THE TAXONOMIC IDENTITY OF Lepturacanthus pantului (GUPTA, 1966) AND
Lepturacanthus savala (CUVIER, 1829) (PERCIFOMES: TRICHIURIDAE)
Andi Iqbal Burhanuddin1
1)
Faculty of Marine Science and Fisheries, Hasanuddin University
ABSTRACT
The Indo-West Pacific marine trichiurid fishes, Lepturacanthus pantului
(Gupta, 1966) and Leputuracanthus savala (Cuvier, 1829), having long been confused
with each other, are resdescribed as valid species based on examination of 23 specimens
collected from Madras, India and South China Sea.
Lepturacanthus pantului is clearly
distinguished from Lepturacanthus savala by having higher dorsal fin elements 125 –
131 (vs. 115- 122); dermal eye opening large 7%-8% of PL (vs. 4%-6%); snout short
13%-14% of PL (vs. 16%-18%); body depth at anus 21%-22% of PL (vs. 17%-20%).
These characters are considered to be important distinguishing features between the
species. A key to the species is provided.
Key words: Lepturacanthus, Trichiuridae, Taxonomic identity
INTRODUCTION
The family Trichiuridae, popularly known a hairtail-fishes is essentially
benthopelagic marine, tropical and temperate fishes.
There are 37 known species in
the family and classified in 10 genera (Burhanuddin and Iwatsuki, 2003).
The genus Lepturacanthus, which comprises only two species Lepturacanthus
pantului (Gupta, 1966) and L. savala (Cuvier, 1829), a widely distributed species in the
Indo-West Pacific (Nakamura and Parin, 1993). Both species originally describe from
India and have a similar overall body appearance and coloration, resulting in these being
considered as “variable species” by many researchers (Tucker, 1956)
Lepturacanthus pantului was originally proposed by Gupta, 1966 as Trichiurus
pantului (Gupta, 1966), whereas Lepturacanthus savala has been variously identified as
-1-
Trichiurus savala (Cuvier, 1829) T. armatus (Gray, 1831) and T. roelandti (Bleeker,
1860).
Subsequently, Nakamura and Parin (1993) redefined the species of
Lepturacanthus and regarded that Trichiurus pantului is a synonym of Lepturacanthus
pantului and Trichiurus savala, T. armatus and T. roelandti are a synonym of
Lepturacanthus savala.
Although, Nakamura and Parin (1993) reported two valid
species, Lepturacanthus pantului and L. savala in their recent review of the Trichiuridae
for FAO, but failed to examine and consider a wide range of Lepturacanthus specimens
from the type locality.
needed.
Accordingly, further taxonomic identity of the species is
The present paper aimed to compare and describes of Lepturacanthus
pantului and L. savala from type locality, including notes variation in both species.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Methods for counts and measurements generally followed Nakamura and Parin
(1993), Burhanuddin et al. (2002). Measurements were made to the nearest 0.1 mm,
proportional measurements being rounded off to the first decimal place.
Radiograph
were taken of all specimens, so as to aid meristic and vertebral formula counts.
Institutional codes follow Leviton et al. (1985). Proportional measurement is expressed
of preanal length (PL).
Material examined:
Lepturacanthus pantului, IOCAS (Institute Oceanology Chinese Academy of
Science, China) 28864, IOCAS 321999, IOCAS; 455-456 mm TL, 6 specimens;
locality: South China Sea.
MUFS (Miyazaki University Fisheries Science) 19204,
MUFS 19207; 392-468 mm TL, 4 specimens; locality: Chennai (=Madras), India.
Lepturacanthus savala, IOCAS 28868, IOCAS 32194, IOCAS 37032, IOCAS
37035, IOCAS 54994, IOCAS 57978, 8 specimens; 311-483 mm TL; locality: South
China Sea. MUFS 19060, MUFS 19203, MUFS 19205-19206, MUFS 19208, 5
specimens; 392-468 mm TL, Chennai (=Madras), India.
-2-
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Generic Diagnosis.
A Lepturacanthus with the following combination of characters: first anal-fin
spine large, its length half eye diameter; soft anal-fin rays pungent spinules breaking
through ventral skin; two small canine teeth on upper jaw project forward; a small slit
present on ventral side of lower jaw for receiving anteriormost fang of upper jaw.
Body elongated and compressed, ribbon-like, tapering to appoint (tip often broken);
mouth large, with a dermal process at tip of each jaw; position of anus nearer snout than
posterior tip of body; anteriormost fang of upper jaw very long, coming out through a
small slit on ventral side of lower jaw; posteroventral margin of gill cover concave;
caudal fin absent, ventral fins completely absent; lateral line beginning at upper margin
of gill cover, running oblique to behind tip of pectoral fin, then straight close to ventral
contour.
Scales absent on the body.
In fresh specimens, body steely blue with
metallic reflection, becoming silvery grey after death, pectoral fins semi-transparent,
other fins sometimes tinged with pale yellow. Dorsal and anal fins dusky in preserved
formalin.
Comparison and Description
In overall appearance and color pattern, Lepturacanthus pantului similar to
Lepturacanthus savala.
A comparison of selected counts and reserved specimens of
both species are shown in Table 1 and Figure 1.
