Lethrinus

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Lethrinus
Lethrinus obsoletus.jpg
Orange-striped Emperor (L. obsoletus)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Spariformes
Family: Lethrinidae
Genus: Lethrinus
G. Cuvier, 1829
Type species
Sparus choerorynchus
Synonyms [1]

Lethrinus is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Lethrinidae, the emperors and emperor breams. These fishes are mostly found in the Indian and western Pacific Oceans, with a single species in the eastern Atlantic Ocean.

Taxonomy

Lethrinus was first proposed as a genus in 1829 by the French zoologist Georges Cuvier. In 1912 David Starr Jordan and William Francis Thompson designated Sparus choerorynchus as the type species of the genus. [1] Sparus choerorynchus had been described in 1801 by Marcus Elieser Bloch and Johann Gottlob Theaenus Schneider with its type locality given as Japan. Sparus choerorynchus is now considered to be a synonym of Lethrinus nebulosus (Forsskål 1775). [2] Some authors place this genus in the monotypic subfamily Lethrininae, with all the other genera of Lethrinidae placed in the Monotaxinae, however, the 5th edition of Fishes of the World does not recognise the subfamilies traditionally accepted within the family Lethrinidae as valid. The family Lethrinidae is classified by the 5th edition of Fishes of the World as belonging to the order Spariformes. [3]

Etymology

Lethrinus was the name in Greek for fishes in the Sparid genus Pagellus . [4]

Species

Lethrinus currently has 30 recognised species classified within it: [5] [2]

Characteristics

Lethrinus emperors are medium to large in size with oblong-shaped laterally compressed bodies. The dorsal profile of the head to the front of the eyes may be convex, straight or concave and the slope of the snout varies from gradual to very steep. The mouth is of moderate size and may extend as far back as the front of the orbit and it has molar-like or conical teeth in the sides of the jaws. They have a continuous dorsal fin which is supported by 10 spines and 9 soft rays while the anal fin has 3 spines and 8 soft rays. The pectoral fin has 13 fin rays and the caudal fin is moderately o deeply forked with either pointed or rounded lobes. They have scaleless cheeks, and the axils of the pectoral fins may have a dense covering of scales, a sparse covering of scales or be scaleless. Emperors are silvery, grey, olive, greenish, bluish, tan, brown or reddish in colour, frequently marked with darker blotches or bars that can either be permanent or be shown in a reflection of the emotional state of the fish. They may have bright red markings on or near the base of the pectoral fin, on the pelvic fins or on the membranes of the anal and dorsal fins close to their bases. Further red markings may be on the margins of the operculum and preoperculum, as well as on the head. These red markings often vary within a species. The fins may be clear, pale, bluish, yellowish or reddish, frequently marked with blotches and they often have reddish margins. [9] The largest species is the longface emperor (L. olivaceus) with a maximum published total length of 100 cm (39 in) while the smallest species are Lethrinus mitchelli and Lethrinus variegatus both with a maximum published total length of 20 cm (7.9 in). [5]

Distribution and habitat

Lethrinus emperors are mostly found in the Indian and Western Pacific Ocean, with a single species, the Atlantic emperor (L' atlanticus) in the Eastern Atlantic Ocean. [5] These fishes are found in coastal waters on rocky and coral reefs, sandy areas, seagrass beds and mangroves as deep as 22 m (72 ft). [9]

Biology

Lethrinus emperors typically spawn in large aggregations but normally live as solitary individuals or in small aggregations. They feed on benthic invertebrates and fishes. [9]

Fisheries

Lethrinus emperors are of some importance to fisheries wherever they occur and in some nations, they are the most important genus of Lethrinidae landed by weight. Fishing methods used include handlining, longlining, traps, trawls and beach seines. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lethrinidae</span> Family of fishes

Lethrinidae are a family of ray-finned fishes belonging to the order Spariformes commonly known as emperors, emperor breams, and pigface breams.

<i>Lethrinus miniatus</i> Species of fish

Lethrinus miniatus, the trumpet emperor, redthroat emperor, sweetlip emperor, Sweetlip Swoose, island snapper, yellowmouth perch, yellowmouth snapper, lipper or nannygal, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Lethrinidae, the emperors and emperor breams. This species is found the eastern Indo-West Pacific region.

<i>Monotaxis grandoculis</i> Species of fish

Monotaxis grandoculis, the humpnose big-eye bream, bigeye barenose, bigeye bream, bigeye emperor, grand-eyed porgy fish, humpnose sea-bream, large-eye bream,mu and roundtooth large-eye bream, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Lethrinidae, the emperors and emperor breams. This species is found in the Indian and Pacific Ocean.

<i>Lethrinus olivaceus</i> Species of fish

Lethrinus olivaceus, common name longface emperor or long-nosed emperor, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Lethrinidae, the emperors or emperor breams. This species has a wide Indo-Pacific distribution.

<i>Lethrinus obsoletus</i> Species of fish

Lethrinus obsoletus, the orange-striped emperor, yellow-banded emperor or yellowstripe emperor, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Lethrinidae, the emperors or emperor breams. This species has a wide Indo-Pacific distribution.

<i>Lethrinus atkinsoni</i> Species of fish

Lethrinus atkinsoni, the Pacific yellowtail emperor,, Atkinson's emperor, reticulated emperor, tricky snapper, Tuamotu emperor, yellow morwong or yellow-tailed emperor is a species of marine ray-finned fish benomging to the family Lethrinidae, the emperor breams and emperors. This fish is found in the Western Pacific Ocean.

