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Type: Articles
Published: 2011-09-14
Page range: 38–50
Abstract views: 85
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A review of the Acanthopagrus bifasciatus species complex (Pisces: Sparidae) from the Indian Ocean, with redescriptions of A. bifasciatus (Forsskål 1775) and A. catenula (Lacepède 1801) YUKIO IWATSUKI (Japan) & PHILLIP C. HEEMSTRA (South Africa)

Laboratory of Fisheries Sciences, Department of Marine Biology & Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Miyazaki, 1-1 Gakuen-kibanadai-nishi, Miyazaki 889-2192, Japan
South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity, Private Bag 1015, Grahamstown 6140, South Africa.
Fish Pisces Perciformes Sparidae Taxonomy Acanthopagrus bifasciatus Acanthopagrus catenula

Abstract

The Doublebar Seabream, Acanthopagrus bifasciatus (Forsskål 1775) with two conspicuous vertical black bars across the head has long been recognized as a distinctive species from the Red Sea and Western Indian Ocean. Two distinct colour patterns are associated with two allopatric populations except southern Oman and Somalia which appears to be a zone of overlap: a northern population (Red Sea, through Persian Gulf, to Pakistan) with dorsal and caudal fins immaculate yellow; and a southern population (east coast of Africa from the Horn of Africa to South Africa, Madagascar, and Mascarene Islands) having the dorsal fin with a wide black margin and caudal fin rear margin with a narrow black edge (and both black margins disappearing with growth in specimens over 30 cm SL). Both populations resulted in the two valid species: A. bifasciatus for the northern population and A. catenula (Lacepède 1801) for the southern population. Nominal species (junior synonyms) of the two species are discussed.

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