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SCHWARZHANS, Werner:A comparative morphological treatise of recent and fossil otoliths of the family Sciaenidae (Perciformes)1993. [in English] – 245 pp., 406 figures. ISBN 978-3-923871-70-4 Euro 60.00 |
The following morphological study of otoliths of the family Sciaenidae (Percoidei, Perciformes) is the first part of a long term catalogue project mainly dealing with recent otoliths. In the past, otoliths of the Sciaenidae always had attracted attention because of their large size and diverse morphology, but have never been subject of a comprehensive analysis.
For this treatise I have investigated otoliths of 190 of about 230 recent Sciaenid species covering all 70 recent genera accepted as valid plus their respective subgenera. In addition, the nearly 100 nominal fossil otolith species of the Sciaenidae are being revised. For this revision I have investigated otoliths of about 2/3 of all nominal species, mostly including type-material. As a result of this revision, 8 species turned out not to represent Sciaenids, and of the remaining only 39 species are here regarded as valid but including 10 species described as new: Pachypops fitchi, Atractoscion elongatissimus, Macrodon spina, Umbrina pfeili, Trewasciaena bavarica, Polyclemus trinidadensis, Argyrosomus danicus, Afroscion trewavasae, Pteroscion maroccanus and Xenotolithus sasakii. 3 new fossil genera are established: Trewasciaena, Frizzellithus and Xenotolithus. Recommendation is made to erect a separate genus for the recent »Sciaena« bathytatos and also to split each of the genera Umbrina, Nibea and Bahaba into two to three genera or subgenera respectively. The phylogenetic interpretations and conclusions deduced from the character-analysis of the otolith-morphology are being discussed and compared to published data of swimbladder and other analyses. The descriptions and figures of the Sciaenid otoliths are arranged in 22 informal »genus groups« reflecting the results of the otolith analyses. This arrangement is not meant to represent a new »legal« subclassification of the family Sciaenidae.
With this monograph I hope to fulfill three main objectives:
1. Present as many as possible detailed figures of recent and fossil Sciaenid otoliths for easy identification and comparison.
2. Propose a conclusive revision of fossil Sciaenid otoliths mostly based on reviewed type-material, which is also refigured.
3. Create a better basis for anyone who wants to include data related to Sciaenidae otoliths and their phylogenetic implications in her/his respective studies.
Reviews appeared in:
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Archive of Fishery and Marine Research, 42(3), 1995 |
| Copyright © 2010 Verlag Dr. Friedrich Pfeil |