)
Lethrinus conchyliatus (Smith 1959) clothed in purple, etymology not explained, probably referring to “bright mauve” area at central basal part of pectoral fins on living specimens
Lethrinus crocineus Smith 1959 orange-yellow (saffron), allusion not explained, perhaps referring to “mainly yellowish” color of living specimens
Lethrinus enigmaticus Smith 1959 enigmatic, reflecting Smith’s uncertainty regarding identity of type specimen, which he “provisionally described as new”
Lethrinus erythracanthus Valenciennes 1830 erythros, red; acanthus, thorn or spine, referring to the “beautiful red” (translation) rays of its fins
Lethrinus erythropterus Valenciennes 1830 erythros, red; pterus, fin, referring to reddish fins, often bright red or orange
Lethrinus genivittatus Valenciennes 1830 genys, cheek; vittatus, banded, referring to large reddish-brown bands sometimes present on cheek
Lethrinus haematopterus Temminck & Schlegel 1844 hematos, bloody; pterus, fin, referring to blood-red tinge to some or all of its fins
Lethrinus harak (Forsskål 1775) from Abu m’hárrak, its Arabic name along the Red Sea
Lethrinus laticaudis Alleyne & Macleay 1877 latus, broad; cauda, tail, referring to its caudal fin, described as “emarginated, wide-spread”
Lethrinus lentjan (Lacepède 1802) etymology not explained, perhaps a local name for this fish in Indonesia during the late 18th and early 19th centuries
Lethrinus mahsena (Forsskål 1775) from Sjöûr mehseni, its Arabic name along the Red Sea of Saudi Arabia (type locality)
Lethrinus microdon Valenciennes 1830 micro-, small; odon, tooth, referring to its “remarkably small and pointed” (translation) teeth
Lethrinus miniatus (Forster 1801) bright red or scarlet, referring to reddish lips and/or brilliant red sometimes present between spinous rays of dorsal fin
Lethrinus mitchelli Allen, Victor & Erdmann 2021 in honor of David Mitchell, Director, Eco Custodian Advocates (a community-focused conservation charity), a “seasoned conservationist who has dedicated his career to the spectacular nature and local indigenous communities” of Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea, type locality
Lethrinus nebulosus (Forsskål 1775) cloudy, described as having “longitudinal clouds of blue & yellow-brown” (translation), presumably referring to irregular dark bars sometimes present on sides
Lethrinus obsoletus (Forsskål 1775) worn out or decayed, presumably referring to faint yellow-violet stripe on body (described as orange-yellow in contemporary accounts)
Lethrinus olivaceus Valenciennes 1830 olive-colored, referring to olive-green body (described as olive-gray in contemporary accounts)
Lethrinus ornatus Valenciennes 1830 ornate, embellished or decorated, referring to any or all of the following: bright-red posterior edge of operculum and preoperculum, purple (or red) spot sometimes present on head below front edge of eye, 4-6 orange stripes on sides, purple (or reddish) caudal fin, and reddish edge on dorsal fin
Lethrinus ravus Carpenter & Randall 2003 drab, grayish or tawny brown, all of which describe this species; “Most species of Lethrinus have some form of live coloration that facilitates their field identification. Lethrinus ravus lacks distinguishing colorations and hence its common name, the drab emperor …”
Lethrinus reticulatus Valenciennes 1830 net-like or netted, referring to soft rays of dorsal, caudal and anal fins very thinly streaked with a black network of fine lines
Lethrinus rubrioperculatus Sato 1978 ruber, red; operculatus, operculate, referring to red spot on posterior end of operculum
Lethrinus scoparius Gilchrist & Thompson 1908 Latin for sweeper, presumably a reference to “scavenger,” a vernacular name for this species given by the authors without explanation (in British English, a scavenger is a person employed to clean streets by scraping or sweeping)
Lethrinus semicinctus Valenciennes 1830 semi-, half; cinctus, belt or girdle, referring to irregular small, black bands or blotches on upper half of body
Lethrinus variegatus Valenciennes 1830 variegated, allusion not explained, presumably referring to variable pattern of irregular blackish spots on sides
Lethrinus xanthochilus Klunzinger 1870 xanthos, yellow; cheilus, lip, referring to its yellowish lips, the upper lip more intense
Subfamily MONOTAXINAE Large-eye Seabreams
Gnathodentex Bleeker 1873 gnathos, jaw; dentex, with large teeth but in this case probably alluding to presumed congeners in Dentex (Sparidae), referring to villiform teeth on upper jaw (present on lower jaw also)
Gnathodentex aureolineatus (Lacepède 1802) aureus, gold; lineatus, lined, referring to 4-5 brownish-orange stripes on lower sides
Gymnocranius Klunzinger 1870 gymnos, bare or naked; cranius, skull, proposed as a subgenus of Dentex (Sparidae) lacking scales on top of head
Gymnocranius audleyi Ogilby 1916 in honor of Ogilby’s friend Audley Raymond Jones, to whom he was “indebted for much interesting information regarding the habits of [Queensland, Australia] fishes”
Gymnocranius elongatus Senta 1973 elongate, presumably referring to its shallower, slightly more elongate body compared to the deeper, slightly more oval body of G. griseus, with which it had been confused
Gymnocranius euanus (Günther 1879) –anus, belonging to: ‘Eua, Friendly Islands (now known as Tonga), type locality (occurs in western Pacific from Gulf of Thailand to Tonga and eastern Australia, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea to Philippines)
Gymnocranius frenatus Bleeker 1873 bridled, referring to blue-edged yellow band from front of eye to above upper lip
Gymnocranius grandoculis (Valenciennes 1830) grand, large; oculis, eye, referring to large eye, its diameter only 2½ times in HL (hence a common name for the family, Large-eye Breams)
Gymnocranius griseus (Temminck & Schlegel 1843) gray, referring to “very pale bluish gray” (translation) color in life (described as silvery in contemporary accounts)
Gymnocranius microdon (Bleeker 1851) micro-, small; odon, tooth, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to 2-3 pairs of small, slender canines at front of both jaws, smaller than presumed congeners in Dentex (Sparidae)
Gymnocranius obesus Chen, Miki & Borsa 2017 obese, referring to its deep and relatively thick body compared to congeners
Gymnocranius oblongus Borsa, Béarez & Chen 2010 named for its oblong, fusiform body
Gymnocranius satoi Borsa, Béarez, Paijo & Chen 2013 in honor of ichthyologist Torao Sato (b. 1945), for contributions to the taxonomy of Lethrinidae and who recognized this species as distinct in 1984
Gymnocranius superciliosus Borsa, Béarez, Paijo & Chen 2013 eyebrowed, referring to conspicuous dark patch above eye, similar to an eyebrow