<i>Lethrinus erythracanthus</i> Species of fish

Lethrinus erythracanthus, the orange-spotted emperor, orangefin emperor, and yellow-spotted emperor, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Lethrinidae. This species is found in the Indo-Pacific region.

<i>Lethrinus harak</i> Species of fish

Lethrinus harak, the thumbprint emperorblackblotch emperor or blackspot emperor, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the Family Lethrinidae. the emperors and emperor breams. This species is found in the Indo-Pacific region.

<i>Lethrinus mahsena</i> Species of fish

Lethrinus mahsena, common names the sky emperor, mahsena emperor, and cutthroat emperor, is a species of emperor fish. It grows to 65 cm (26 in) in length, but is commonly found at between 35 and 45 cm. This fish may be yellow to greenish-blue or olive-grey, becoming paler toward the belly. It is a non-migratory, reef-associated fish that has a high commercial value.

<i>Lethrinus microdon</i> Species of fish

Lethrinus microdon, the smalltooth emperor, longface emperor or pigface bream, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Lethrinidae, the emperors and emperor breams. This species has a widespread distribution in the Indo-Pacific.

<i>Lethrinus nebulosus</i> Species of fish

Lethrinus nebulosus, the spangled emperor, green snapper, morwong, north-west snapper, sand bream, sand snapper, sixteen-pounder, sharie, sheri and yellow sweetlip, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Lethrinidae, the emperors and emperor breams. This species is found the Indo-West Pacific region.

Lethrinus scoparius is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Lethrinidae, the emperors and emperor breams. This species is found in the southwestern Indian Ocean. L. scoparius was previously considered to be a junior synonyms of L. nebulosus.

Lethrinus longirostrus is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Lethrinidae, the emperors and emperor breams. This species is found in the Indo-Pacific region.

<i>Lethrinus atlanticus</i> Species of fish

Lethrinus atlanticus, the Atlantic emperor, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Lethrinidae, the emperors and emperor breams. This species is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean off the coast of western Africa.

<i>Rhabdosargus</i> Genus of fishes

Rhabdosargus is a genus of ray-finned fish belonging to the family Sparidae, which includes the seabreams and porgies. These fishes are found in the southeastern Atlantic Ocean and throughout the Indo-West Pacific, although mainly in the western Indian Ocean.

<i>Crenidens</i> Genus of fishes

Crenidens is a small genus of three species of seabream from the family Sparidae from the western Indian Ocean. It was previously regarded as monotypic, with the sole species being the Karenteen sea bream Crenidens crenidens but two other species are now accepted as valid species, separate from the type species, C. crenidens.

<i>Argyrops</i> Genus of fishes

Argyrops is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Sparidae, the seabreams and porgies. These fishes are found in the coasts of Indian Ocean and near Australia.

<i>Lethrinus variegatus</i> Species of marine fish

Lethrinus variegatus, the slender emperor or variegated emperor, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Lethrinidae, the emperors and emperor breams. This fish has a wide Indo-Pacific distribution.

<i>Lethrinus amboinensis</i> Species of fish

Lethrinus amboinensis, the Ambon emperor, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Lethrinidae, the emperors and emperor breams. This species is found in the Western Pacific Ocean.

<i>Lethrinus borbonicus</i> Species of fish

Lethrinus borbonicus, the snubnose emperor, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Lethrinidae, the emperor breams and emperors. This species is found in the Western Indian Ocean and is of some importance to commercial fisheries in that region.

References

  1. 1 2 Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Lethrinidae". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 26 November 2023.
  2. 1 2 Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Lethrinus". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 3 December 2023.
  3. ↑ Nelson, J.S.; Grande, T.C.; Wilson, M.V.H. (2016). Fishes of the World (5th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. pp. 502–506. doi:10.1002/9781119174844. ISBN   978-1-118-34233-6. LCCN   2015037522. OCLC   951899884. OL   25909650M.
  4. ↑ "Order SPARIFORMES: Families LETHRINIDAE, NEMIPTERIDAE and SPARIDAE". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf. 17 October 2022. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2023). Species of Lethrinus in FishBase . November 2023 version.
  6. ↑ Shibuya, S.; T. Maekawa; Y. Sakurai; and H. Motomura (2022). "Redescription of Lethrinus longirostris Playfair, 1867 (Perciformes: Lethrinidae), previously regarded as a junior synonym of Lethrinus olivaceus Valenciennes, 1830, on the basis of morphological and molecular evidences". Ichthy, Natural History of Fishes of Japan. 17: 50–66. doi:10.34583/ichthy.17.0_50.
  7. ↑ Allen, Gerald R.; Victor, Benjamin C. & Erdmann, Mark. V. (2021). "Lethrinus mitchelli, a new species of emperor fish (Teleostei: Lethrinidae) from Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea". Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation. 38: 66–77. doi:10.5281/zenodo.5172763.
  8. ↑ Holleman, W.; G. Gouws; J. R. Glass; B. Q. Mann (2022). "Resurrection of Lethrinus scoparius Gilchrist & Thompson, 1908 (Perciformes: Lethrinidae), from South African waters". Zootaxa. 5174: 551–567. doi:10.11646/ZOOTAXA.5174.5.4.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Kent E. Carpenter; Gerald R. Allen (1989). Emperor fishes and large-eye breams of the world (Family Lethrinidae). An annotated and illustrated catalogue of lethrinid species known to date (PDF). FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 9. FAO, Rome.
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