Pectoral fin rays of both species I, 10
– 11. Dorsal fin rays opposite first anal spine 35th -39th and precaudal vertebrae 35-39 in
L. pantului, whereas 35th -39th and 37-40, respectively in L. savala.
Although Lepturacanthus pantului is difficult to distinguished from L. savala
on the basis of external features because overlapping ranges, L. pantului is clearly
distinguished from L. savala by having higher dorsal fin elements 125 – 131 (vs. 115122 in L. savala); dermal eye opening large 7%-8% of PL (vs. 4%-6% in L. savala);
snout short 13%-14% of PL (vs. 16%-18% in L. savala); body depth at anus 21%-22%
of PL (vs. 17%-20% in L. savala) (Table 1). These characters are considered to be
important distinguishing features between the species.
-3-
Biology, Habitat and Distribution
Benthopelagic, mostly in continental shelf, but often comes near surface at
night. Feeds on a wide variety of small coastal fishes, squids and crustaceans. Known
from Indo-West Pacific waters, from India and Sri Lanka to Malaysia, Singapore,
Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, China and northern Australia (Nakamura and Parin,
1993).
Key to the species of Lepturacanthus
1a. Snout rather short, its length about 3 times in head length; eye large, its diameter 5
to 6 times in head length; suborbital width about half of eye diameter; dorsal fin
elements 125 to 131……………………………………………L. pantului (Fig 1A)
1b.
Snout long, its length about 2 to 2.5 time in head length; eye small, its diameter 7
to 9 times in head length; suborbital width slightly smaller than eye diameter;
dorsal fin elements 115-122……………………………………..L. savala (Fig 1B)
A
B
Figure 1. A) Lepturacanthus pantului (IOCAS 28864, 468 mm TL), B) Lepturacanthus
savala (IOCAS 28863, 483 mm TL).
-4-
Table 1. Comparative counts and proportional measurements expressed as percentages
of preanal length of Lepturacanthus pantului and Lepturacanthus savala.
L. pantului
Total length (mm)
Counts:
Dorsal fin elements
Dorsal fin ray opposite first
anal spine
Pectoral fin rays
Precaudal vertebrae
Measurements:
Dorsal fin base length
Precaudal peduncle length
Caudal peduncle length
Head length
Snout length
Postorbital length
Preopercle length
Upper jaw length
Body depth at pectoral
fin base
Body depth at anus
Body width at pectoral
fin base
Predorsal length
Longest fin ray length
Bony interorbital width
Dermal eye opening
Suborbital width
n= 10
L. savala
n= 13
392-468
311-483
125-131
35th -39th
115-122
35th -40th
I, 10-11
35-39
I, 10-11
37-40
220-226 (223)
244-249 (247)
88-90 (89)
40-42 (41)
13-14 (14)
21 (21)
10-11 (10)
17-18 (18)
17-18 (18)
215-245 (226)
244-259 (249)
86-92 (89)
39-42 (41)
16-18 (17)
19-21 (21)
9-11 (10)
17-19(18)
17-18 (18)
21-22 (21)
6-7 (7)
17-20 (19)
6-7 (7)
28-29 (29)
13 (13)
5-6 (5)
7-8 (7)
3-4 (4)
27-30 (28)
13-14 (13)
5-6 (5)
4-6 (5)
4-5 (5)
CONCLSION
Lepturacanthus pantului is clearly distinguished from Lepturacanthus savala
in number of dorsal fin elements, dermal eye opening, snout length and body depth at
anus.
These characters are considered to be important distinguishing features between
the species.
-5-
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The author grateful to C. Li and J. Liu (IOCAS; Institute Oceanology Chinese
Academy of Science, China) and Seshagiri Rao (ZSI; Zoology Survey of India Calcutta,
India) for specimens loans.
Thank to Y. Iwatsuki (Miyazaki University) for providing
laboratory to conduct radiograph analysis and for useful guidance and discussion.
I
also thank to K. Hidaka and H. Motomura for kindly help during laboratory work.
This study was supported by the Ito Foundation for the Advancement of Ichthyology
(Tokyo, Japan).
REFERENCES
Burhanuddin AI, Y. Iwatsuki, T. Yoshino, S. Kimura. 2002. Small and valid species
of Trichiurus brevis Wang and You, 1992 and T. russelli Dutt and Thankam, 1966,
defined as the “T. russelli complex” (Perciformes; Trichiuridae). Ichthyol. Res.
49:211-223.
Burhanuddin A.I & Y. Iwatsuki. 2003. Demissolinea novaeguineensis gen. et sp.
Nov. (Perciformes: Trichiuridae), a new hairtail from New Guinea. Ichthyol. Res.
50: 23-29.
Leviton AE, RH Jr Gibbs, E. Heal, CE. Dawson (1985). Standards in herpetology and
Ichthyology : Part I. Standard symbolic codes for institutional resource collection
in herpetology and ichthyology. Copeia 1985:802-832
Nakamura I, N.V. Parin 1993. FAO species catalogue. Vol. 15. Snake mackerels and
cutlassfishes of the world (families Gempylidae and Trichiuridae). An annotated
and illustrated catalogue of the snake mackerels, snoeks, escolars, gemfishes,
sackfishes, domine, oilfish, cutlassfishes, scabbardfishes, hairtails and frostfishes
known to date. FAO, Rome Fish Synop (125) 15:1-136.
Tucker D.W. 1956. Studies on the trichiurid fishes-3. A preliminary revision of the
family Trichiuridae. Bull. Brit. Mus. (NH) Zool 4:73-130.
-6-
-7-