Monotaxis Anonymous [Bennett] 1830 mono-, one; taxis, series, referring to molars on sides of jaws in a single series
Monotaxis grandoculis (Forsskål 1775) grand, large; oculis, eye, described as having a “grandibus oculis,” diameter of which, according to contemporary accounts, is about length of snout (hence a common name for the family, Large-eye Breams)
Monotaxis heterodon (Bleeker 1854) hetero-, different; odon, tooth, referring to single series of molar teeth compared to 2-3 series in presumed congeners in Pagrus (Sparidae)
Wattsia Chan & Chilvers 1974 –ia, belonging to: J. C. D. Watts, for his “very significant contributions to the knowledge of the hydrography of the northern South China Sea made during his service from 1969 to 1972 with the Fisheries Research Station, Hong Kong”
Wattsia mossambica (Smith 1957) –icus, belonging to: Mozambique, where type locality (Pinda) is situated (occurs in Indo-West Pacific from East Africa east to Marshall Islands and New Ireland, north to southern Japan, south to northern Australia)
Family NEMIPTERIDAE Threadfin Breams
5 genera · 78 species
Nemipterus Swainson 1839 nem[atos], thread; pterus, fin, referring to filamentous dorsal- and caudal-fin rays of Dentex filamentosus (=N. nematophorus)
Nemipterus andamanensis Bineesh, Russell & Chandra 2018 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Andaman Islands, Indian Ocean, only known area of occurrence
Nemipterus aurifilum (Ogilby 1910) aureus, gold; filum, thread, presumably referring to filamentous caudal-fin ray a “brilliant sulphur-yellow” (yet dorsal fin, which is not filamentous, is described as “tipped with gold”)
Nemipterus aurora Russell 1993 Latin for dawn, referring to distinctive orange-yellow submedial stripe along dorsal fin that resembles the colors of the dawn sky
Nemipterus balinensis (Bleeker 1858) –ensis, suffix denoting place: northern Bali, Indonesia, where type locality (Boleling) is situated
Nemipterus balinensoides (Popta 1918) –oides, having the form of: similar and closely related to N. balinensis
Nemipterus bathybius Snyder 1911 bathys, deep; bios, life, the “stomach of each specimen is everted, indicating that it was taken in rather deep water” (indeed, a benthic species found at 40-90 m)
Nemipterus biendongensis Prokofiev 2022 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Biển Ðông (East Sea), Vietnamese name for the South China Sea, where this species occurs off the coast of Vietnam
Nemipterus bipunctatus (Valenciennes 1830) bi-, two; punctatus, spotted, described as having a double series of blue dots along lateral line
Nemipterus celebicus (Bleeker 1854) –icus, belonging to: Makassar, Celebes (now Sulawesi), Indonesia, type locality
Nemipterus elaine Russell & Gouws 2020 in honor of Elaine Heemstra, South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity, who brought this species to the attention of the senior author, for her contribution to Western Indian Ocean ichthyology over many years [a noun in apposition, without the matronymic “ae”]
Nemipterus flavomandibularis Russell & Tweddle 2013 flavus, yellow; mandibularis, of the lower jaw, referring to “striking” yellow color on lower jaw
Nemipterus furcosus (Valenciennes 1830) furcate, referring to deeply forked caudal fin
Nemipterus gracilis (Bleeker 1873) slender, allusion not explained, presumably referring to more elongate body compared to presumed congeners in Dentex (Sparidae)
Nemipterus hexodon (Quoy & Gaimard 1824) hexa-, six; odon, tooth, referring to front of both jaws “armed” (translation) with six recurved (or hooked) canine teeth
Nemipterus isacanthus (Bleeker 1873) isos, equal; acanthus, spine, allusion not explained, presumably referring to posterior seven dorsal-fin spines (actually rays) of equal length, unlike presumed congeners in Dentex (Sparidae)
Nemipterus japonicus (Bloch 1791) Japanese, described from Japan, no type locality given (occurs in Red Sea and Indo-West Pacific from East Africa, Socotra, Madagascar, and Persian Gulf east to Philippines, north to southern Japan)
Nemipterus marginatus (Valenciennes 1830) edged or bordered, referring to wide black border on caudal fin (a feature not mentioned nor shown in contemporary accounts)
Nemipterus mesoprion (Bleeker 1853) meso-, middle; prion, saw, referring to “preopercle with 3 series of scales, middle posterior margin rough, with barely visible serrations” (translation)
Nemipterus nematophorus (Bleeker 1854) nematos, thread; phorus, to bear, referring to anterior pair of dorsal-fin rays close together and almost fused to produce a long trailing filament, and upper lobe of caudal fin produced into a trailing filament as well
Nemipterus nematopus (Bleeker 1851) nematos, thread; pes, foot, referring to long pelvic fins, with an elongate first ray that reaches anal fin
Nemipterus nemurus (Bleeker 1857) nematos, thread; oura, tail, referring to upper rays of caudal fin produced into a filament
Nemipterus peronii (Valenciennes 1830) in honor of French voyager and naturalist François Péron (1775-1810), who collected type
Nemipterus randalli Russell 1986 in honor of ichthyologist John E. Randall (1924-2020), Bishop Museum (Honolulu), who “greatly assisted” Russell in providing specimens and photographs of Nemipterus species
Nemipterus sugillatus Russell & Ho 2017 Latin for bruise, referring to pinkish-mauve or bluish bruise-like blotch on upper part of opercle
Nemipterus tambuloides (Bleeker 1853) –oides, having the form of: referring to resemblance to Dentex tambulus (=N. japonicus)
Nemipterus theodorei Ogilby 1916 in honor of Edward Granville Theodore (1884-1950), Australian politician who served as Premier of Queensland (1919-1925), for forming the Department of Fisheries in Queensland
Nemipterus thosaporni Russell 1991 in honor of Thosaporn Wongratana, Royal Institute of Thailand, who “kindly” made available his “fine” illustrations of Nemipterus species, including this one
Nemipterus virgatus (Houttuyn 1782) striped, referring to yellow horizontal stripes on back and sides
Nemipterus vitiensis Russell 1990 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Viti Levu, Fiji Islands, type locality
Nemipterus zysron (Bleeker 1856) xystron, rasp or file, but likely used by Bleeker to mean “saw,” referring to “saw-like form of the lower pre-operculum” (translation)
Parascolopsis Boulenger 1901 para-, near, “agrees in every respect” with Scolopsis except for absence of suborbital spine
Parascolopsis akatamae Miyamoto, McMahan & Kaneko 2020 according to published etymology, name is “derived from the local name in Japan of the type locality,” but this is an error; name is actually derived from the fish’s Japanese name, Aka-tamagashira (Kei Miyamoto, pers. comm.)
