COMMENTS
v. 7.0 – 19 Nov. 2024 view/download PDF
Family LATIDAE Giant Perches
3 genera · 14 species · Taxonomic note: nested within Centropomidae by some workers.
Hypopterus Gill 1861 hypo-, ventral or below; pterus, fin, allusion not explained, presumably referring to anal fin, described as longer than dorsal fin
Hypopterus macropterus (Günther 1859) macro-, long or large; ptera, fin, allusion not explained, presumably referring “very long” third spine of dorsal fin and/or “long” anal fin
Lates Cuvier 1828 from latès or latos, local name for L. niloticus since the “time of the ancients” (translation)
Lates angustifrons Boulenger 1906 angustus, narrow; frons, front, face or brow, referring to “much narrower interorbital region” compared to the closely related L. microlepis
Lates calcarifer (Bloch 1790) calcar, spur; fero, to bear, referring to four spines on operculum, “which resemble a spur” (translation)
Lates japonicus Katayama & Taki 1984 Japanese, known only from the western North Pacific of Japan
Lates lakdiva Pethiyagoda & Gill 2012 Lakdiva, Sinhalese name for island of Sri Lanka, only known area of occurrence
Lates longispinis Worthington 1932 longus, long; spinis, spine, proposed as a subspecies of L. niloticus with a longer third spine of dorsal fin
Lates macrophthalmus Worthington 1929 macro-, large; ophthalmus, referring to larger eye compared to L. niloticus
Lates mariae Steindachner 1909 in honor of Maria Horn who, with her husband Adolf, explored German East-Africa (present-day Burundi and Tanzania), collecting specimens for the Vienna Museum, including type of this one
Lates microlepis Boulenger 1898 micro-, small; lepis, scale, referring to smaller scales compared to L. niloticus
Lates niloticus (Linnaeus 1758) –icus, belonging to: Nile River of Egypt, presumptive type locality (no types known); widely occurs elsewhere in Africa in both natural and introduced populations
Lates stappersii (Boulenger 1914) in honor of physician-biologist Louis Stappers (1883-1916), head of the Belgian mission to the Congo, who led an expedition to lakes Tanganyika and Moero in 1911-1913 and collected type
Lates uwisara Pethiyagoda & Gill 2012 named for Burmese poet and Buddhist monk Hla Kyaw (1889-1929), later known as U Wisara (“U” is an honorific, not a name), who died in prison after a 166-day hunger strike against British rule in Burma (now Myanmar); his death energized Burma’s nascent independence movement [a noun in apposition, without the genitive “i”]
Psammoperca Richardson 1848 psammos, sand; perca, perch, referring to its “granular” teeth, which Richardson used to distinguish it from other Australian “Percidae”
Psammoperca datnioides Richardson 1848 –oides, having the form of: allusion not explained, perhaps referring to resemblance to and/or affinity with Datnia (=Mesopristes, Centrarchiformes: Terapontidae), another perch-like genus from Australia that Richardson covered in his monograph
Psammoperca waigiensis (Cuvier 1828) –ensis, suffix denoting place: Waigeo, Irian Jaya, Indonesia, type locality (but widely occurs in Indo-West Pacific from Malaysia and Indonesia east to Papua New Guinea, north to Ryukyu Islands, south to northern Australia)
Family CENTROPOMIDAE Snooks
1 genus · 13 species
Centropomus Lacepède 1802 kentron, thorn or spine; pomus, lid or covering, presumably referring to spines at angle of preopercle
Centropomus armatus Gill 1863 armed with a weapon, referring to “very robust” dorsal-fin spines and/or “exceedingly developed” second spine of anal fin
Centropomus ensiferus Poey 1860 ensis, sword; fero, to bear, allusion not explained, probably referring to elongate and strong second spine of anal fin
Centropomus irae Carvalho-Filho, Oliviera, Soares & Araripe 2019 in honor of Iracilda Sampaio (Federal University of Pará, Brazil), evolutionary biologist and geneticist, for her “lifelong contribution to the understanding of the genetic diversity of the fauna of the Amazon region, in particular fish, and her profound dedication to science and teaching”
Centropomus medius Günther 1864 middle, allusion not explained, perhaps intermediate in length and/or number of lateral-line scales compared to congeners Günther examined
Centropomus mexicanus Bocourt 1868 Mexican, referring to Oaxaca, México, type locality (occurs in western Atlantic from Florida and the Caribbean to Brazil) [treated as a junior synonym of C. parallelus by some workers]
Centropomus nigrescens Günther 1864 blackish, referring to color of fins and upper body
Centropomus parallelus Poey 1860 parallel, i.e., slab-sided, referring to its compressed form, so that the two sides of the body are parallel
Centropomus pectinatus Poey 1860 comb-toothed, referring to angle of preopercle with ~6 long spines, slender and close-set like the teeth of a comb
Centropomus poeyi Chávez 1961 in honor of Cuban zoologist Felipe Poey (1799-1891), for his contributions to the knowledge of Antillean fishes and the genus Centropomus in particular
Centropomus robalito Jordan & Gilbert 1882 local name for this species among the fishermen of Mazatlán, México, diminutive of robalo, their name for the larger C. nigrescens and C. undecimalis
Centropomus undecimalis (Bloch 1792) eleven, number of rays of soft dorsal fin
Centropomus unionensis Bocourt 1868 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Bay of Union, El Salvador, type locality (occurs in eastern Pacific from México to Peru)
Centropomus viridis Lockington 1877 green, referring to greenish back and upper half of body in fresh specimens
Family LACTARIIDAE False Trevally
Lactarius Valenciennes 1833 milky (see species); tautonymous with Scomber lactarius (which Valenciennes unnecessarily renamed as L. delicatulus), both names referring to the delicacy of its flesh
Lactarius lactarius (Bloch & Schneider 1801) milky, allusion not explained; according to Valenciennes (1833), its vernacular name in Puducherry, India, is pêche-lait (peach milk), referring to the delicacy of its flesh
Family SPHYRAENIDAE Barracudas
1 genus · 27 species
Sphyraena Artedi 1793 ancient Greek word recalling the idea of a javelin, a pointed stake, or prow of a ship, historically used for slender, sharp-headed fishes, including (per Aristotle) barracudas (name does not mean “hammer fish” as often reported elsewhere) [appeared without species, so not tautonymous with Esox sphyraena; authorship sometimes attributed to Röse, who reprinted Artedi’s pre-Linnaean 1738 publication]
Sphyraena acutipinnis Day 1876 acutus, sharp; pinna, fin, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to spines in its two dorsal fins and anal fin (common to all barracudas)
Sphyraena afra Peters 1844 African, described from Luanda, Angola (but no type specimens are known)
Sphyraena africana Gilchrist & Thompson 1909 African, described from Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (but widely occurs from East Africa east to Hawaiian, Marquesas and Tuamotu Islands, north to southern Japan)
Sphyraena arabiansis Abdussamad & Retheesh 2015 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Arabian Sea off the Lakshadweep Islands, type locality
Sphyraena argentea Girard 1854 silvery, referring to “argentine reflection” of its scales
