Serranidae: Development and Relationships 

 A. W. Kendall, jr. 



THE percoid family Serranidae is defined by the presence of 

 three spines on the opercle (Goshne, 1966) and three re- 

 ductive specializations (absence of the posterior uroneural, pro- 

 current spur, and third preural radial cartilage) that separate it 

 from the Percichthyidae (Johnson, 1983). These are primarily 

 tropical to temperate marine fishes that vary in size from < 10 

 cm to >300 cm. It is a speciose family with nearly 400 species 

 (Nelson, 1976) that has had a history of being hard to charac- 

 terize and subdivide. The serranids are continuing objects of 

 taxonomic studies from the species to subfamily levels and sev- 

 eral new species are described each year, primarily anthiines 

 whose deep-water reef habitat has made collecting difficult. As 

 presently understood (Johnson, 1983). the family is composed 

 of 3 subfamilies (Serraninae. Anthiinae. and Epinephelinae), 

 although Katayama (1960) recognized 15 subfamilies. Various 

 authors have included other groups (e.g.. Callanthias) in the 

 Serranidae, and others have raised parts of the family to familial 

 status (e.g., Anthiinae and Grammistinae). Such problems will 

 probably not be resolved without a worldwide revision of the 

 family, which is not forthcoming. 



Development 



The eggs of all but a few serranids are unknown. Often, Wil- 

 son's (1891) classic work on the development of Centropnsiis 

 striata eggs has been cited as the example of teleost embrjology 

 in texts (e.g., Nelsen, 1953). Serranid eggs described to date are 

 typical of the majority of pelagic marine teleost eggs: they are 

 spherical, about 1 mm in diameter, have a single oil globule, a 

 narrow perivitelline space, and a smooth egg envelope. Several 

 species of Epincphelus (e.g., Guitart Manday and Juarez Fer- 

 nandez, 1966: Hussain and Higuchi, 1980), fara/aira.v (Butler 

 et al., 1982), and several anthiines (e.g.. Suzuki et al., 1974, 

 1978) have been reared. There seems to be a difference in oil 

 globule placement in yolk-sac larvae among the subfamilies (Fig. 

 265). Larvae of representatives of all the subfamilies, most of 

 the tribes, and about a third of the genera of serranids have 

 been described. Serranid larvae fall into one of four types, which 

 correspond to two of the subfamilies and two of the tribes within 

 the Epinephelinae. These larval types can be characterized based 

 on the taxa for which larvae are known as follows (based on 

 Kendall, 1979). 



Serraninae. — hody proportions show rather direct develop- 

 ment. There are no elongate spines in the opercular region, 

 rather a series of blunt points. The fin spines are thin and only 

 slightly elongated in some. Most larval pigment consists of me- 

 lanophores in characteristic positions along the ventral midline. 



Anthiinae.— These deep-bodied larvae have produced spines on 

 several bones in the opercular region, some of which may be 

 serrated. There is a tendency to develop armature on the head, 

 and the interopercular has a characteristic long posteriorly di- 

 rected spine that is overlaid by an even larger, similar spine on 

 the preopercular. The pelvic and some dorsal fin spines are 

 strong, serrate in some, and not very elongate. Pigment consists 



mainly of large blotches and dashes in characteristic positions 

 on the trunk. 



Epinephelini. — Knovfn larvae of members of this tribe are all 

 quite similar and generally difficult to assign to a genus on the 

 basis of larval characters. These are among the most spectacular 

 offish larvae, with stout, elongate, serrate, and pigmented dorsal 

 and pelvic fin spines. Usually the second dorsal spine is much 

 longer than the others and it, as well as the pelvic spines, are 

 as long as the body. The dorsal spine is often "locked" in an 

 upright position— presumably possible because of a unique pte- 



Fig. 265. Newly hatched yolk-sac larvae of serranids: (A) Serraninae: 

 Paralabrax clathratus. from Butler et al. (1982); (B) Anthiinae: Sacura 

 marganlacea. from Suzuki et al. (1974); and (C) Epinephelinae: Epi- 

 nephelus akaara. from Ukawa et al. (1966). 



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