Parascolopsis aspinosa (Rao & Rao 1981) a-, not; spinosa, spiny, referring to absence of suborbital spine
Parascolopsis baranesi Russell & Golani 1993 in honor of Albert (Avi) Baranes (b. 1949), Director of the Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences (Eilat, Israel), through whose efforts this species was collected in the Gulf of Aqaba
Parascolopsis boesemani (Rao & Rao 1981) in honor of Marinus Boeseman (1916-2006), Curator of Fishes, Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Histoire (currently Naturalis Biodiversity Centre, Leiden, Netherlands), for his contributions to the systematics of fishes
Parascolopsis capitinis Russell 1996 –inis, adjectival suffix: caput, head, referring to its relatively large head
Parascolopsis eriomma (Jordan & Richardson 1909) eri-, a strengthening prefix (i.e., very); omma, eye, referring to “very large” eye, its diameter ⅓ greater than length of snout
Parascolopsis inermis (Temminck & Schlegel 1843) unarmed, referring to posterior margin of suborbital finely serrate (sometimes smooth), with a very small spine at upper corner
Parascolopsis melanophrys Russell & Chin 1996 melanos, black; ophrys, eyebrow, referring to triangular black spot above and behind eye on either side of nape
Parascolopsis qantasi Russell & Gloerfelt-Tarp 1984 in honor of Qantas Airlines, for “invaluable assistance over three years given to the junior author by staff of the Denpasar (Bali) office of the Australian airline Qantas”
Parascolopsis rufomaculatum Russell 1986 rufus, red; maculatum, spotted, referring to red spot on dorsal fin of fresh specimens [originally but incorrectly spelled rufomaculatus; emended since genus is feminine]
Parascolopsis tanyactis Russell 1986 tanyo, stretched out; actis, ray, referring to elongated fourth and fifth dorsal-fin rays of adult specimens
Parascolopsis tosensis (Kamohara 1938) –ensis, suffix denoting place: Tosa Province, former name of Kochi Prefecture, Japan, where type locality (a fish market in Mimase) is situated
Parascolopsis townsendi Boulenger 1901 in honor of Capt. Frederick William Townsend (d. 1948), Commander, Indian Cable-Ship Patrick Stewart, who collected many fishes and molluscs while doing cable work in the Persian Gulf, including type of this species
Pentapodus Quoy & Gaimard 1824 penta-, five; podus, foot, allusion not explained; according to Valenciennes (1835), who called the genus “Pentapus,” referring to three long, pointed scales, one above root of each ventral fin and a single one between them, appearing like five ventral fins
Pentapodus aureofasciatus Russell 2001 aureus, gold; fasciatus, banded, referring to distinctive yellow mid-lateral band
Pentapodus berryae Allen, Erdmann & Brooks 2018 in honor of Beryl (“Berry”) Rae Levy, the third author’s stepdaughter
Pentapodus bifasciatus (Bleeker 1848) bi-, two; fasciatus, banded, referring to two pearly white bands on sides (actually three; Bleeker did not mention stripe below base of dorsal fin)
Pentapodus caninus (Cuvier 1830) dog, referring to 2-3 pairs of larger, slightly recurved canine teeth anteriorly in upper jaw, and lower jaw with pair of enlarged, laterally flared canines
Pentapodus emeryii (Richardson 1843) in honor of James Barker Emery (ca. 1794-1889), artist, amateur naturalist and First Lieutenant aboard the Beagle during an 1837-1841 survey of the Australian coast (1837-1841); he created illustrations upon which several species were described, including this one
Pentapodus komodoensis Allen & Erdmann 2012 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Komodo Island, Indonesia, type locality and only known area of occurrence
Pentapodus nagasakiensis (Tanaka 1915) –ensis, suffix denoting place: fish market at Nagasaki, Japan, type locality (occurs in Indo-West Pacific from northwestern Australia and Indonesia to Philippines, South China Sea and Japan)
Pentapodus numberii Allen & Erdmann 2009 in honor of Fredy Numberi (b. 1947), Indonesian Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, who has “played a critical role in championing marine conservation initiatives in his native Papua,” for his “efforts to establish marine protected areas in the Raja Ampat and Kaimana regencies, where this species was first discovered”
Pentapodus paradiseus (Günther 1859) etymology not explained; described as “one of the most beautiful species of the whole family,” perhaps referring to long trailing filament of upper caudal-fin lobe, reminiscent of the elongate feathers of birds-of-paradise, Paradisaea
Pentapodus porosus (Valenciennes 1830) full of holes or pores, referring to numerous visible pores on scaleless end of snout
Pentapodus setosus (Valenciennes 1830) hairy, presumably referring to upper lobe of caudal fin produced into a long hair-like filament
Pentapodus trivittatus (Bloch 1791) tri-, three; vittatus, banded or striped, referring to three silvery-white stripes on sides
Pentapodus vitta Quoy & Gaimard 1824 stripe or band, referring to dark-brown stripe from tip of snout, through eye, and along upper half of body
Scaevius Whitley 1947 western or left-handed, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its occurrence along Western Australia
Scaevius milii (Bory de Saint-Vincent 1823) in honor of Lieut. Pierre Bernard Milius (1773-1829), who befriended Bory de Saint-Vincent during Nicolas Baudin’s 1800 Naturalist expedition, during which type was collected
Scolopsis Cuvier 1814 scolo-, thorn; opsis, face or appearance, presumably referring to suborbital with a large retrorse spine and/or serrated posterior margin of preopercle with 1-2 rows of short blunt spines along its length
Scolopsis affinis Peters 1877 related, referring to similarity with S. bimaculata
Scolopsis aurata (Park 1797) golden, presumably referring to golden-yellow midlateral stripe from behind eye to base of caudal fin
Scolopsis bilineata (Bloch 1793) bi-, two; lineata, lined, referring to two curved, parallel stripes (actually the dark margins of a curved white stripe) on head of adults
Scolopsis bimaculata Rüppell 1828 bi-, two; maculata, spotted, referring to pair of brownish blotches on upper sides intersected by lateral line
Scolopsis ciliata (Lacepède 1802) ciliate, described as having ciliate scales
Scolopsis curite Cuvier 1815 Latinization of Kurite, its local name at Vishakhapatnam, India, Bay of Bengal, as reported by Russell (1803)
Scolopsis frenata (Cuvier 1830) bridled, referring to yellow (dark-green edged above) stripe from tip of snout through upper part of eye (and arching on back to upper part of caudal peduncle)
Scolopsis ghanam (Forsskål 1775) Arabic name for this species along the Red Sea of Saudi Arabia, type locality
Scolopsis japonica (Bloch 1793) Japanese, described from Japan (actually probably Java, Indonesia)
Scolopsis lacrima Nakamura, Béarez & Motomura 2019 Latin for tear, referring to distinct blue band below eye
Scolopsis lineata Quoy & Gaimard 1824 lined, referring to three blackish stripes on upper body of juveniles (yellowish-white on adults)
Scolopsis margaritifera (Cuvier 1830) margarita, pearl; fero, to bear, referring to silvery spot at base of scales on back and sides
Scolopsis meridiana Nakamura, Russell, Moore & Motomura 2018 southern, referring to its southern distribution relative to that of S. taenioptera, with which it had been confused
Scolopsis monogramma (Cuvier 1830) mono-, one; gramma, line, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to broad blackish stripe or to purple line at base of pectoral fin
