24 ALLAN HANCOCK ATLANTIC EXPEDITION REPORT 



Remarks: Apparently there are two species of Umbrina in the 

 southern Caribbean, most readily distinguished by the number of dorsal 

 fin soft-rays. One species, U. coroides, has a high dorsal soft-ray count of 

 26 to 29 (in our material, see above). The second species, which we 

 tentatively refer to here as U. broussoneti, has fewer dorsal soft-rays. In 

 our material, of 21 specimens, one had 23 dorsal soft-rays, seven had 24, 

 twelve had 25 and one had 26. 



In describing U. coroides, Cuvier {In Cuvier and Valenciennes, 

 1830: 187) gave for it a dorsal soft-ray count of 29. This then is the 

 high-numbered dorsal soft-rays species we encountered. This same author 

 (also p. 187) briefly described a low-numbered dorsal soft-rays Umbrina 

 with only 25 rays. This second species he named U. broussonetii. Nearly 

 a century later, Metzelaar (1919: 72) also described a low-numbered 

 dorsal soft-rays Umbrina, U. gracilicirrhus, from Venezuela. We believe 

 that these last two species are the same, and distinct from U. coroides. 

 U. broussonetii has priority for the low-numbered rays type. 



Jordan and Evermann (1898: 1466) tentatively recognized two 

 species: U. coroides and U. broussonetii. Schultz (1949: 153) also 

 recognized two: U. coroides and U. gracilicirrhus. Jordan, Evermann 

 and Clark (1930: 350), we believe in error, recognized all three species. 

 We believe also that Giinther (1860: 277) was in error when he 

 synonymized U. coroides with U. broussonetii. 



Meek and Hildebrand (1925: 613) listed a low-numbered rays 

 (24-25) U?nbrina from Panama which they called U. coroides. If our 

 conclusions about our material, also from Panama, are correct, it then 

 appears that Meek and Hildebrand had U. broussonetti instead of 

 U. coroides. 



The lateral line scale count in U. broussoneti also is generally lower 

 than that of U. coroides (see above) : eight examples respectively had 

 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 47 and 50 scales. 



In five of our specimens so examined, all had six anal soft-rays. 



Mullidae 



The material in this family was determined with the aid of Caldwell 

 (1963). 