Sphyraena barracuda (Edwards 1771) local name for this species in the Bahamas
Sphyraena borealis DeKay 1842 northern, i.e., a northern relative (described from New York harbor, USA) of the “dreaded Barracuda of the South”
Sphyraena ensis Jordan & Gilbert 1882 sword, allusion not explained, presumably referring to its sword-like shape
Sphyraena flavicauda Rüppell 1838 flavus, yellow; cauda, tail, referring to yellow caudal fin with black margins
Sphyraena forsteri Cuvier 1829 in honor of Johann Reinhold Forster (1729-1798), naturalist aboard Captain Cook’s second voyage on HMS Resolution, who created the illustration from which it was described
Sphyraena guachancho Cuvier 1829 local name (also spelled guaguanche) for this barracuda in Cuba
Sphyraena helleri Jenkins 1901 in honor of zoologist Edmund Heller (1875-1939), who, with entomologist Robert E. Snodgrass (1875-1962), made “valuable” contributions to the knowledge of fishes of the Galápagos Islands (including description of S. idiastes)
Sphyraena iburiensis Doiuchi & Nakabo 2005 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Iburi, Kochi Prefecture, Japan, type locality
Sphyraena idiastes Heller & Snodgrass 1903 recluse or hermit, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its initially being known only from the Galápagos Islands
Sphyraena jello Cuvier 1829 from jellow, local name for this barracuda in Vizagapatam, India, Bay of Bengal, as reported by Russell (1803)
Sphyraena lucasana Gill 1863 –ana, belonging to: Cape San Lucas, Baja California, México, type locality
Sphyraena nigripinnis Temminck & Schlegel 1843 nigri-, black; pinnis, fin, referring to its fins, described as “darkish-black and bluish gray” (translation)
Sphyraena novaehollandiae Günther 1860 of New Holland, historic name for Australia, referring to type locality at Hobson’s Bay, Port Phillip, Victoria, Australia
Sphyraena obtusata Cuvier 1829 obtuse, referring to how it lacks (or retains a slight vestige of) the pointed prominence that terminates the lower jaw in some congeners, so that the end of the jaw is obtuse
Sphyraena pinguis Günther 1874 fat, referring to its “remarkably round body”
Sphyraena putnamae Jordan & Seale 1905 in honor of Mary Louisa Duncan Putnam (1832-1903), “honored patron” of the Davenport Academy of Sciences (now the Putnam Museum, Davenport, Iowa, USA), which published the description [spelled putnamiae in text and putnamae on plate; many workers use the text spelling]
Sphyraena qenie Klunzinger 1870 Arabic name for barracudas along the Red Sea (also spelled kenie and genie)
Sphyraena sphyraena (Linnaeus 1758) ancient Greek work recalling the idea of a javelin, a pointed stake, or prow of a ship, historically used for slender, sharp-headed fishes, including (per Aristotle) barracudas (name does not mean “hammer fish” as often reported elsewhere)
Sphyraena stellata Morishita & Motomura 2020 “starry, referring to the two yellow lateral stripes on the body” (we fail to see how stripes are star-shaped; perhaps meaning bright like a star or appearing as if lit by stars)
Sphyraena tome Fowler 1903 cutting or acute, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its teeth, “Enlarged, compressed and fang-like below, and in sides of upper jaw short, fine, numerous and sharp-pointed”
Sphyraena viridensis Cuvier 1829 –ensis, suffix denoting place: St. Jago, Cape Verde Islands, type locality (occurs in Mediterranean Sea and in eastern Atlantic along Azores, Madeira and Canary Islands)
Sphyraena waitii Ogilby 1908 in honor of Australian zoologist and museum director Edgar R. Waite (1866-1928), who noted the distinctiveness of this species, then identified as S. novaehollandiae, in 1900
Family LEPTOBRAMIDAE Beachsalmons
Leptobrama Steindachner 1878 leptos, thin, referring to laterally compressed body; brama, reflecting Steindachner’s belief that it is related to the Atlantic Pomfret, Brama brama (Scombriformes: Bramidae)
Leptobrama muelleri Steindachner 1878 in honor of physician, geographer and botanist Ferdinand von Mueller (1825-1896), who donated his extensive collection of Australian plant and animal specimens, including type of this species, to what is now the Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Stuttgart in Germany
Leptobrama pectoralis (Ramsay & Ogilby 1887) pectoral, referring to “much larger” pectoral fins compared to Neopempheris ramsayi (=L. muelleri)
Family TOXOTIDAE Archerfishes
2 genera · 9 species
Protoxotes Whitley 1950 pro-, from protos, Greek for first, described as the “most primitive” of archerfishes
Protoxotes lorentzi (Weber 1910) in honor of Dutch explorer Hendrikus Albertus Lorentz (1871-1944), who collected many fishes in Borneo, including type of this one (also occurs in Australia and New Guinea)
Toxotes Cloquet 1816 Greek for archer or bowman, referring to their ability to shoot drops of water at terrestrial insects, making them fall into the water to be fed upon [authorship often attributed to Cuvier 1816, but Cloquet’s entry in a science dictionary, based on Cuvier’s manuscript, preceded Cuvier’s publication by about a month]
Toxotes blythii Boulenger 1892 in honor of Edward Blyth (1810-1873), curator, Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal, who described this species in 1860 but used a preoccupied name, T. microlepis
Toxotes carpentariensis Castelnau 1878 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Gulf of Carpentaria, which type locality (Norman River, Queensland, Australia) flows into
Toxotes chatareus (Hamilton 1822) etymology not explained nor evident, but here are two speculative explanations: (1) latinization of chata, perhaps derived from Samudrik-chanda, a local name for this fish in the Indian state of West Bengal; (2) named for Chata Kalikapur, a town in West Bengal not far from the Hooghly River, a distributary of the Ganges river
Toxotes jaculatrix (Pallas 1767) huntress, i.e., she who hurls (e.g., a javelin), referring to its ability to hunt for food by shooting drops of water at terrestrial insects, making them fall into the water to be fed upon
Toxotes kimberleyensis Allen 2004 –ensis, suffix denoting place: West Kimberley District, Western Australia, where it is endemic
Toxotes microlepis Günther 1860 micro-, small; lepis, scale, referring to “much smaller scales” compared to T. jaculatrix and other (unidentified) congeners
Toxotes oligolepis Bleeker 1876 oligos, few; lepis, scale, referring to larger and therefore fewer scales along lateral line compared to congeners known at the time
Toxotes sundaicus Kottelat & Tan 2018 –icus, belonging to: Sunda, large islands of western Indonesia, where it occurs in Borneo, Sumatra, and possibly the Malay Peninsula
Family NEMATISTIIDAE Roosterfish
Nematistius Gill 1862 nema, thread; istius, sail, referring to first dorsal fin, composed of eight very long filamentous spines
Nematistius pectoralis Gill 1862 pectoral, referring to falcate and acuminate pectoral fins, nearly twice as long as the ventrals
Family MENIDAE Moonfish
Mene Lacepède 1803 moon, referring to its shape, like that of a nearly full moon
Mene maculata (Bloch & Schneider 1801) spotted, referring to oval black spots above lateral line
Family XIPHIIDAE Swordfish