Scolopsis regina Whitley 1937 Latin for queen, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to Queensland, Australia, where type locality (Rib Reef, off Townsville) is situated, and/or to the Queensland Museum, where holotype is housed
Scolopsis taeniata (Cuvier 1830) banded, referring to dark-brown or black streak above lateral line
Scolopsis taenioptera (Cuvier 1830) taenio-, ribbon or band; ptera, finned, referring to blue or purple stripe along middle of dorsal fin
Scolopsis temporalis (Cuvier 1830) of the temple (side of head), referring to small scaleless area on temporal region behind eye
Scolopsis torquata (Cuvier 1830) adorned with a collar, referring to broad white band from nape to lower operculum of adults
Scolopsis trilineata Kner 1868 tri-, three; lineata, lined, referring to three white stripes from head to dorsal fin of adults
Scolopsis vosmeri (Bloch 1792) patronym not identified, probably in honor of Dutch naturalist Arnout Vosmaer (1720-1799), curator of the official Dutch collection of natural history specimens
Scolopsis xenochrous Günther 1872 xenos, strange or foreign (e.g., different); chroa, color of body or skin, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to broad silvery band along trunk below lateral line, its anterior portion crossed by a pair of short oblique brown streaks, the middle portion with a brown spot at base of each scale, and the posterior portion a uniform pearl color
Family SPARIDAE Porgies and Seabreams
39 genera · 166 species/subspecies
Acanthopagrus Peters 1855 acanthus, thorn or spine, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to strong dorsal-fin spines and/or enlarged second anal-fin spine of A. vagus; pagrus, from phagros, ancient Greek name for porgies, dating to at least Aristotle
Acanthopagrus akazakii Iwatsuki, Kimura & Yoshino 2006 in honor of the late Masato Akazaki, for his studies of sparid fishes
Acanthopagrus arabicus Iwatsuki 2013 Arabian, named for its occurrence in the Arabian (Persian) Gulf and Arabian Sea
Acanthopagrus australis (Günther 1859) southern, referring to its occurrence in “Australian Seas, entering rivers”
Acanthopagrus berda (Fabricius 1775) Berda, Arabic name for this species along the Red Sea of Yemen (type locality)
Acanthopagrus bifasciatus (Forsskål 1775) bi-, two; fasciatus, banded, referring to two vertical black bars across head
Acanthopagrus butcheri (Munro 1949) in honor of zoologist Alfred Dunbavin Butcher (1915-1990), for his “extensive study of [the] economic biology” of Gippsland Lakes, Victoria, Australia, type locality
Acanthopagrus catenula (Lacepède 1801) diminutive of catena, chain, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to chain-like appearance of “eight series of very small spots, round and equal, on each side of the animal” (translation)
Acanthopagrus chinshira Kume & Yoshino 2008 local name for this species around Nakagusuku Bay, Okinawa Island, Japan, type locality
Acanthopagrus datnia (Hamilton 1822) presumably a local Gangetic name, as it was Hamilton’s practice to derive trivial names “from some of those used by the natives of India”
Acanthopagrus estuarius (Gilchrist & Thompson 1908) estuarine, apparently restricted to brackish tidal rivers
Acanthopagrus latus (Houttuyn 1782) wide, described as probably the widest (3.8 cm) species of Sparus (original genus) known by Houttuyn
Acanthopagrus morrisoni Iwatsuki 2013 in honor of Sue M. Morrison, Fish Section, Aquatic Zoology, Western Australian Museum (Perth), who collected type specimens and tissue samples; her “assistance over several years has greatly aided the understanding of the western yellowfin seabream in northwestern Western Australia [preferably spelled morrisonae since name honors a woman, but ICZN 32.5.1 forbids such a correction]
Acanthopagrus oconnorae Pombo-Ayora & Peinemann 2022 in honor of Winefride Bradley (née O’Connor), botanist, on the occasion of her 90th birthday; her son (Donal D. C. Bradley) first noted several of the distinctive features of this fish in specimens caught while leisure fishing, and provided a caudal-fin clipping for initial genetic analysis
Acanthopagrus omanensis Iwatsuki & Heemstra 2010 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Indian Ocean off Oman, only known area of occurrence
Acanthopagrus pacificus Iwatsuki, Kume & Yoshino 2010 –icus, belonging to: Pacific Ocean, referring to its “western Pacific distributional pattern”
Acanthopagrus palmaris (Whitley 1935) etymology not explained; palmaris can mean “of the palm (hand)” and superior or excellent, allusion not evident either way
Acanthopagrus randalli Iwatsuki & Carpenter 2009 in honor of John E. Randall (1924-2020), Bishop Museum (Honolulu), who collected type and is “clearly one of the greatest ichthyologists of all times”
Acanthopagrus schlegelii schlegelii (Bleeker 1854) in honor of ornithologist-herpetologist Hermann Schlegel (1804-1884), whose Fauna Japonica (1845), co-authored with Coenraad Jacob Temminck (1778-1858), is cited several times by Bleeker
Acanthopagrus schlegelii czerskii Berg 1915 in honor of ornithologist Alexander Ivanovich Czerski (1879-1921, son of Jan Czerski [1845-1892], celebrated Polish geologist, naturalist and explorer), who collected type
Acanthopagrus sheim Iwatsuki 2013 Sheim, local Arabic name for this species along the Arabian (Persian) Gulf
Acanthopagrus sivicolus Akazaki 1962 sivi-, presumed latinization of Shiwo from Kuro Shiwo, Black Current; colo-, to inhabit, referring to occurrence in major Pacific Ocean current that washes the southeastern shores of Asia
Acanthopagrus taiwanensis Iwatsuki & Carpenter 2006 –ensis, suffix denoting place: southwestern Taiwan, only known area of occurrence
Acanthopagrus vagus (Peters 1852) wanderer, referring to its occurrence in fresh water, usually in the dry season, having strayed or migrated from estuaries
Amamiichthys Tanaka & Iwatsuki 2015 Amami, reflecting extremely limited distribution of A. matsubarai, known only from Amami-oshima Island, Ryukyu Islands, Japan; ichthys, fish
Amamiichthys matsubarai (Akazaki 1962) in honor of Akazaki’s professor and/or mentor, Kiyomatsu Matsubara (1907-1968), ichthyologist-herpetologist, Kyoto University, who reviewed the monograph in which description appeared and was thanked for his teaching and suggestions
Archosargus Gill 1865 archon, ruler, referring to A. probatocephalus, “pre-eminent among the Sparoids for the delicacy of its flesh as well as its size”; sargos, ancient Greek name for a sparid fish, dating to at least Aristotle but here likely referring to Sargus (=Diplodus)
Archosargus aries (Valenciennes 1830) Latin for ram, for referring to sheep-like facial features (e.g., large teeth jutting from gaping jaw)
Archosargus pourtalesii (Steindachner 1881) in honor of Louis François de Pourtalès (1824-1880), Swiss-born American marine biologist who accompanied zoologist-geologist Louis Agassiz on the steamship Hassler during an 1871-1872 expedition from Boston to San Francisco via the Straits of Magellan, during which type was collected in the Galapagos
Archosargus probatocephalus (Walbaum 1792) probaton, sheep; cephalus, head, named for Sheepshead, its common name in New York (USA), probably referring to sheep-like facial features (e.g., large teeth jutting from gaping jaw)
