MORPHOLOGICAL FEATURES OF FAMILY APOGONIDAE, SCIAENIDAE and SPARIDAE

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MORPHOLOGICAL FEATURES OF FAMILY APOGONIDAE,
SCIAENIDAE and SPARIDAE

• SUZETTE B. BARCOMA

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MORPHOLOGICAL FEATURES OF FAMILY APOGONIDAE
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Family Apogonidae (Cardinalfishes)Order Per
ciformes (perch-likes)Class Actinopterygii
(ray-finned fishes)Subfamily ApogoninaeBiolog
y Inhabits coastal reefs, in sandy or weedy
areas. Juveniles often occur with sea
anemones Other Info Cardinal Fishes includes
a wide variety of larval types in both in
appearance and development consist of two
subfamilies, containing a total of 122 species
and 22 genera (Nelson 1994). Apogonids are
small (most species , usually nocturnal predatory
residents of reefs and shallow coastal waters
in all warm seas.
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Family Apogonidae Sampling Location Andaman
SeaSampling Gear Bongo net Stage Post Flexion
stage Measurements Body Length 6.97
mm Head Length 2.37mm ED .72mm
SnL .79mm PAL 4.0mm BD 2.25mm
Counts D VI I,9 A II,8 P1 12 P2 I,5
C 98 Myomeres 24

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Larval sample caught from Andaman Sea  last
23/02/05
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Apogonidae illustration.

• Pigmentation
• External stellate melanophore dorsally on the
  head
• pigmentation along the dorsal part of the body
• Internal stellate melanophore on the ventral gut
  and on the anterior surface of the gut
• Dense pigment patch on ventro lateral surface of
  caudal peduncle

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Morphological Features

• Two dorsal fins well separated composed of spines
  and rays
• Large eye and large mouth
• Body shape is laterally compressed and deep
  bodied
• Gut is deeply coiled and extends to the midbody
• Head shape is large deep, laterally compressed
  with a short snout length
• Large mouth reaches to about mideye and nearly
  horizontal to very oblique
• 9 to 10 number of myomers counts present in the
  posteriorside of the anal fin
• No branchiostegal membrane pigment

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• Similar families of Apogonidae
• Opistognathid species
• heavily pigmented branchiostegal membranes
• no of myomeres is 25-30
• Carangids species because of longitudinal
  melanophore series
• more rays by midflexion for the dorsal and
  fin ray counts
• develop supraoccipital crest early in the
  preflex stage in most species
• develop early preopercular spines in the
  preflex stage
• Apogon species can easily be distiguised from
  one another primarily by pigment pattern, eye
  diameter , caudal peduncle depth
• Some species of Family Apogonidae are utilized
  in aquarium trade.

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• Additional similar familes
• ambassids,berycids, carangids, serranids
  lactariids, kyposids, lethrinids, leptobramids
  etc,
• Prominent , anteriorly located gas bladder, (can
  be observe during the day only)a typical myomere
  count of 24 and 2 dorsal fins.
• cant be confused with gobiid interms of fins
  devt generally have a longer coiled gut
• Acropomatids,

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Family Sciaenidae (Drums or croakers)
Order Perciformes (perch-likes)Class
Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes)Biology
Found in coastal waters. Feeds on
invertebrates and small fishes Marketed
fresh, dried salted. Climate Zone tropical
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Family SciaenidaeSampling Location Andaman
SeaSampling Gear Bongo net Stage Flexion
stage Genus Otolithini ptertolithus
Stage Flexion stage Measurements
Body Length 5.4 mm Head Length 1.8 mm ED
0.4 mm SnL 0.6 mm PAL
3.0 mm BD 1.6 mm
PDL
2.0 mm Counts D __, 15 A (II,
12) P1 __ P2 ___ C 9,8
Myomeres 25-26
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• PIGMENTATION
• Highly variable , in large nos. of species
• Initially light to moderate but increase
  markedly to the juvenile stage gradually
• Internal pigment on hindgut
• Pigment anterior to cleitral symphysis

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• MORPHOLOGICAL FEATURES
• Robust body
• Triangular gut, weak spination
• Distinct characteristics along dorsal fins and
  short anal fins
• Absence of barbels at tip of lower jaw
• Shape of caudal fin is round

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• SIMILAR FAMILIES
• Stromateidae, Gerreids, Haemulids and Sparids.etc
• Gerridae- distinct melanophores on dorsal midline
  posterior to 2nd dorsal fins, slimmer bodied ,fin
  rays counts differ and usually exhibit greater
  space b/w succesive fin rays
• Haemulidae bases of 2nd dorsal and anal fins are
  equal, slim bodied, w/ less deeening on the
  pectoral region, head spines is very weak, usual
  weak to preopercle,pigment prominent on posterior
  midline
• Stromateidae- early stages high myomere counts
  less than 30, no gap b/w anus n anal fin origin
  and nos. of anal and 2nd dorsal about equal

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Family Sparidae (Porgies)Order Perciformes
(perch-likes)Class Actinopterygii
(ray-finned fishes)Biology Found over rock,
rubble, or sand bottoms (young frequently
found on seagrass beds and the continental
shelf down to about 250 m depth, often
above 150 m). Feeds on crustaceans, fishes,
and mollusks. Marketed fresh and
frozen.Climate Zone subtropical
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Family Sparidae Sampling Location Gutob Bay,
PalawanSampling Gear Rectangular net Stage
Pre-Flexion stage
Stage Pre flexion Measurements Body
Length 3.45 mm Head Length 1.65 mm ED
0.33 mm SnL
0.46 mm PAL 1.81 mm BD
1.25 mm
PDL
1.78 mm Counts D __, 13 A 14 P1 cant
be counted P2 cant be C 9, 8 Myomeres 24
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• PIGMENTATION
• Melanophore along the base of caudal fin
• external melanophore series along pigmented
  ventral finbase
• Internal pigment on hindgut and stellate pigment
  over anterior surface of gut
• Internal melanophore on the midbrain
• Includes 1 to 2 spots anterior to the anus

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• Morphological Features
• Sparids are compressed
• Position of mouth is subterminal
• Body shape is moderately deep bodied
• Head is Large
• A supra occipital crest
• Caudal fin formation is truncate
• Forked Caudal fin
• Continous dorsal fin
• Coiled gut

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• mouth small barely reaching anterior edge of
  the eye
• Body depth to anus increases
• Preopercular weak spine
• Weak head spination
• Later larva have series of unevenly spaced
  melanophores along venter beginning over gut
  extending on notochord tip
• Pre anus length is about 45 to 50 of the BL.
• about equal no of finrays in D2 A fins

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• Similar families

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• Sparids are moderately large , deep compressed ,
  carnivorous fishes
• Support major commercial and recreational
  fisheries.

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Thank you