Epinephelus itajara ( LICHTENSTEIN, 1822 )

Heemstra, P. C., 1991, A Taxonomic Revision Of The Eastern Atlantic Groupers (Pisces: Serranidae), Bol. Mus. Mun. Funchal 43 (226), pp. 5-71 : 35-38

Epinephelus itajara ( LICHTENSTEIN, 1822)

Figs. 11 a & 11 b

Serranus itajara LICHTENSTEIN, 1822: 278 (type locality, Brazil; holotype not located).

? Serranus Mentzelii VALENCIENNES, 1828: 291 (type locality, Brazil; holotype lost [see Remarks, below]).

? Serranus galeus MÜLLER & TROSCHEL, 1848: 621 (type locality, Guyana; holotype not located).

? Serranus quinquefasciatus BocouRT, 1868: 223 (type locality, Pacific coast of Guatemala; holotype, MNHN 5211, 326 mm.).

? Promicrops esonue EHRENBAUM, 1914: 293 ; 1915: 54, fig. (type locality, Cameroun; holotype not located).

? Promıcrops ditobo Roux & COLLIGNON, 1954: 473 (type locality V, Congo: Kouilou River estuary; syntypes, 200 & 186 ein., apparently not preserved).

Diagnosis: Dorsal fin XI, 15 - 16; anal fin III,8; pectoral fin rays 18- 19; lateral-line scales 61 -64; lateral scale series 89- 112; gill-takers 8- 10 + 13- 15 including 4-8 rudiments on each limb. Body robust, elongate, the greatest width more than half of body depth, which is distinctly less than head length (in fish 15 - 160 cm.); body depth contained 2.7-3.4 times in SL; head length 2.3-2.9 times in SL. Caudal fin rounded; dorsal fin spines short, 3rd to 11 th subequal and shorter than the first ray, the membranes distinctly indented between the spines; anal fin with 3 spines and 8 rays; pectoral fin rays 18- 19. Head extremely broad; interorbital flat, the width equals eye diameter in fish 10- 15 cm. SL, distinctly greater than eye diameter in fish 18-25 cm. SL, and 1.5 -3.4 times greater than eye diameter in fish 30- 160 cm. SL; eye diameter contained 5 -8 times in head length for fish 10-30 cm. SL and 8- 13 times in head length for fish 35 - 160 cm. SL. Preopercle rounded, finely serrate; nostrils round, subequal. Maxilla scaly, reaching well past eye; midlateral part of lower jaw with 3-5 rows of subequal teeth; no canines at front of jaws. Body scales strongly ctenoid; lateral-line scales with 4-6 radiating ridges. Gill-rakers short, the gill arches covered with small bony plates.

Colour: Generally brownish yellow, grey or greenish; head, dorsal part of body and fins with small black spots, becoming smaller with growth. Fish less than about 1 metre often show 3 or 4 irregular, subvertical, faint dark bars on body and another covering rear half of caudal peduncle; large adults darker and more uniformly coloured than juveniles.

Maximum total length of itajara is about 240 cm.; maximum weight at least 320 kg. The IGFA all-tackle record (as of 1990) is 308.44 kg.

GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION

Tropical and subtropical waters of the Atlantic and eastern Pacific oceans. In the western Atlantic, it ranges from Florida to southern Brazil, and is caught throughout the Gulf of Mexico and most of the Caribbean. In the eastern Atlantic, E. itajara is reported (as Epinephelus esonue ) by SÉRET (1981) and SMITH (1981) from Sénégal to the Congo. In the eastern Pacific, it occurs from the Gulf of California to Peru.

REMARKS

This giant grouper is often found in shallow water; juveniles are common in mangrove swamps and both juveniles and adults occur in bays and harbours. Large adults are also encountered offshore on wrecks and in areas of high relief.

Although it is unlikely that E. itajara of the eastern and western Atlantic and the eastern Pacific share a common gene pool, I am unable to find any significant differences in the published data or the specimens examined from these three areas. If there is any species of American grouper that occurs on both sides of the Central American Isthmus, it would be E. itajara , with its predilection for estuarine and mangrove habitats. It seems feasible that juveniles could traverse the Isthmus via the Panama Canal.

JOHNSON and KEENER (1984) illustrated the second dorsal and pelvic fin spines of the larvae.

Serranus Mentzelii VALENCIENNES, 1828 was considered a synonym of " Epinephelus guaza " by C.L. SMITH (1971) and BAUCHOT et al. (1984: 31), and they listed three supposed "syntypes" collected in Brazil by DELALANDE. The two alcoholic "syntypes" (MNHN 137 & 7368) were recently examined and found to be specimens of Mycteroperca (the species not readily apparent) with 11 anal fin rays. In the original description of S. Mentzelii ( CUVIER and VALENCIENNES, 1828: 291) , VALENCIENNES gives an anal fin count of III,8; and he mentions only a single specimen "qui est long de deux pieds huit pouces" (2 feet, 8 inches long). Consequently, neither of these "syntypes" (MNHN 137 & 7368) nor the dry specimen (MNHN A. 5777, 256 mm. total length) also listed as a "syntype" by BAUCHOT et al. (1984) can be considered a type specimen, as they are much shorter than the only Specimen (holotype) mentioned in the original description; and they do not agree with the description of this species. The holotype is apparently lost. Dr M.L. BAUCHOT sent a photograph of the large charcoal drawing from the collection of Prince Maurice, which VALENCIENNES mentioned in the original description. Although this drawing is crude, it looks like Epinephelus itajara ( LICHTENSTEIN, 1822) , and it shows the dark cross-bars on the base of the caudal fin and peduncle that are typical of large specimens of this species. The description of the colour pattern given by VALENCIENNES also fits E. itajara much better than E. marginatus .

MATERIAL EXAMINED

EASTERN ATLANTIC: DAHOMEY (BENIN): MNHN 1964-570 (367). WESTERN ATLANTIC: HONDURAS: FMNH 95957 (2, 87- 111 mm.). BRAZIL: Camamu , MCZ 10063 (198 mm.); Bahia, MCZ 10144 (181 mm.); Alegre , MZUSP (132).

Figures

Fig. 11 a - Epinephelus itajara, 7 cm. SL, Gulf of Mexico, from a photograph of LEWIS BULLOCK and GREGORY SMITH (ms.).