Archosargus rhomboidalis (Linnaeus 1758) rhomboid, presumably referring to shape of scales as illustrated by Mark Catesby in 1754, one of two sparids he collectively called Perca marina rhomboidalis fasciata (see Lagodon rhomboides, below)
Argyrops Swainson 1839 etymology not explained, perhaps argyros, silver and ops, face, referring to silvery lower jaw of A. spinifer
Argyrops bleekeri Oshima 1927 in honor of Dutch medical doctor and ichthyologist Pieter Bleeker (1819-1878), who reported this species as Sparus (now Argyrops) spinifer in 1865
Argyrops caeruleops Iwatsuki & Heemstra 2018 caeruleus, blue; ops, face, referring to cobalt-blue snout and cheek region
Argyrops filamentosus (Valenciennes 1830) with filaments, referring to 1-2 filamentous spines of dorsal fin
Argyrops flavops Iwatsuki & Heemstra 2018 flavus, yellow; ops, face, referring to yellow snout and cheeks
Argyrops megalommatus (Klunzinger 1870) mega-, large; ommatus, eyed, referring to orbit diameter clearly greater than interorbital width
Argyrops notialis Iwatsuki & Heemstra 2018 southern, referring to distribution in Southern Hemisphere (Australia, type locality)
Argyrops spinifer (Forsskål 1775) spina, thorn; fero, to bear, presumably referring to rudimentary or recumbent spine in front of dorsal fin
Argyrozona Smith 1938 tautonymous with Dentex argyrozona Valenciennes 1830
Argyrozona argyrozona (Valenciennes 1830) argyros, silver; zona, band, referring to 5-6 white longitudinal bands with gold and silver reflections (appearing just after death, according to Smith 1938)
Boops Cuvier 1814 tautonymous with Sparus boops Linnaeus 1758
Boops boops (Linnaeus 1758) bo, ox; ops, eye, referring to its large eyes, the diameter greater than length of snout
Boops lineatus (Boulenger 1892) lined, referring to “four rather indistinct dark lines along each side of the body, the uppermost running along the lateral line”
Boopsoidea Castelnau 1861 –oidea, having the form of: described as having the same general shape as Boops
Boopsoidea inornata Castelnau 1861 unadorned, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to lack of spots and stripes, described as having a dark upper body with pinkish reflections, a white underside, dark fins, and a yellow iris
Calamus Swainson 1839 quill, referring to “hollow, pen-shaped” second anal-fin spine (interhaemal bone) of C. megacephalus (=calamus) [not tautonymous with Pagellus calamus Valenciennes 1830 since Swainson unnecessarily renamed the species]
Calamus arctifrons Goode & Bean 1882 arctus, contracted (narrow); frons, forehead, referring to narrow top of head
Calamus bajonado (Bloch & Schneider 1801) Cuban name for this porgy as reported by Parras (1787), allusion not explained but with two possible meanings: (1) bayonet, referring to its interhaemal bones, and (2) bajo, low, and nado, swim, referring to preferred habitat of sandbanks or shoals
Calamus brachysomus (Lockington 1880) brachy, short; soma, body, probably referring to much compressed body, short and deep
Calamus calamus (Valenciennes 1830) quill, referring to hollow, pen-shaped second anal-fin spine (interhaemal bone)
Calamus campechanus Randall & Caldwell 1966 –anus, belonging to: Campeche Bank, off northwestern Yucatán Peninsula, México, type locality (endemic to Bay of Campeche, Gulf of Mexico)
Calamus cervigoni Randall & Caldwell 1966 in honor of Venezuelan ichthyologist Fernando Cervigón Marcos (1930-2017), who collected type and provided data on additional specimens he had seen
Calamus leucosteus Jordan & Gilbert 1885 leucos, white; osteus, bone, referring to White-bone Porgy, its common name in Charleston, South Carolina (USA), type locality, allusion not known to Jordan & Gilbert (nor to us)
Calamus mu Randall & Caldwell 1966 named for superficial resemblance to the “only representative of the family Sparidae [now in Lethrinidae] in Polynesia,” Monotaxis grandoculus, commonly called Mu
Calamus nodosus Randall & Caldwell 1966 knotty, referring to prominent bony prefrontal tubercle over posterior nostril
Calamus penna (Valenciennes 1830) quill, seemingly referring to hollow, pen-shaped second anal-fin spine (interhaemal bone), but in this case named, per Valenciennes, for its affinity with C. calamus, whose name also means quill or pen
Calamus pennatula Guichenot 1868 diminutive of penna, quill, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to shorter, more elongate body compared to C. penna, or alluding to similarity between the two species
Calamus proridens Jordan & Gilbert 1884 prora, prow; dens, tooth, referring to band of enlarged, canine-like on both sides of upper jaw of adults, directed obliquely forward and downward and strongly curved outwards
Calamus taurinus (Jenyns 1840) bull-like, allusion not explained, “bullheaded” according to Jordan & Evermann (1898), perhaps referring to large mouth with thick lips and heavy lower jaw
Centracanthus Rafinesque 1810 centron, point; acanthus, thorn or spine, presumably referring to what Rafinesque described as two dorsal fins (actually just one, with a conspicuous dip in the middle), with “some rays or loose thorns between them and their membranes” (translation)
Centracanthus cirrus Rafinesque 1810 latinization of cirrú, local name along the Mediterranean Sea of Sicily (type locality) [originally spelled Centracantus, deemed a typo and emended to Centracanthus by plenary powers of ICZN]
Cheimerius Smith 1938 –ius, adjectival suffix: cheima, storm, referring to its appearance in tidal rivers just before bad weather at sea, and its absence there “during a fine long spell” (at least in South Africa); should it be “taken in nets, one may be certain of a storm at sea within twenty-four hours”
Cheimerius nufar (Valenciennes 1830) local name for this species among the fishermen of the Red Sea of Massawa, Eritrea (co-type locality)
Chrysoblephus Swainson 1839 chrysos, gold; blepharon, eyelid, proposed as a subgenus of Chrysophrys and repeating the meaning of that name: chrysos, gold; ophrys, eyebrow, coined (as Chrysophris) by Cuvier, who, in 1829, said it was the ancient name of C. auratus, referring to “crescent-shaped band of a golden hue that extends from one eye to the other” (translation)
Chrysoblephus anglicus (Gilchrist & Thompson 1908) English, presumably named for “Englishman,” its common name in South Africa (Porcostoma dentatum is called “Dane”)
Chrysoblephus cristiceps (Valenciennes 1830) crista, crown; ceps, head, referring to elevated nape of adult males
Chrysoblephus gibbiceps (Valenciennes 1830) gibbus, hump; ceps, head, referring to bulbous forehead of adult males
Chrysoblephus laticeps (Valenciennes 1830) latus, wide; ceps, head, referring to very broad forehead
Chrysoblephus lophus (Fowler 1925) crest, referring to elevated nape of adult males
Chrysoblephus puniceus (Gilchrist & Thompson 1908) reddish, referring to pink body color
Chrysophrys Quoy & Gaimard 1824 chrysos, gold; ophrys, eyebrow, based on manuscript name coined by Cuvier, who, in 1829 (under the spelling Chrysophris, now treated as a synonym of Sparus, Sparidae), said it was the ancient name of C. auratus, referring to “crescent-shaped band of a golden hue that extends from one eye to the other” (translation)
Chrysophrys auratus (Forster 1801) golden, perhaps referring to crescent-shaped golden band that extends from one eye to the other
Crenidens Valenciennes 1830 creni-, crenulate; dens, teeth, referring to crenulate incisiform teeth (not tautonymous with Sparus crenidens Forsskål 1775 since Valenciennes unnecessarily renamed that species C. forskalii)