Xiphias Linnaeus 1758 ancient Greek name for swordfish, derived from xiphias, Greek for sword, referring to its flat, pointed, sword-like bill
Xiphias gladius Linnaeus 1758 Latin for sword, referring to its flat, pointed, sword-like bill
Family ISTIOPHORIDAE Billfishes and Marlins
5 genera · 10 species
Istiompax Whitley 1931 etymology not explained, probably istios, sail, referring to Istiophorus, type genus of family, and ompax, meaning unknown, perhaps referring to Ompax spatuloides Castelnau 1879, a fake Australian fish based on a drawing, assembled from the parts of other fishes, and given a “mysterious historical” generic name apparently associated with the religious rites of Demeter; Whitley, who helped expose the hoax of this fish in 1933, may have been drawing a parallel between it and I. australis (=indica), which Whitley said had been misidentified by Australasian authors and therefore whose true identity, like that of Ompax, had been a mystery
Istiompax indica (Cuvier 1832) Indian, referring to Sumatra, Indian Ocean, type locality
Istiophorus Lacepède 1801 istios, sail; phorus, bearer, referring to sail-like dorsal fin of I. platypterus
Istiophorus platypterus (Shaw 1792) platy, broad (not flat as others have claimed); pterus, fin, referring to its “extremely broad back-fin” (i.e., dorsal fin)
Kajikia Marshall & Palmer 1950 presumably derived from kajiki, Japanese for marlin or sailfish proposed by Hirasaka & Nakamura in 1947, who did not designate a type, so authorship is credited to Marshall & Palmer, both British Museum (Natural History), compilers for the Zoological Record, who did]
Kajikia albida (Poey 1860) white, from Aguja blanca (white needle), local name for this species in Cuba, presumably referring to silvery white color laterally and white ventrally
Kajikia audax (Philippi 1887) bold or daring, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its bold striped color pattern
Makaira Lacepède 1802 based on an illustration of a specimen that washed ashore in La Rochelle, France, where it was given the name makaira, which Lacepède admits he cannot explain (perhaps derived from machaera, Greek for bent sword, dirk, dagger or knife, referring to its sword-like bill)
Makaira mazara (Jordan & Snyder 1901) local name for this species among fishermen who work Sagami Sea, Japan, type locality [sometimes treated as a junior synonym of M. nigricans]
Makaira nigricans Lacepède 1802 blackish, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to blue-black coloration dorsally
Tetrapturus Rafinesque 1810 tetra, four; ptera, fin; ouros, tail, referring to two wing-like caudal keels on each side of caudal peduncle
Tetrapturus angustirostris Tanaka 1915 angustus, narrow; rostris, snout, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to snout “much shorter than in other Japanese species of the genus”
Tetrapturus belone Rafinesque 1810 Greek for needle, referring to short, spear-like bill
Tetrapturus georgii Lowe 1841 in honor of businessman George Butler Leacock of Madeira (type locality), who provided type, for “valuable assistance rendered in the cause of Ichthyology”
Tetrapturus pfluegeri Robins & de Sylva 1963 in memory of Albert Pflueger, Sr. (d. 1962) of Miami, Florida, USA, taxidermist, “who was a ready source of valued information and who first called to our attention the presence of a spearfish in western Atlantic waters”; many specimens reported on by Robins and de Sylva (1961) and in this paper were studied at Pflueger’s shop
Family CORYPHAENIDAE Dolphinfishes
Coryphaena Linnaeus 1758 corys, helmet; phaino, to make manifest (i.e., to show), name dating to Aristotle, referring to head being crested like a helmet
Coryphaena equiselis Linnaeus 1758 equus, horse; seta or saeta, hair or bristle, corrupted spelling of the plant name equisaetum from Pliny’s Natural History and usually identified as the vascular plant Horsetail Equisetum arvense, described by Pliny as being “covered with horsehair”; allusion not explained, probably referring to the fish’s mane-like dorsal fin
Coryphaena hippurus Linnaeus 1758 horse-tailed, from híppos (Gr. ἵππος), horse, and urus, from ourá (Gr. οὐρά), tail, name dating to Pliny’s Natural History, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to mane-like dorsal fin (name clearly does not refer to its tail, which is forked); interestingly, the names of both dolphinfishes mirror the names of two superficially similar genera of plants, Horsetail (Equisetum) and Mare’s-tail (Hippurus), the stalks of which have bristly branches said to resemble a horse’s tail
Family RACHYCENTRIDAE Cobia
Rachycentron Kaup 1826 rhachis, backbone; centron, thorn or spine, referring to ~8 low, stout, equal, free spines on first dorsal fin, each depressible into a groove
Rachycentron canadum (Linnaeus 1766) etymology not explained, presumably Canadian, although type specimen came from South Carolina (USA) and, except for one record east of Emerald Bank in 1976, does not occur off Canada
Family ECHENEIDAE Remoras or Sharksuckers
3 genera · 8 species
Echeneis Linnaeus 1758 echein, to hold; naus, ship, presumably referring to how E. naucrates can use its oval sucking plate (modified dorsal fin) to cling to the hull or keel of a ship (and, according to legend, slow it down; see Remora remora)
Echeneis naucrates Linnaeus 1758 naus, ship; krates, master or guide, i.e., holding a ship fast, a nautical term referring to securely gripping a ship’s rigging, referring to how this fish uses its oval sucking plate (modified dorsal fin) to “hold fast” to the hull or keel of a ship (this interpretation differs from those for Naucrates ductor; see Carangidae, below) [originally spelled neucrates, believed by some to be a misprint; the “corrected” spelling is now in prevailing usage]
Echeneis neucratoides Zuiew 1789 –oides, having the form of: referring to similarity to E. naucrates (which at the time was spelled neucrates)
Phtheirichthys Gill 1862 phtheiros, louse, presumably referring to how this species can attach itself to whales and larger fishes, like a louse (but, unlike a louse, it is not a parasite); ichthys, fish
Phtheirichthys lineatus (Menzies 1791) lined, referring to two narrow white stripes on brownish body
Remora Gill 1862 tautonymous with Echeneis remora (see R. remora for etymology)
Remora albescens (Temminck & Schlegel 1850) whitish, described from an illustration, its color a “uniform hue of pure white” (translation; later accounts say the fish is a uniform grayish brown)
Remora australis (Bennett 1840) southern, no type locality given, no type specimens known, presumably referring to its occurrence near Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, and/or neighboring islands of the Pacific based on Bennett’s proposed common name for the species, “Australasian Remora” (actually circumglobal in tropical and warm temperate seas, including the Mediterranean)
Remora brachyptera (Lowe 1839) brachys, short; ptera, fin, referring to short and wide pectoral fins (“pinnis pectoralibus brevibus, latis”)
Remora osteochir (Cuvier 1829) osteo, bone; cheiros, hand, referring to partially ossified pectoral fins, causing them to be flat and stiff
