| Otolithes | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Tigertooth croaker (Otolithes ruber) | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Acanthuriformes |
| Family: | Sciaenidae |
| Genus: | Otolithes Oken, 1817 |
| Type species | |
| Johnius ruber | |
| Species | |
see text | |
Otolithes is a small genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Sciaenidae, the drums and croakers. The three recognised species in the genus are found in the Indo-West Pacific region.
Otolithes was first proposed as a genus in 1817 by the German naturalist Lorenz Oken. Its only species was Johnius ruber, [1] which had been described by Marcus Elieser Bloch and Johann Gottlob Theaenus Schneider in 1801 from the "Indian Ocean". [2] J. ruber was subsequently designated as the type species of the genus in 1861 by Theodore Gill. [1] Workers have recognised that there were more than two taxonomic units, or lineages, within Otolithes and that these may represent previously unrecognised cryptic species and in 2019 O. arabicus from the Persian Gulf was described as a third species in the genus, distinct from O. ruber and there may be a fourth, as yet undescribed, species in the western Indian Ocean which is found from South Africa to Gujarat. [3] This genus has been placed in the subfamily Otolithinae by some workers, [4] but the 5th edition of Fishes of the World does not recognise subfamilies within the Sciaenidae, which it places in the order Acanthuriformes. [5]
Otolithes was proposed as the genus name in 1817 by Oken based on Georges Cuvier's les otolithes of 1816. Cuvier explained in 1830 that this was based on the peche-pierre, a name meaning "peach stone" which was used by French and Portuguese colonial settlers in Pondicherry and refers to the large otoliths of Johnius ruber. [6]
Otolithes contains three described, recognised species: [7] [2]
Otolithes tigertooth croakers have rather slim, elongate bodies in which the length of the head is slightly greater than the depth of the body. They have a large upwardly pointing mouth with a protruding lower jaw. There are no pores on the snout and there are one or two pairs of large canine-like teeth in the front of either the upper jaw or both jaws. The head and anterior portion of the body are covered in cycloid scales. The swim bladder is shaped like a carrot and the forward branches do not extend into the head. [8] The largest species is O. ruber which has a maximum published total length of 90 cm (35 in). [7]
Otolithes tigertooth croakers are found in the Indian and Western Pacific Oceans from South Africa east to Australia. They are found in inshore and coastal waters. [8]
Sciaenidae is a family of ray-finned fishes belonging to the order Acanthuriformes. They are commonly called drums or croakers in reference to the repetitive throbbing or drumming sounds they make. The family consists of about 293 to 298 species in about 66 or 67 genera.
Argyrosomus is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Sciaenidae, the drums. The fish in this genus are large and are commonly targeted as game fish.
Micropogonias is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Sciaenidae, the drums and croakers. These fishes are found in the eastern Pacific and western Atlantic Oceans.
The striped croaker, also known as the St Lucian corvina, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Sciaenidae, the drums and croakers. This species is found in the western Atlantic Ocean in the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico.
Cynoscion is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family, Sciaenidae, the drums and croakers. These fishes are found off the coasts of North and South America in the western Atlantic and eastern Pacific Oceans. Many fishes in this genus have been given the common name weakfish.
Larimichthys is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Sciaenidae, the drums and croakers. These fishes, commonly known as yellow croakers, are found in the Western Pacific Ocean.
Nebris is a small genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Sciaenidae, the drums and croakers. There are two species in the genus, one in the Western Atlantic Ocean and one in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.
Corvula is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Sciaenidae, the drums and croakers. These fishes are found in the western Atlantic Ocean and the central eastern Pacific Ocean.
Johnius amblycephalus, the bearded croaker, also known as the green-backed croaker or sharp-nosed jewfish, is a marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Sciaenidae, the drums and croakers. This fish is found in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
Lonchurus is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Sciaenidae, the drums and croakers. These fishes are found in the Western Atlantic.
Johnius is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Sciaenidae, the drums and croakers. They are commonly known as croakers due to their ability to produce purring, croaking and knocking sounds. The sounds are produced mainly at night and are thought to be either involved in defense or for courtship.
Odontoscion dentex, the reef croaker or brown large-eyed croaker, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Sciaenidae, the drums and croakers. It is found in coral and rocky reefs of the tropical Western Atlantic, living as solitary individuals or in small groups at a depth of 1 to 30 m. This species feeds on small fish, shrimp, and larvae.
The geelbeck croaker, also known as the African weakfish or Cape salmon, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Sciaenidae, the drums and croakers. This species is found in the southwestern Indian Ocean off southeastern Africa.
Isopisthus is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Sciaenidae, the drums and croakers. These fishes are found in the western Atlantic and eastern Pacific Oceans.
Johnius dussumieri, the sin croaker, Dussumier's croaker, Dussumier's silver jewfish, sharptooth hammer croaker or whiskered croaker, is a marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Sciaenidae, the drums and croakers. This fish is found in the Indian Ocean.
Johnius carutta, the karut croaker or purple jewfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Sciaenidae, the drums and croakers. This species is found in the western Indian Ocean.
The kathala croaker is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Sciaenidae, the drums and croakers. This species is found in the Indian Ocean off South Asia. It is the only species in the monospecific genus Kathala.
Larimus is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Sciaenidae, the croakers and drums. These fishes are found in the Western Atlantic and Eastern Pacific Oceans.
Odontoscion is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Sciaenidae, the croakers and drums. These fishes are found in the Western Atlantic and Eastern Pacific Oceans.
Otolithes arabicus, the Arabian tigertooth croaker, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Sciaenidae, the drums and croakers. This species is found in the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman in the northern Indian Ocean. This species was first described in 2019.