Crenidens crenidens (Forsskål 1775) creni-, crenulate; dens, teeth, referring to crenulate incisiform teeth
Crenidens indicus Day 1873 Indian, referring to occurrence off coast of India and/or Indian Ocean (also occurs in Red Sea)
Crenidens macracanthus Günther 1874 macra-, long or large; acanthus, thorn or spine, having “much stronger spines in the vertical fins” compared to the similar C. forskalii (=crenidens), with an “exceedingly strong” second anal-fin spine, “as long as the head without snout”
Cymatoceps Smith 1938 cymatos, swelling or bump; ceps, head, allusion not explained, presumably referring to large fleshy process on snout of large adults
Cymatoceps nasutus (Castelnau 1861) large-nosed, referring to large fleshy process on snout of large adults
Dentex Cuvier 1814 with large teeth, tautonymous with Sparus dentex Linnaeus 1758, referring to well-developed teeth in both jaws
Dentex abei Iwatsuki, Akazaki & Taniguchi 2007 in honor of the late Tokiharu Abe (1911-1996), Zoological Institute of Tokyo University, who studied many Japanese fishes and was aware of the uniqueness of this one
Dentex angolensis Poll & Maul 1953 –ensis, suffix denoting place: off coast of Angola, co-type locality (described from off Gabon and occurs in eastern Atlantic from Morocco to Angola)
Dentex barnardi Cadenat 1970 patronym not identified but probably in honor of Keppel Harcourt Barnard (1887-1964), South African Museum, one of many ichthyologists credited on title page of monograph in which name was made available (in a key)
Dentex canariensis Steindachner 1881 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Canary Islands, off coast of northwestern Africa, type locality (occurs in Mediterranean Sea of Valencia, Spain, and in eastern Atlantic from Portugal south to Angola)
Dentex carpenteri Iwatsuki, Newman & Russell 2015 in honor of Kent E. Carpenter, Old Dominion University (Virginia, USA), for his many contributions to ichthyology and activities pertaining to ichthyology at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
Dentex congoensis Poll 1954 –ensis, suffix denoting place: allusion not explained, presumably referring to Belgian Congo, now Democratic Republic of the Congo (described from off Angola, occurs in eastern Atlantic from Senegal south to Angola, including São Tomé and Principe)
Dentex dentex (Linnaeus 1758) with large teeth, referring to several rows of canine-like teeth, outer row by far the strongest with 4-6 very well-developed anterior teeth in both jaws
Dentex fourmanoiri Akazaki & Séret 1999 in honor of Pierre Fourmanoir (1924-2007), former ichthyologist in ORSTOM (Office de la Recherche Scientifique et Technique d’Outre-Mer), who first collected this species in the 1970s
Dentex gibbosus (Rafinesque 1810) humpbacked, referring to pronounced hump on forehead of older, larger adults
Dentex hypselosomus Bleeker 1854 hypselo-, high; soma, bodied, presumably referring to higher body compared to three presumed congeners from Japan: Dentex (now Gymnocranius) griseus, D. setigerus (=Nemipterus virgatus, Nemipteridae), and D. thunbergii (=Parapristipoma trilineatum, Lutjaniformes: Haemulidae)
Dentex macrophthalmus (Bloch 1791) macro-, large; ophthalmus, eye, referring to large eye, its diameter greater than length of snout
Dentex maroccanus Valenciennes 1830 Moroccan, described from coast of Africa near Morocco (occurs in Mediterranean Sea and eastern Atlantic from Bay of Biscay south to Gulf of Guinea)
Dentex spariformis Ogilby 1910 spari-, Sparus, type genus of family; formis, shape, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its Sparus-like shape or appearance
Diplodus Rafinesque 1810 diplo-, double or two-fold; odus, tooth, allusion not explained and dentition not mentioned in description, perhaps referring to two forms of teeth (incisor and molar) and/or to its double incisors
Diplodus annularis (Linnaeus 1758) ring-shaped, referring to black annular spot just before caudal peduncle
Diplodus argenteus (Valenciennes 1830) silvery, referring to body color (with 8-9 faint bars in smaller individuals)
Diplodus ascensionis (Valenciennes 1830) –is, genitive singular of: Ascension Island, southern central Atlantic, where it is endemic
Diplodus bellottii (Steindachner 1882) in honor of biologist-paleontologist Cristoforo Bellotti (1823-1919), who collected type and/or supplied specimens from his collection at Museo Civico di Storia Naturale (Milan, Italy)
Diplodus bermudensis Caldwell 1965 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Bermuda, where it is endemic
Diplodus cadenati de la Paz, Bauchot & Daget 1974 in honor of ichthyologist Jean Cadenat (1908-1992), Director, Marine Biological Section of the Institut Français d’Afrique Noire (Gorée, Senegal), whose 1964 work on the genus is cited
Diplodus capensis (Smith 1844) –ensis, suffix denoting place: the Cape Colony, referring to type locality at what is now South Africa
Diplodus caudimacula (Poey 1860) caudi-, tail; macula, spot, referring to large black blotch on upper caudal-fin base
Diplodus cervinus (Lowe 1838) deer, named for Sargo Veado (=Deer Sea Bream), its Portuguese name at Madeira (type locality), allusion not explained, perhaps referring to deer-like coloration of its vertical bands
Diplodus fasciatus (Valenciennes 1830) banded, referring to five dark bands on sides, which almost encircle body
Diplodus helenae (Sauvage 1879) of Saint Helena Island, southern central Atlantic, where it is endemic
Diplodus holbrookii (Bean 1878) in honor of physician-naturalist John E. Holbrook (1796-1871), author of Ichthyology of South Carolina (1855; 1860, 2nd ed.), perhaps alluding to his geographic connection to type locality (Savannah Bank, Charleston, South Carolina, USA); he also proposed the sparid genus Lagodon in 1855
Diplodus hottentotus (Smith 1844) latinization of Hottentot, a term (now considered offensive) originating with the Dutch settlers of South Africa used to refer to native black peoples, in this case probably alluding to the fact that the fish is native to the southeast coast of South Africa (type locality)
Diplodus kotschyi (Steindachner 1876) patronym not identified, probably in honor of botanist and explorer Theodor Kotschy (1813-1866), who traveled to the Persian Gulf (co-type locality) in 1842-1843 and may have collected this species
Diplodus levantinus Fricke, Golani & Appelbaum-Golani 2016 –inus, belonging to: the Levant, a historical name for the coasts of the eastern Mediterranean Sea, where this species occurs (Lebanon and Israel)
Diplodus lineatus (Valenciennes 1830) lined, referring to “five very narrow bands, like stripes, descending from the back to the sides” (translation)
Diplodus noct (Valenciennes 1830) Arabic name for this species along the Red Sea of Egypt, type locality
Diplodus omanensis Bauchot & Bianchi 1984 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Kuria Muria Bay, Oman, type locality (also occurs off Pakistan)
Diplodus prayensis Cadenat 1964 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Port of Praia, Santiago, Cape Verde Islands, type locality
Diplodus puntazzo (Walbaum 1792) local name among the fisherman of Genoa, Italy, as reported by Cetti (1777, Anfibi e pesci di Sardegna, vol. 3)
Diplodus sargus (Linnaeus 1758) sargos, ancient Greek name for a sparid fish, dating to at least Aristotle
Diplodus striatus (Bliss 1883) striped, referring to 13 dark longitudinal stripes along sides, six above lateral line and seven below