Remora remora (Linnaeus 1758) Latin for delay or hindrance, a name dating to ancient mariners, who believed this fish could slow or stop a ship from sailing; indeed, Pliny the Elder, in his Natural History (ca. AD 77-79), blames the defeat of Mark Antony at the Battle of Actium on remoras that had attached themselves to Mark Antony’s ships (a possible explanation for this nautical lore is that the remoras were attached to seaweed growing on the ship’s hull and keel, and that it was the seaweed, not the remora, that hindered the ship)
Family CARANGIDAE Jacks and Pompanos
39 genera · 152 species/subspecies
Subfamily TRACHINOTINAE
Lichia Cuvier 1816 latinization of liche, local name for L. amia in Provence, France, as reported by Rondelet (1554), possibly derived from lechia, Roman name for this fish as reported by Cuvier (1832)
Lichia amia (Linnaeus 1758) an ancient name for an unknown fish, thought to be a small tunny or large mackerel, applied to this species in Salviani’s Aquatilium animalium (1558)
Trachinotus Lacepède 1801 trachys, rough; notus, back, referring to five short spines of first dorsal fin of Scomber falcatus Forsskål 1775 (a misidentified T. blochii, not the same species as T. falcatus [Linnaeus 1758]; on younger specimens the spines are more prominent, whereas in older adults they appear small and may even disappear due to encroachment of skin
Trachinotus africanus Smith 1967 African, referring to its occurrence in the western Indian Ocean off the coast of South Africa
Trachinotus anak Ogilby 1909 etymology not explained, perhaps from the Hebrew Anak (homophone for giant) and members of the Anakim or Anakites, giant people mentioned briefly in the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament, alluding to the large size of this fish (called the Giant Oystercatcher with historical accounts saying it reaches 1.8 m)
Trachinotus baillonii (Lacepède 1801) manuscript name coined by Commerçon, patronym not identified but probably in honor of French naturalist Louis Antoine François Baillon (1778-1851), or his father Jean François Emmanuel Baillon (1742-1801), also a naturalist
Trachinotus blochii (Lacepède 1801) manuscript name coined by Commerçon, patronym not identified but almost certainly in honor of physician-naturalist Marcus Elieser Bloch (1723–1799), who proposed Chaetodon glaucus (an apparent senior synonym of T. goodei) in 1787
Trachinotus botla (Shaw 1803) from Botla Parah, local name for this species at Vizagapatam, India, Bay of Bengal, as reported by Russell (1803)
Trachinotus carolinus (Linnaeus 1766) –inus, belonging to: South Carolina, USA, type locality (but occurs widely in the western Atlantic, from Massachusetts to Brazil)
Trachinotus cayennensis Cuvier 1832 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Cayenne, French Guiana, type locality (but occurs elsewhere in the western Atlantic from Colombia to Brazil)
Trachinotus coppingeri Günther 1884 in honor of Richard William Coppinger (1847-1910), British naval surgeon and naturalist aboard the HMS Alert (1878–1882), from which type was collected, who conducted his zoological work with “energy and skill” during the “leisure hours which [he] could spare from his strictly official duties”
Trachinotus falcatus (Linnaeus 1758) sickle-shaped, referring to shape of dorsal and anal fins
Trachinotus goodei Jordan & Evermann 1896 in honor of ichthyologist George Brown Goode (1851-1896), Assistant Secretary, Smithsonian Institution, “who first noticed the species as an inhabitant of the waters of the United States”
Trachinotus goreensis Cuvier 1832 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Gorée, Senegal, type locality (occurs in eastern Atlantic from Senegal to Angola, including Cape Verde Islands)
Trachinotus kennedyi Steindachner 1875 in honor of C. W. Kennedy, Lieutenant Commander on the steamship Hassler during an 1871-1872 expedition from Boston to San Francisco via the Straits of Magellan; Kennedy supervised the collection of fishes (including type of this one) via trawl net, and “contributed greatly to the favorable results of the expedition through his influence and activity” (translation)
Trachinotus macrospilus Smith-Vaniz & Walsh 2019 macro-, long or large; spilos, spot, referring to relative height of largest and usually single spot on mid-side of body of adults
Trachinotus marginatus Cuvier 1832 edged or bordered, referring to blackish edges on dorsal, anal and caudal fins
Trachinotus maxillosus Cuvier 1832 pertaining to the jaw, referring to upper jaw, described as “singularly thick and convex on its surface” (translation)
Trachinotus mookalee Cuvier 1832 from Mookalee Parah, local name for this species at Vizagapatam, India, Bay of Bengal, as reported by Russell (1803)
Trachinotus ovatus (Linnaeus 1758) oval or egg-shaped, referring to body shape (“corpore ovato”)
Trachinotus paitensis Cuvier 1832 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Paita, Peru, type locality (but occurs in eastern Pacific from southern California to Peru, including Galápagos Islands)
Trachinotus rhodopus Gill 1863 rhodo-, red; opus, foot, referring to “rose-colored” ventral fins
Trachinotus stilbe (Jordan & McGregor 1898) lamp or mirror (i.e., shining), allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its shining “dark steel blue” color
Trachinotus teraia Cuvier 1832 local name for this species in Saint-Louis, Senegal, presumably type locality (occurs in eastern Atlantic from Cape Verde Islands and Senegal to Angola)
Subfamily SCOMBEROIDINAE
Oligoplites Gill 1863 oligos, few; hoplites, armed, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to fewer dorsal spines (5) compared to three other carangid genera Gill covered (Caranx, Carangoides, Carangus [=Caranx]), with 7-8
Oligoplites altus (Günther 1868) high, referring to rather deep body, its height contained three times in SL, deeper than O. saurus inornatus
Oligoplites palometa (Cuvier 1832) local name for this species at Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela, type locality
Oligoplites refulgens Gilbert & Starks 1904 shining or reflecting, presumably referring to “bright silvery” sides
Oligoplites saliens (Bloch 1793) jumping, described as a “crafty” (translation) fish which, when caught in a net, tries to escape by jumping, a trait that has earned it the common names Sauteur (France) and Springer (Germany)
Oligoplites saurus saurus (Bloch & Schneider 1801) lizard, name dates to Browne’s Civil and Natural History of Jamaica (1756), allusion not explained, perhaps referring to lizard-like corrugated skin, with numerous short longitudinal ridges giving it a leathery appearance (hence the common name “leatherjacket”)
Oligoplites saurus inornatus Gill 1863 undecorated, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to “uniform” coloration, “tinged with blue above”
Parona Berg 1895 from paron, a boat or small ship, allusion not explained nor evident (replacement name for Paropsis Jenyns 1841, preoccupied in beetles, etymology not explained nor evident; whether Parona and Paropsis are etymologically related is unclear)
Parona signata (Jenyns 1841) marked, referring to black patch at opercle, a “conspicuous character”
