Acanthopagrus arabicus Iwatsuki 2013

Acanthopagrus arabicus Iwatsuki 2013

Common name: Arabian Yellowfin Seabream Local names: Dandya, Nehra (Sindh); Tintle (Balochistan) (Figures 1 A, B & 15 E & F; Table 1)

Acanthopagrus arabicus Iwatsuki, 2013: 83, Fig. 4 (b) (West Coast of Qatar, market specimen).

Diagnosis. Distinguished from other Acanthopagrus by the following combination of characters: dorsal-fin rays XI, 11 or XII–10; anal-fin rays III, 8; pored lateral line scales 43–45; scale rows above and below lateral line 4½–5½ and 11½–13½; scale rows between the fifth dorsal-fin spine base and lateral line 4½; no scales on preopercular flange; gill rakers 14–18, 8–10 on the lower limb; 2nd anal-fin spine (2 AS) longer than 3rd anal-fin spine, its ratio (2 AS /3 AS) 1.2–1.5 (mean 1.4); least infraorbital depth 4.9–5.5 % of SL; pelvic and anal-fins vivid yellow, fin rays in lower portion of caudal fin lobe yellow; black blotches absent just beneath inter-radial membranes between dorsal-fin rays, upper dorsal-fin membrane usually with darker margin; weak diffuse dark blotch at origin of lateral line.

Description. Body relatively deep and compressed, its depth 39.5–43.4 % of SL; head 32–33% in length; eye moderate in size, orbit diameter 7.3–8.8% of SL; dorsal profile of head steep and convex, ascending gently from just above eye; snout pointed; mouth slightly oblique, lips thick; maxilla reaching vertical at rear edge of pupil, longer than orbit diameter; upper-jaw length 12.6–15% of SL; lower jaw slightly included; six canine-like teeth in upper and lower jaws; three to five rows of well-developed molariform teeth in both jaws, smaller anteriorly and larger posteriorly; six (five to six) transverse rows of scales on cheek; preopercular flange without scales, posterior margin not serrated; low scaly sheath on bases of soft dorsal and anal-fin ray; dorsal-fin spines strong, first one is smaller (7.0–9.0% of SL), fourth one is longer (16.8–20.3% of SL); first anal-fin spine short (5.8–6.6% of SL), 2nd anal-fin spine heavy and long (19.2–21.3% of SL), 3rd anal-fin spine thin and shorter (13.2–15.7% of SL) than 2nd anal-fin spine; pectoral-fin tip reaching first anal-fin spine base, its length greater than head length; first pelvic-fin ray length clearly greater than third anal-fin spine; pelvic-fin spine longer than snout length.

Color of fresh specimens. Body bright silvery with pale greyish; belly whitish silvery; visible streaks along longitudinal rows of body scales; dorsal-fin greyish to hyaline and upper margin blackish; pelvic and anal-fins vivid yellow; fin rays in terminal lower caudal-fin lobe yellowish; pectoral-fins somewhat whitish hyaline, weak blotch at origin of pectoral-fin; conspicuous diffuse dark blotch at origin of lateral line.

Distribution. Acanthopagrus arabicus is known from Middle Eastern waters (The Gulf), except the Red Sea, from Duqum, southern Oman to Qatar, off the coasts of Kuwait to Trivandrum, southwestern India. Iwatsuki (2013) included Iran and Pakistan in the probable range of this species. The presence of this species from Pakistan is confirmed and it is likely to be found in India and Bangladesh.

Remarks. According to Iwatsuki (2013), Day’s (1875) specimens [AMS B. 8265, 200 mm SL, Madras (= Chennai), India; B. 8280, 124 mm SL, Sind (= Pakistan)], known as Coius datnia, have now been determined as Acanthopagrus longispinnis and A. arabicus, respectively. Acanthopagrus latus, formerly considered a widely distributed Indo-West Pacific species, has long been known to occur in the coastal waters of Pakistan, but is now recognized with a limited distribution along the Pacific coasts of Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu Islands, Japan, Southern Korea, Taiwan, China and northern Vietnam. Iwatsuki (2013) reports 43–47 (mode 45) pored lateral line scales in 18 specimens of A. sheim and 42–45 scales (mode 43) in 26 specimens of A. arabicus. By contrast, we counted 43–45 (44) pored lateral line scales in four specimens of A. arabicus and 43–45 (44) in seven specimens of A. sheim.