Diplodus vulgaris (Geoffroy St. Hilaire 1817) common, allusion not explained, perhaps alluding to its Arabic name in Egypt, chargouch, meaning “sea rat”
Evynnis Jordan & Thompson 1912 eu-, well; hynnis, vomer, referring to group of conical teeth on head of vomer
Evynnis cardinalis (Lacepède 1802) red, referring to pinkish-red head and body
Evynnis ehrenbergii (Valenciennes 1830) in honor of Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg (1795-1876), German naturalist, comparative anatomist and microscopist, who realized museum specimens of this Mediterranean species had been confused with Argyrops spinifer from the Red Sea
Evynnis mononematos Guan, Tang & Wu 2012 mono-, one; nematos, thread, referring to elongation of third dorsal-fin spine only, compared to third and fourth spines of E. cardinalis and E. tumifrons
Evynnis tumifrons (Temminck & Schlegel 1843) tumis, a swelling; frons, front or forehead, referring to bulge near eye, more prominent in larger adults
Gymnocrotaphus Günther 1859 gymnos, bare or naked; crotaphus, cheek, referring to scaleless cheek
Gymnocrotaphus curvidens Günther 1859 curvus, curved or bent; dens, teeth, referring to series of broad, lancelolate and curved incisors on both jaws
Lagodon Holbrook 1855 lagos, hare or rabbit; odon, tooth, presumably referring to eight broad, deeply notched incisor-like anterior teeth on both jaws
Lagodon rhomboides (Linnaeus 1766) –oides, having the form of: rhomboid, presumably referring to shape of scales as illustrated by Mark Catesby in 1754, one of two sparids he collectively called Perca marina rhomboidalis fasciata (see Archosargus rhomboidalis, above)
Lithognathus Swainson 1839 lithos, stone; gnathus, jaw, proposed as a subgenus of Pagellus with maxillaries “thick, enlarged, and as hard as stone” [not tautonymous with Pagellus lithognathus Cuvier 1829, which Swainson unnecessarily renamed P. capensis]
Lithognathus aureti Smith 1962 in honor of B. G. Auret, S.A. Lighthouse Services, South West Africa (now Namibia), who recognized this fish as a distinct species and sent photographs to Smith, for his “acute observation on this matter”
Lithognathus lithognathus (Cuvier 1829) lithos, stone; gnathus, jaw, referring to its maxillaries, “bulging and as solid as stones” (translation)
Lithognathus mormyrus (Linnaeus 1758) mormyros, presumably an ancient Greek name for a sparid fish, reflected in several European common names for this species: mormillo (the Romans), mormiro (Venice), morno (Genoa), morme (Provence), and marmo (Spain)
Lithognathus olivieri Penrith & Penrith 1969 in honor of P. G. Olivier, National Museum of Namibia, who collected type
Oblada Cuvier 1829 latinization of oblado, one of three common names (along with blade and hibaldo) by which this fish is called in Marseille, France, as reported by Brünnich (1768, Ichthyologia Massiliensis)
Oblada melanurus (Linnaeus 1758) melanos, black; oura, tail, referring to large black blotch on caudal peduncle
Pachymetopon Günther 1859 pachys, thick; metopon, brow or forehead, referring to “very prominent rounded protuberance between the eyes” of P. grande
Pachymetopon aeneum (Gilchrist & Thompson 1908) bronze, referring to dark-brown color in alcohol
Pachymetopon blochii (Valenciennes 1830) in honor of physician-naturalist Marcus Elieser Bloch (1723-1799), author of a 12-volume encyclopedia of fishes, Allgemeine Naturgeschichte der Fische (1782-1795) who reported this porgy as Sparus brama (=Spondyliosoma cantharus) in 1791
Pachymetopon grande Günther 1859 large, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to “large” protuberance between eyes and/or TL (described at 52 cm)
Pagellus Valenciennes 1830 diminutive of pagel, common name for to P. erythrinus (also called pageau) among sailors along the Mediterranean Sea of Provence and Languedoc, France
Pagellus acarne (Risso 1827) etymology not explained; according to Valenciennes (1830), a name from Pliny that Rondelet (1554) “quite arbitrarily” (translation) applied to this species
Pagellus affinis Boulenger 1888 related, referring to similarity and/or close relationship to P. erythrinus
Pagellus bellottii Steindachner 1882 in honor of biologist-paleontologist Cristoforo Bellotti (1823-1919), who collected type and/or supplied specimens from his collection at Museo Civico di Storia Naturale (Milan, Italy)
Pagellus bogaraveo (Brünnich 1768) from bogue-raveo, local name for this species in Marseille, France
Pagellus erythrinus (Linnaeus 1758) –inus, adjectival suffix: erythros, red, referring to red (actually pinkish) body color
Pagellus natalensis Steindachner 1903 –ensis, suffix denoting place: off the Natal coast (now called KwaZulu-Natal coast) of South Africa, type locality
Pagrus Cuvier 1816 tautonymous with Sparus pagrus Linnaeus 1758, from phagros, ancient Greek name for porgies, dating to at least Aristotle
Pagrus africanus Akazaki 1962 African, referring to Cape Blanco (type locality), peninsula or headland divided by the border between Mauritania and Western Sahara on the African coast of the eastern Atlantic (occurs from Mauritania south to Angola)
Pagrus auriga Valenciennes 1843 coachman, referring to filamentous third, fourth and fifth rays of dorsal fin (particularly in the young), like a coachman’s whip
Pagrus caeruleostictus (Valenciennes 1830) caeruleus, blue; stictus, mark or spot, referring to large bluish-black spots on back and sides
Pagrus major (Temminck & Schlegel 1843) greater, described as the “most common of all the Japanese species [of Chrysophrys, original genus] and the largest in size” (translation)
Pagrus pagrus (Linnaeus 1758) from phagros, ancient Greek name for porgies, dating to at least Aristotle
Parargyrops Tanaka 1916 para-, near, referring to similarity to Argyrops, specifically, A. longifilis (=spinifer)
Parargyrops edita Tanaka 1916 high or lofty, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to “greatly elevated” back (per Tanaka in a follow-up 1916 publication) and/or filamentous third, fourth and sometimes fifth rays of dorsal fin
Petrus Smith 1938 presumably from the Greek petra, rock, referring to rocky banks, its primary habitat
Petrus rupestris (Valenciennes 1830) living among rocks, referring to rocky banks, its primary habitat
Polyamblyodon Norman 1935 poly, many; amblys, blunt; odon, tooth, referring to “outer row of strong, curved, compressed chisel-like teeth in each jaw [of P. germanus], behind which is a broad band composed of 6 or 7 rows of small rounded molariform teeth”
Polyamblyodon germanus (Barnard 1934) etymology not explained, perhaps “having the same parents,” referring to close affinity with two presumed congeners in Pachymetopon, P. gibbosus and P. grande
Polyamblyodon gibbosus (Pellegrin 1914) hump-backed, referring to “very distinct nuchal gibbosity” (translation) in front of dorsal fin (most pronounced in older adults)
Polysteganus Klunzinger 1870 poly, many; steganus, covered, proposed as a subgenus of Dentex with interorbital scales extending forward to a vertical at front edge of eye
Polysteganus baissaci Smith 1978 in honor of fisheries officer and illustrator Jean de B. Baissac, who recognized this species as undescribed in 1956, and for his many years working with Mauritian fishes; “Through his energy, collecting and publications he has produced a comprehensive list of the fishes of that area, so useful to subsequent workers.”