Scomberoides Lacepède 1801 –oides, having the form of: referring to its presumed close affinity with “true” mackerels, Scomber (Scombriformes: Scombridae)
Scomberoides commersonnianus Lacepède 1801 –ianus, belonging to: French naturalist Philibert Commerçon (also spelled Commerson, 1727-1773), whose notes and illustration provided the descriptive material for Lacepède
Scomberoides lysan (Fabricius 1775) Arabic vernacular for this and related species
Scomberoides pelagicus Abdussamad, Retheesh & Gopalakrishnan 2022 from pelagos, Greek for sea, referring to its “predominantly pelagic habitat”
Scomberoides tala (Cuvier 1832) from Tala Parah, local name for this species at Vizagapatam, India, Bay of Bengal, as reported by Russell (1803)
Scomberoides tol (Cuvier 1832) from Tol Parah, local name for this species at Vizagapatam, India, Bay of Bengal, as reported by Russell (1803)
Subfamily NAUCRATINAE
Campogramma Regan 1903 campo, curved; gramma, line, referring to lateral line curved anteriorly, becoming straight posteriorly
Campogramma glaycos (Lacepède 1801) Greek spelling of the Latin glaucus, “from a blue sea” (translation), referring to dark-blue upper body; name dates to Rondelet (1554), who said this was the ancient name for this fish
Elagatis Bennett 1840 etymology not explained, perhaps from elakate, Greek for spindle, referring to its “cylindrical” body
Elagatis bipinnulata (Quoy & Gaimard 1825) bi-, two; pinnulata, with pinnules, referring to detached finlet composed of two rays behind second dorsal and anal fins
Naucrates Rafinesque 1810 naus, ship; krates, master or guide, i.e., ruler or pilot of a ship (as reflected in the common name Pilot Fish), allusion not explained, possibly derived from one or more legendary tales: (1) ancient mariners believed this fish, which likes to follow ships and feed on scraps, helped navigate a ship on its desired course; (2) seafarers believed this fish, which often swam around the bow of their ships when they were close to land, were piloting them back to port; (3) the fish leads lost swimmers, ships, or whales to safety; (4) early naturalists believed (erroneously) that the fish piloted sharks to food [these interpretations differ from those for Echeneis naucrates; see Echeneidae, above]
Naucrates ductor (Linnaeus 1758) leader (see genus)
Seriola Cuvier 1816 Italian name for type species, C. dumerili, along the Mediterranean Sea, perhaps derived from a Latin word for a small, oblong earthenware vessel
Seriola aureovittata Schlegel 1845 aureus, golden; vittata, striped, referring to golden-yellow (or bronze) stripe along middle of body
Seriola carpenteri Mather 1971 in honor of William K. Carpenter, Fort Lauderdale, Florida (USA), friend, “outstanding” big-game fisherman, and long-standing and leading sponsor of the International Game Fish Association for his “dedicated support of marine science [including] generous financial contributions and outstanding personal participation in research activities”
Seriola dorsalis (Gill 1863) of the back, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to long second dorsal fin and/or to purplish coloring on back
Seriola dumerili (Risso 1810) patronym not identified but almost certainly in honor of herpetologist-ichthyologist André Marie Constant Duméril (1774-1860), father of herpetologist-ichthyologist August Duméril (1812-1870)
Seriola fasciata (Bloch 1793) banded, referring to 12 narrow dark crossbands on sides of young (which disappear with age)
Seriola hippos Günther 1876 named for its resemblance to Caranx hippos
Seriola lalandi Valenciennes 1833 in honor of naturalist and explorer Pierre Antoine Delalande (1787-1823), who provided the first of two specimens that Valenciennes examined
Seriola peruana Steindachner 1881 –ana, belonging to: Callao, Peru, type locality (occurs in eastern Pacific from Gulf of California to Ecuador and Galápagos Islands)
Seriola quinqueradiata Temminck & Schlegel 1845 quinque, five; radiata, rayed, referring to 5 dorsal-fin rays (with a 6th sometimes hidden in the skin) compared to 7 on the similar S. aureovittata
Seriola rivoliana Valenciennes 1833 –ana, belonging to: François Victor Masséna Prince d’Essling, 2nd Duc de Rivoli (1798-1863), an amateur naturalist who donated type specimen to the King’s Cabinet
Seriola zonata (Mitchill 1815) banded, referring to six dark-brown bands on sides of juveniles
Seriolina Wakiya 1924 –ina, a diminutive, referring to close resemblance and/or close relationship with Seriola
Seriolina nigrofasciata (Rüppell 1829) nigro-, black; fasciata, banded, referring to 5-7 dark oblique bands and blotches on upper body of young specimens (they fade with age)
Subfamily CARANGINAE
Alectis Rafinesque 1815 chicken-cock, alluding to the names sea-cock, sea-hen and fish-cock, then applied to members of the John Dory genus Zeus (Zeiformes: Zeidae), in which A. ciliaris had originally been placed (replacement name for Gallus Lacepède 1802, which also means chicken-cock, preoccupied in birds)
Alectis ciliaris (Bloch 1787) with long lashes, referring to filamentous dorsal- and ventral-fin rays in young specimens (becoming shorter with age)
Alepes Swainson 1839 a-, without; lepis, scale, referring to A. melanoptera, “entirely destitute of scales, except those on the hinder part of the lateral line adjoining the caudal fin”
Alepes apercna Grant 1987 a-, not; percna, dark-colored, referring to dusky to hyaline dorsal interradial membranes compared to black interradial membranes of the similar A. melanoptera (William F. Smith-Vaniz, pers. comm.; name coined by Smith-Vaniz in an unpublished manuscript but made available by Grant)
Alepes djedaba (Forsskål 1775) Arabic vernacular for this species
Alepes kleinii (Bloch 1793) patronym not identified but almost certainly in honor of Jacob Theodor Klein (1685-1759), German jurist, historian, botanist, zoologist and mathematician, who wrote a 5-volume history of fishes (1740-1749) and for whom Bloch honored in the 1790 name Chaetodon kleinii (Acanthuriformes: Chaetodontidae)
Alepes melanoptera (Swainson 1839) melano-, black; ptera, fin, presumably referring to black first dorsal fin
Alepes vari (Cuvier 1833) from vari-paré, local name for this species at Puducherry, India, type locality (but widely occurs in Indo-West Pacific and the Red Sea)
Atropus Oken 1817 atro-, black; pous, foot, referring to large black pelvic fin; based on “Les Atropus” of Cuvier 1816 so not tautonymous with Brama atropos (see species)
Atropus armatus (Forsskål 1775) armed with a weapon, allusion not explained, described as having “nucha spinifera” (bearing a nuchal spine), perhaps referring to what Rüppell (1830) described as a “forward-pointing” (translation) spine in front of first dorsal fin like those of the rabbitfish genus Amphacanthus (=armatus, Eupercaria: Siganidae); according to Smith (1973), this “spine” is actually the anterior portion of the dorsal pterygiophore, visible in “dried or shrunken” specimens and “certainly never prominent enough to be a feature on which to name a species” [name often dated to Rüppell 1830]
Atropus atropos (Bloch & Schneider 1801) atro-, black; pous, foot, referring to large black pelvic fin (spelled atropos in text and atropus on plate and in index)
