Saurida longimanus Norman, 1939

Bogorodsky, Sergey V., Alpermann, Tilman J., Mal, Ahmad O. & Gabr, Mohamed H., 2014, Survey of demersal fishes from southern Saudi Arabia, with five new records for the Red Sea, Zootaxa 3852 (4), pp. 401-437 : 412-413

Saurida longimanus Norman, 1939

( Fig. 3 )

Material examined. SMF 34966 (5: 11.6–14.0 cm); KAUMM 23 (5: 12.9–14.2 cm).

Description (based on eight specimens in good condition). Dorsal-fin rays 11–13 (11:2, 12:5, 13:1); anal-fin rays 10–12 (10:1, 11:6, 12:1); pectoral-fin rays 13 or 14 (13:1, 14:7); lateral-line scales 49–51 (49:2, 50:4, 51:2); scale rows above lateral line 4.5; body elongate, the depth 6.8–8.2 in SL; head moderately large, the length 3.7–3.9 in SL; snout length 4.4–4.7 in head length; eye diameter 4.5–4.7 in head length; palatine teeth in two separate series, outer series in 2 rows of teeth, with anterior teeth longer, and a tooth patch in inner series in about four poorly defined rows; vomer toothless (3 specimens) or with a pair of small conical tooth patches, usually 1 or 2 teeth in each patch (specimen KAUMM 23, 14.2 cm SL, with 3 teeth in one patch and 2 teeth in another); pectoral fins moderately long, extending beyond a line between origin of dorsal fin and origin of pelvic fin, the length 4.9–5.7 in SL.

Color (when fresh): brownish above, silvery white below, with a row of indistinct small dark blotches along mid-side, scale margin dark brown on upper half of body; melanophores in scale pockets extending below halfway between lateral line and origin of anal fin; upper margin of maxilla blackish to black; dorsal fin blackish distally; pectoral fins mostly blackish, except for triangular translucent zone at base of lower rays; caudal fin with a row of small indistinct dark spots along upper edge, middle rays blackish; pelvic fins pale.

Distribution. Recorded from the southern Red Sea (this study), Gulf of Oman, west coast of India, southern Indonesia and northern Australia ( Inoue & Nakabo 2006).

Remarks. Usually taken by trawling over sandy bottom at depths of about 50–200 m; the new record from the Red Sea is based on eleven specimens trawled at depth of 50–60 m off Jizan. Four other species of the genus are known from the Red Sea: Saurida gracilis (Quoy & Gaimard, 1824) is associated with coral reefs, Saurida sp. (formerly known as S. undosquamis or S. macrolepis , see below) and S. tumbil (Bloch, 1795) both occur on open sandy areas, and S. golanii Russell, 2011 was collected by bottom-set trammel nets in depths of 200–500 m in the Gulf of Aqaba. In addition to its habitat preferences, S. gracilis can be distinguished from the other Red Sea species by having 3.5 scales above lateral line, and by its coloration with three black blotches dorsally, and striped and spotted fins. Saurida golanii and S. tumbil have palatine teeth in outer series in three rows vs. an outer series in two rows in S. longimanus and Saurida sp.. Saurida longimanus can be confused with Saurida sp., as both belong to the undosquamis species group (sensu Inoue & Nakabo 2006), but the former has a larger head, 3.5–3.8 in SL vs. 3.7–4.4 in SL in Saurida sp.; longer pectoral fins extending usually well beyond a line between the origins of dorsal and pelvic fins, 4.5–5.6 in SL vs. pectoral fins shorter, usually just reaching a line between the origins of these fins, 5.5–7.2 in SL in Saurida sp.; indistinct row of dark spots along upper edge of caudal fin vs. alternating black and white spots along upper margin of caudal fin distinct in S. sp.; pectoral fins mostly blackish vs. pectoral fins mostly pale in Saurida sp.; and melanophores in scale pockets extending below halfway between lateral line and origin of anal fin vs. melanophores in scale pockets extending ⅓ of distance from lateral line to origin of anal fin in Saurida sp. One specimen (SMF34966: 13.5 cm SL) has shorter pectoral fins, the length 5.7 in SL, outside the known range for the species (4.5–5.6 sensu Inoue & Nakabo 2006). However, the fins reaching to the line between origins of dorsal and pelvic fins, the difference is minor and matches well other characters known for S. longimanus .

Figures

FIGURE 3. Saurida longimanus, KAUMM 23, 14.2 cm SL, Jizan, Saudi Arabia.