Polysteganus cerasinus Iwatsuki & Heemstra 2015 of cherry, referring to “cherry blossom” (pink) color of head and body
Polysteganus coeruleopunctatus (Klunzinger 1870) coeruleo-, blue; punctatus, spotted, referring to blue spot on each scale on dorsal half of body forming longitudinal lines of blue spots along scale row
Polysteganus flavodorsalis Iwatsuki & Heemstra 2015 flavus, yellow; dorsalis, dorsal, referring to bright-yellow upper margin of dorsal-fin membranes
Polysteganus lineopunctatus (Boulenger 1903) lineo-, line; punctatus, spotted, referring to six longitudinal series of purplish dots on upper body
Polysteganus mascarenensis Iwatsuki & Heemstra 2011 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Mascarene Islands, type locality
Polysteganus praeorbitalis (Günther 1859) pre-, in front; orbitalis, eye socket, referring to preorbital bone (snout), described as “very large, elevated, quadrangular, with the posterior margin straight, descending obliquely downwards”
Polysteganus undulosus (Regan 1908) with wavy lines, referring to 3-6 undulating longitudinal dark stripes with pale edges on upper half of body
Porcostoma Smith 1938 porcus, hog; stoma, mouth, presumably referring to projecting canine-like incisors, visible when mouth is closed (like the tusks of wild boars)
Porcostoma dentatum (Gilchrist & Thompson 1908) toothed, referring to projecting canine-like incisors, visible when mouth is closed
Pterogymnus Smith 1938 ptero-, fin; gymnos, bare or naked, presumably referring to scaleless soft dorsal and anal fins (compared to basally scaled on Cymatoceps)
Pterogymnus laniarius (Valenciennes 1830) butcher or pertaining to a butcher, allusion not explained nor evident
Rhabdosargus Fowler 1933 rhabdos, rod or stick (i.e., streak), referring to yellow abdominal band of type species, Diplodus auriventris (=R. sarba); sargos, ancient Greek name for a sparid fish, dating to at least Aristotle, but here likely referring to Sargus (=Diplodus)
Rhabdosargus globiceps (Valenciennes 1830) globus, globe or sphere; ceps, head, referring to raised and rounded prominence between the eyes
Rhabdosargus haffara (Fabricius 1775) Haffâra, Arabic name for this species along the Red Sea
Rhabdosargus holubi (Steindachner 1881) in honor of Emil Holub (1847-1902), Czech physician, cartographer and ethnographer, who collected type
Rhabdosargus niger Tanaka & Iwatsuki 2013 black, referring to blackish body color
Rhabdosargus sarba (Gmelin 1789) Arabic name for this species along the Red Sea of Saudi Arabia, type locality
Rhabdosargus thorpei Smith 1979 in honor of Anthony R. Thorpe, lawyer and Records Officer of the South African Angling Union, who caught type and brought it to Smith’s notice
Sarpa Bonaparte 1831 local name for this species in Genoa, Italy, perhaps a variant of salpa (see below)
Sarpa salpa (Linnaeus 1758) modern Greek spelling of salpe or salpes, ancient Greek name for this species, dating to at least Aristotle; one online reference (Mazza 2013, Monaco Nature Encyclopedia) claims name comes from the Spanish sapo, meaning toad, “probably due to its flesh, without value and toxic during some periods of the year,” but this explanation is not mentioned in any historical accounts seen by us
Sparidentex Munro 1948 etymology not explained, possibly an arbitrary combination of Sparus (type genus of family) and Dentex (original genus of S. hasta)
Sparidentex belayewi (Hora & Misra 1943) in honor of Dimitry D. Belayew, Specialist in Fisheries, Directorate General of Agriculture (Baghdad, Iraq), “through whose kindness” that authors had the opportunity to examine this species
Sparidentex hasta (Valenciennes 1830) spear, referring to its strong anal-fin spines
Sparidentex jamalensis Amir, Siddiqui & Masroor 2014 –ensis, a suffix usually denoting place but here used for a patronym: in honor of Pirzada Jamal Ahmed Siddiqui, University of Karachi, whose “support and contributions to the work on [the] marine fauna of Pakistan is immense and noteworthy” [although Siddiqui is the co-author of a name that honors himself, the patronym was probably chosen by his student, Amir]
Sparodon Smith 1938 spar-, a sparid fish; odon, tooth, referring to four front incisors in both jaws, the middle pair very much enlarged and curved, the upper overhanging the lower
Sparodon durbanensis (Castelnau 1861) –ensis, suffix denoting place: Durban, Natal, South Africa, type locality
Sparus Linnaeus 1758 sparos, ancient Greek name for S. aurata
Sparus aurata Linnaeus 1758 gold (noun, not adjective), referring to golden frontal band between eyes
Spicara Rafinesque 1810 spicara, a local name for S. flexuosa in Italy, presumably from spica, a spike, or spicare, in the form of or furnished with a spike, allusion not explained nor evident
Spicara altum (Osório 1917) high, allusion not explained, presumably referring to the “height of the body almost equal to the length of the head, a little less than 3½ times its total length” (translation)
Spicara australe (Regan 1921) southern, allusion not explained, probably referring to type locality off South Africa in the southwestern Indian Ocean
Spicara axillare (Boulenger 1900) axillary, referring to “round deep black spot” at base of pectoral fin
Spicara flexuosum Rafinesque 1810 full of bends or curves, referring to yellow longitudinal flexuous lines (“delle linee longitudinale flessuose giallastro”) on grayish-blue body (usually seen only on breeding males)
Spicara maena (Linnaeus 1758) latinization of maenis, ancient Greek name for this or a related species, dating to at least Aristotle
Spicara martinicus (Valenciennes 1830) –icus, belonging to: Martinique Island, West Indies, type locality
Spicara melanurus (Valenciennes 1830) melanos, black; oura, tail, referring to large black spot on caudal peduncle
Spicara nigricauda (Norman 1931) nigri-, black; cauda, tail, referring to large black blotch on both sides of caudal peduncle
Spicara smaris (Linnaeus 1758) ancient Greek name for this species dating to at least Aristotle
Spondyliosoma Cantor 1849 spondylus, spindle; soma, body, allusion not explained nor evident
Spondyliosoma cantharus (Linnaeus 1758) latinization of kantharos, ancient Greek name for this species dating to at least Aristotle
Spondyliosoma emarginatum (Valenciennes 1830) notched or indented, referring to deep notch in infraorbital (shallower in young)
Stenotomus Gill 1865 stenos, narrow; tomos, cutting, referring to narrow incisors
Stenotomus caprinus Jordan & Gilbert 1882 like a goat; according to Jordan & Evermann (1898), referring to “species having been sent under the name ‘goat-head porgy,’ which was a misunderstanding of the name ‘jolt-head porgy,’ which is Calamus bajonado”
Stenotomus chrysops (Linnaeus 1766) chrysos, gold; ops, eye, referring to golden iris of eye
Virididentex Poll 1971 viridis, green, proposed as a subgenus of Dentex, allusion not explained but almost certainly referring to Cape Verde (“green cape”) Islands, where it is endemic
Virididentex acromegalus (Osório 1911) acros, at the end, or tip; megalus, large, allusion not explained, possibly referring to strong and projecting lower jaw