Atropus aurochs (Ogilby 1915) vernacular name sometimes applied to the European Bison Bison bonasus (but correctly applied to its extinct ancestor B. primigenius), referring to this fish’s “bluff” (rising steeply with a flat or rounded front) head
Atropus hedlandensis (Whitley 1934) –ensis, Port Hedland, Western Australia, type locality (but widely occurs in Indian and western Pacific Oceans)
Atropus mentalis (Cuvier 1833) relating to the chin, referring to how lower jaw extends beyond upper jaw
Atule Jordan & Jordan 1922 local name for this and related fishes in Polynesia (called Akule in Hawai‘i)
Atule mate (Cuvier 1833) from mate-paré, local name for this species at Puducherry, India, co-type locality
Carangichthys Bleeker 1852 ichthys, fish, related to both Caranx and Carangoides
Carangichthys dinema (Bleeker 1851) di-, two; nema, thread, allusion not explained, presumably referring to long filament of second dorsal fin and shorter filament of anal fin (latter filament not always present)
Carangichthys humerosus (McCulloch 1915) having shoulders, referring to “large and striking dark blotch above the shoulder”
Carangichthys oblongus (Cuvier 1833) oblong, referring to its compressed, oblong body
Carangoides Bleeker 1851 –oides, having the form of: “so named after its kinship” (translation) with Caranx [Olistus Cuvier 1829 appears to be a senior synonym; derived from oliste, an unknown fish mentioned by Oppian that Cuvier (1833) applied to Platycaranx malabaricus and to carangids now identified as Atropus atropos and Seriolina nigrofasciata]
Carangoides ire (Cuvier 1833) from iré-paré, local name for this species in Puducherry, India
Carangoides praeustus (Anonymous [Bennett] 1830) burnt at the tip, referring to black lobe of second dorsal fin
Caranx Lacepède 1801 apparently a manuscript name coined by Commerçon; Lacepède said it is derived from kara, head, “because of the kind of prominence their head presents, of the strength of this part, of the brilliancy with which it shines, and, moreover, to announce the kind of power and domination which many bones of this kind exert on many of the fish that frequent the shores” (translation), whereas Jordan & Evermann (1896) claim that name is from the French carangue (used for related fishes in the Caribbean), a corruption of the Portuguese acarauna
Caranx bartholomaei Cuvier 1833 of St. Bartholomew Island, West Indies, type locality (occurs in western Atlantic from Massachusetts to Brazil, including offshore islands)
Caranx bucculentus Alleyne & Macleay 1877 with full cheeks, presumably referring to “large” mouth and/or wide gape, the “maxillary extending to the vertical from behind the middle of the eye”
Caranx caballus Günther 1868 horse, allusion not explained but probably referring to the common names “caballo” and “horse mackerel” often applied to this and related species
Caranx caninus Günther 1867 dog, referring to “canine-like” teeth in front of lower jaw
Caranx crysos (Mitchill 1815) gold, presumably referring to how yellow “gilds the gill-covers, sides, and belly,” and how the “same golden hue also tinges the second dorsal, caudal, anal, pectoral, and ventral fins, in varying shades”
Caranx fischeri Smith-Vaniz & Carpenter 2007 in honor of friend and colleague Walter Fischer, for his “vision and dedication” in initiating the Species Identification and Data Programme of the Food and Agriculture Program of the United Nations, which has been an “invaluable resource” for marine fisheries biologists and ichthyologists
Caranx heberi (Bennett 1830) “classically named as a tribute of respect to the memory and departed worth and excellence” of the late Reginald Heber (1783-1826), English cleric, poet, hymn writer, and Bishop of Calcutta; upon comparing Bennett’s manuscript with the fishes themselves, Heber “honored it with his immediate patronage, and subsequently recommended it to his friends on the Indian Subcontinent”
Caranx hippos (Linnaeus 1766) horse, allusion not explained nor evident; “horse mackerel” appears to be a common name in early 19th-century America for related and/or similar species; according to legend, “horse mackerel” were named for how smaller species of fish could ride on their backs over great distances
Caranx ignobilis (Forsskål 1775) unknown, obscure or ignoble, allusion likewise unknown and obscure, perhaps referring to how this species is less colorful than other carangids described by Forsskål
Caranx latus Agassiz 1831 wide or broad, referring to its “broad, very compressed” body (translation), in this case “broad” referring to body height, deeper than Caranx lepturus (a junior synonym), described and figured in the same publication
Caranx lugubris Poey 1860 mournful, presumably referring to its dark coloration; Jordan & Evermann (1896) claim name also refers to its “bad reputation, associated with the dread Ciguatera, a disease arising from fish poisoning,” but Poey did not mention this (in fact, Poey said he had eaten this fish and found it “very good” [translation])
Caranx melampygus Cuvier 1833 mela-, black; pygus, rump or buttock (i.e., anus), referring to black anal fin (actually electric blue in life)
Caranx papuensis Alleyne & Macleay 1877 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Hall Sound, Papua New Guinea, type locality (but widely occurs in Indian and western Pacific Oceans)
Caranx rhonchus Geoffroy St. Hilaire 1817 snorer or croaker, from chakhoura (=snorer), Arabic name for this species along the Mediterranean of Egypt, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to noise it makes when pulled from the water [provisionally placed in Decapterus by some workers]
Caranx ruber (Bloch 1793) red, referring to reddish color on upper part of body (species is not red; described from a drawing erroneously colored)
Caranx senegallus Cuvier 1833 –us, adjectival suffix: Gorée, Senegal (mouth of Senegal River), type locality
Caranx sexfasciatus Quoy & Gaimard 1825 sex, six; fasciatus, banded, referring to six transverse bands on body of juveniles
Caranx tille Cuvier 1833 from koton tillé, local name for this species at Puducherry, India, type locality (but widely occurs in Indo-West Pacific)
Caranx vinctus Jordan & Gilbert 1882 banded, referring to 8-9 vertical dark half-bars descending from back to below lateral line
Chloroscombrus Girard 1858 chloros, green, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to greenish or bluish back of C. cosmopolita (=chrysurus); scombrus, a mackerel
Chloroscombrus chrysurus (Linnaeus 1766) chrysos, gold; ouros, tail, referring to referring to golden-yellow on caudal fin
Chloroscombrus orqueta Jordan & Gilbert 1883 local name for this species among the fishermen of Panama, type locality
Craterognathus Kimura, Takeuchi & Yadome 2022 kratero, Greek for strong; gnathos, Greek for jaw, referring to characteristic stout lower jaw
Craterognathus plagiotaenia (Bleeker 1857) plagio, oblique; taenia, band, referring to six oblique bluish-violet bands under skin on sides
Decapterus Bleeker 1851 deca-, ten; pterus, fin, referring to its 10 fins: 2 dorsal, 2 pectoral, 2 ventral (or pelvic), anal, caudal, and a detached finlet behind both terminal dorsal and anal soft rays
