Studies on Eastern Pacific Sand Stargazers (Pisces: Dactyloscopidae) 1. Platygillellus New Genus, with Descriptions of New Species
1974; American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists; Volume: 1974; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.2307/1443005
ISSN1938-5110
Autores Tópico(s)Identification and Quantification in Food
ResumoFIVE genera and 21 nominal species of sand stargazers (Dactyloscopidae) are presently reported from eastern Pacific waters. Many are known only from inadequate and unfigured original descriptions, little has been published on their habitat or distribution and confusion exists in both nomenclature and systematics. This report, the first of a series reviewing the Pacific dactyloscopids, treats a discrete group of three related species and establishes a new genus for their accommodation. Except for recent work of Bohlke (1968), generic descriptions of stargazers have often been based on poorly chosen characters (some applicable to any dactyloscopid) and in some cases appear to result from comparison of poor descriptions rather than examination of specimens at hand. Bearing these problems in mind, I employ a broad spectrum of characters in diagnoses and descriptions, and all known material has been examined. Some characters (preopercular canals, etc.) are used here for the first time and others (ontogenetic development of fimbriae, etc.) were initially treated in a previous report (Dawson, 1969). Measurements are given for a minimum number of specimens, but stress is here laid on meristics, morphological details and gross features of coloration rather than morphometry. Any Atlantic species referable to Platygillellus will be treated by James E. Bohlke in his review of Atlantic dactyloscopids.
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