Decapterus akaadsi Abe 1958 from aka-aadsi, local name among fish dealers along the Izu Peninsula of Japan; aka means red (referring to reddish head, finlets, and dorsal, caudal and pectoral fins), adsi is a local name for Trachurus, reflecting the dealers’ belief that this species is a variety of T. japonicus because of its deep body and long pectoral fins
Decapterus koheru (Hector 1875) native name for this species in New Zealand [generic placement provisional; likely deserves its own genus]
Decapterus kurroides Bleeker 1855 –oides, having the form of: referring to similarity to and/or close relationship with D. kurra (Cuvier 1833) [D. kurra cannot be assigned with certainty to any known species; possibly a junior synonym of D. russelli]
Decapterus macarellus (Cuvier 1833) latinization of mackerel, referring to the French maquereau, its local name in Martinique, type locality (but occurs circumglobally in tropical and subtropical seas, including Red Sea)
Decapterus macrosoma Bleeker 1851 macro-, long or large; soma, body, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to more elongate and/or slightly longer body (150-215 mm) compared to D. kurra (140-195 mm) [D. kurra (Cuvier 1833) cannot be assigned with certainty to any known species; possibly a junior synonym of D. russelli]
Decapterus maruadsi (Temminck & Schlegel 1843) from maru-adsi, its local name in Japan (not to be confused with D. muroadsi)
Decapterus muroadsi (Temminck & Schlegel 1844) from muro-adsi, its local name in Japan (not to be confused with D. maruadsi)
Decapterus punctatus (Cuvier 1829) spotted, presumably referring to black spot on operculum
Decapterus russelli (Rüppell 1830) in honor of surgeon-herpetologist Patrick Russell (1726-1805), who described and illustrated but did not name this species in 1803
Decapterus smithvanizi Kimura, Katahira & Kuriiwa 2013 in honor of ichthyologist William F. Smith-Vaniz (b. 1941), who gave the authors morphological data of specimens belonging to the red-fin Decapterus group and many “valuable” comments on their initial draft
Decapterus tabl Berry 1968 named for TABL, Tropical Atlantic Biological Laboratory of the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries, established at Virginia Key, Miami, Florida, USA, in 1965, where Berry worked
Euprepocaranx Kimura, Takeuchi & Yadome 2022 euprepes, Greek for good-looking, referring to “beautiful body shape with long filamentous dorsal- and anal-fin soft rays”; Caranx, type genus of family
Euprepocaranx dorsalis (Gill 1863) pertaining to the back, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to “exceedingly long” first ray of second dorsal fin (anal fin also filamentous) [also known as Carangoides otrynter, a junior synonym]
Ferdauia Jordan, Evermann & Wakiya 1927 presumably derived from ferdau, Arabic name of F. ferdau
Ferdauia ferdau (Fabricius 1775) Arabic vernacular for this species
Ferdauia orthogrammus (Jordan & Gilbert 1882) ortho-, straight; grammus, line, referring to its “nearly straight” (as opposed to curved) lateral line
Flavocaranx Kimura, Takeuchi & Yadome 2022 flavus, yellow, referring to yellowish body color; Caranx, type genus of family
Flavocaranx bajad (Forsskål 1775) Arabic vernacular for this species
Gnathanodon Bleeker 1850 gnathus, jaw; an-, without; odon, teeth, referring to absence of teeth on jaws (and vomer and tongue, on specimens >90 mm)
Gnathanodon speciosus (Forsskål 1775) beautiful, probably referring to its coloration, bright yellow with black bars as a juvenile and golden-silver as an adult
Hemicaranx Bleeker 1862 hemi-, partial, referring to similarity and/or close affinity with Caranx
Hemicaranx amblyrhynchus (Cuvier 1833) amblys, blunt; rhynchos, snout, referring to its obtuse snout, like that of a butterfish (Stromateus, Scombriformes: Stromateidae)
Hemicaranx bicolor (Günther 1860) bi-, two, i.e., two-colored, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to blackish bands on brownish body of juveniles, and/or black dorsal, anal and ventral fins and yellowish caudal and pectoral fins
Hemicaranx leucurus (Günther 1864) leuco-, white; ouros, tail, presumably referring to “whitish” caudal fin (also pectoral fins)
Hemicaranx zelotes Gilbert 1898 an imitator, referring to similarity with Hemicaranx atrimanus (=leucurus)
Kaiwarinus Suzuki 1962 Latinization of Kaiwari, local name of K. equula in Japan
Kaiwarinus equula (Temminck & Schlegel 1844) diminutive of equus, horse, i.e., colt or foal, named for its superficial resemblance with the ponyfish genus Equula (=Leiognathus, Acanthuriformes: Leiognathidae)
Megalaspis Bleeker 1851 megalo-, large; aspis, shield, referring to 51-59 very large keeled scales (or scutes) on straight portion of lateral line
Megalaspis cordyla (Linnaeus 1758) name dating to Pliny the Elder’s Naturalis historia (77-79 AD), given to the fry of tunnies that enter the Black Sea from the Mediterranean to spawn; why Linnaeus applied this name for a species he erroneously believed occurred in America (actually Red Sea and Indo-West Pacific) is not known
Pantolabus Whitley 1931 that which takes all, i.e., a parasite, name of a character in Horace’s Satires known for indiscriminant borrowing, referring to type species, Pantolabus parasitus (=radiatus), which was collected (juveniles) from within the tentacles of the medusa Crambessa mosaica, where it commensally occurs
Pantolabus radiatus (Macleay 1881) rayed, referring to all rays of dorsal and anal fins prolonged into filaments
Paraselene Kimura, Takeuchi & Yadome 2022 para-, near, referring to its close relationship to (and previous placement of its one species in) Selene
Paraselene orstedii (Lütken 1880) in honor of Danish botanist Anders Sandoe Ørsted (1816-1872), who collected type
Parastromateus Bleeker 1864 para-, near, presumably referring to similarity with and/or previous placement of P. niger in Stromateus (Scombriformes: Stromateidae)
Parastromateus niger (Bloch 1795) black, presumably referring to juvenile coloration (adults are uniformly silver-gray to bluish-brown)
Platycaranx Kimura, Takeuchi & Yadome 2022 platys, flat, referring to highly compressed body; Caranx, type genus of family
Platycaranx chrysophrys (Cuvier 1833) chrysos, gold; ophrys, eyebrow, described as “golden yellow” (translation)
Platycaranx malabaricus (Bloch & Schneider 1801)–icus, belonging to: Malabar (i.e., southern India), referring to Tharangambadi, type locality (but widely occurs in Indian and western Pacific Oceans)
Platycaranx talamparoides (Bleeker 1852) –oides, having the form of: Carangoides talamparah (= P. malabaricus), a related species
Pseudocaranx Bleeker 1863 pseudo-, false, allusion not explained, presumably referring to similarity of and/or previous placement of P. dentex in Caranx
Pseudocaranx cheilio (Snyder 1904) derived from cheilos, lip, presumably referring to “very thick lips” (also possibly alluding to the labrid genus Cheilio, which also has large or thick lips)
Pseudocaranx chilensis (Guichenot 1848) –ensis, suffix denoting place: known only from islands off Chile
Pseudocaranx dentex (Bloch & Schneider 1801) with large teeth but in this case probably simply meaning toothed, presumably referring to single row of blunt, conical teeth on each jaw
Pseudocaranx dinjerra Smith-Vaniz & Jelks 2006 Australian aboriginal word for west, referring to this species being endemic to Western Australia
Pseudocaranx georgianus (Cuvier 1833) –anus, belonging to: King George Sound, near Albany, Western Australia, type locality (also occurs off New Zealand)
Pseudocaranx wrighti (Whitley 1931) in honor of J. H. Wright, who has “presented many interesting specimens of Botany Bay fishes to the Australian Museum and drew the attention of the late A. R. McCulloch and myself to the curious development of the head in some of the New South Wales specimens” of P. georgianus (possibly the same J. H. Wright who served as a taxidermist at the Australian Museum from 1908-1916)
Scyris Cuvier 1829 per Cuvier (1833), a name from Oppian, presumably of an unknown fish, which Cuvier applied to this genus
Scyris alexandrina (Geoffroy St. Hilaire 1817) Alexandrian, described from the Mediterranean Sea of Egypt so presumably referring to the city of Alexandria (also occurs in eastern Atlantic from Morocco to Angola)
Scyris indica Rüppell 1830 Indian, allusion not explained, presumably referring to its occurrence in the Red Sea, an inlet of the Indian Ocean (where it more broadly occurs)
Selar Bleeker 1851 from Ikan (=fish) Selar, local name of S. boops in Batavia (now Jakarta), Indonesia
Selar boops (Cuvier 1833) bo, ox; ops, eye, referring to its large eyes, a little over 1/3 length of head
Selar crumenophthalmus (Bloch 1793) crumena, leather money bag or purse; ophthalmos, eye, referring to adipose eyelid completely covering eye except for a vertical slit centered on pupil, which apparently resembles an 18th-century purse
Selaroides Bleeker 1851 –oides, having the form of: Selar, which it resembles
Selaroides leptolepis (Cuvier 1833) leptos, thin; lepis, scale, presumably referring to small keeled scales (or scutes) on straight portion of lateral line
Selene Lacepède 1802 moon, referring to common name of S. argenteus (=vomer) in South America and elsewhere, because of its disc- or moon-like shape, although as Lacepède correctly pointed out, it has a pentagonal body that only resembles a moon when seen from a distance
Selene brevoortii (Gill 1863) in honor of Gill’s “excellent friend” James Carson Brevoort (1818-1887), “who has paid much attention” to carangids (Brevoort was a businessman and philanthropist who supported various literary and scientific societies and institutions and was himself a fine amateur naturalist; his zoological library was then reputed to be the finest in America)
Selene brownii (Cuvier 1816) in honor of Patrick Browne (ca. 1720-1790), Irish physician, botanist and historian of Caribbean life, who described but did not name this species in his Civil and Natural History of Jamaica (1756)
Selene dorsalis (Gill 1863) dorsal, referring to 25 dorsal-fin rays compared to 21-22 of S. setipinnis
Selene peruviana (Guichenot 1866) Peruvian, referring to type locality off Paita, Peru (occurs in eastern Pacific from southern California to Chile, including Galápagos Islands)
Selene setapinnis (Mitchill 1815) seta, bristle; pinnis, fin, referring to dorsal and ventral fins “ending in bristly points”
Selene vomer (Linnaeus 1758) plowshare, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to body shape
Trachurus Rafinesque 1810 presumably tautonymous with Scomber trachurus, which Rafinesque unnecessarily renamed as T. saurus; trachys, rough; ouros, tail, ancient name for T. trachurus, presumably referring to spinous plates on caudal peduncle
Trachurus capensis Castelnau 1861 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Cape of Good Hope, South Africa, type locality (occurs in eastern Atlantic from Gulf of Guinea to South Africa)
Trachurus declivis (Jenyns 1841) sloping, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to how curved lateral line bends “downwards more suddenly” compared to T. trachurus
Trachurus delagoa Nekrasov 1970 named for Delagoa (now Maputo) Bay, Mozambique, one of the syntype localities (also occurs off South Africa and Madagascar)
Trachurus indicus Nekrasov 1966 Indian, proposed as a subspecies of T. mediterraneus that occurs in the western Indian Ocean
Trachurus japonicus (Temminck & Schlegel 1844) Japanese, proposed as a Japanese subspecies of T. trachurus (occurs in northwestern Pacific from northern Viêt Nam and southern China to Korea, Russia and Japan)
Trachurus lathami Nichols 1920 in honor of farmer and amateur naturalist Roy Latham (1881-1979) of Long Island, New York, USA, who collected type
Trachurus longimanus (Norman 1935) longus, long; manus, hand, referring to falcate pectoral fins, as long as or longer than head
Trachurus mediterraneus (Steindachner 1868) named for the Mediterranean Sea, type locality (also occurs in Sea of Marmara, Black Sea, and eastern Atlantic from Bay of Biscay south to Senegal)
Trachurus murphyi Nichols 1920 in honor of Robert Cushman Murphy (1887-1973), Curator of Birds, American Museum of Natural History, who collected type
Trachurus novaezelandiae Richardson 1843 of New Zealand, type locality (occurs in southeastern Indian and southwestern Pacific Oceans from southern Australia to New Zealand)
Trachurus picturatus (Bowdich 1825) picture-like or striking, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to entire fish having a “brilliant silvery hue”
Trachurus symmetricus (Ayres 1855) symmetrical, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to “dorsal and abdominal outlines evenly arched” and/or to anal fin “coterminal” with second dorsal fin, “being also similar to it in form and height, and in the presence of a finlet posteriorly”
Trachurus trachurus (Linnaeus 1758) trachys, rough; ouros, tail, ancient name for this species, presumably referring to spinous plates on caudal peduncle
Trachurus trecae Cadenat 1950 of Gérard-Tréca, name of trawler from which type was collected
Turrum Whitley 1932 vernacular name of T. emburyi (=fulvoguttatum) in Queensland, Australia
Turrum coeruleopinnatum (Rüppell 1830) coerulea, blue; pinnatus, finned, described as having bluish (“coerulescens”) dorsal, anal and caudal fins, i.e., silvery blue, same as body color, in living specimens
Turrum fulvoguttatum (Forsskål 1775) brownish yellow (but often used to mean yellow in general); guttatus, spotted, referring to yellow spots on sides
Turrum gymnostethus (Cuvier 1833) gymnos, bare or naked; stethos, breast or chest, referring to absence of scales on breast
Uraspis Bleeker 1855 [o]uros, tail; aspis, shield, allusion not explained, presumably referring to large antrorse scutes on caudal peduncle; uraspis [tautonymous with Caranx uraspis only after the fact; see below]
Uraspis helvola (Forster 1801) pale brownish yellow, described as having a silvery brown or mother-of-pearl coloration (“argenteo helvolo vel matricis perlarum colore”)
Uraspis uraspis (Günther 1860) [o]uros, tail; aspis, shield, allusion not explained, presumably referring to large antrorse scutes on caudal peduncle; named for and replacement of Uraspis carangoides Bleeker 1855, secondarily preoccupied by Leioglossus carangoides Bleeker 1851 when both are in Caranx; Günther treated Uraspis as a subgenus of Caranx]