﻿GOATFISH 
  GENUS 
  UPENEUS 
  — 
  LACHNER 
  503 
  

  

  icant 
  or 
  variable 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  any 
  practical 
  taxonomic 
  importance. 
  The 
  

   basal 
  rigidity 
  of 
  the 
  barbel, 
  used 
  as 
  a 
  key 
  character 
  by 
  Weber 
  and 
  de 
  

   Beaufort 
  (1931, 
  p. 
  363), 
  was 
  not 
  found 
  reliable. 
  The 
  different 
  lengths 
  

   of 
  the 
  barbel 
  among 
  the 
  species 
  probably 
  led 
  them 
  to 
  misinterpret 
  

   this 
  character. 
  Herre 
  and 
  Montalban 
  (1928, 
  pp. 
  96-97) 
  distin- 
  

   guished 
  between 
  groups 
  of 
  species 
  by 
  the 
  presence 
  or 
  absence 
  of 
  pre- 
  

   orbital 
  scales. 
  While 
  this 
  character 
  may 
  be 
  of 
  some 
  value, 
  great 
  

   errors 
  in 
  the 
  identification 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  can 
  result 
  since 
  these 
  scales 
  

   as 
  well 
  as 
  those 
  on 
  the 
  head 
  and 
  body 
  are 
  somewhat 
  deciduous 
  in 
  

   most 
  species. 
  The 
  size 
  and 
  number 
  of 
  intestinal 
  loops 
  and 
  the 
  num- 
  

   ber 
  of 
  pyloric 
  caeca 
  were 
  studied 
  but 
  poor 
  preservation 
  of 
  these 
  

   structures 
  made 
  it 
  impossible 
  to 
  evaluate 
  their 
  taxonomic 
  significance. 
  

  

  Group 
  relationships 
  

  

  The 
  species 
  are 
  divisible 
  into 
  two 
  groups 
  in 
  three 
  different 
  ways 
  

   by 
  using 
  a 
  single 
  character 
  or 
  combinations 
  of 
  characters. 
  The 
  first 
  

   method, 
  based 
  chiefly 
  on 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  the 
  minute 
  first 
  dorsal 
  spine, 
  

   separates 
  bensasi, 
  asymmetricus, 
  and 
  parvus 
  from 
  the 
  remainder 
  of 
  

   the 
  species, 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  spine 
  is 
  always 
  present. 
  These 
  three 
  species 
  

   have 
  little 
  or 
  no 
  coloration 
  on 
  the 
  dorsal 
  fins 
  (limited 
  to 
  light 
  tan 
  

   spots 
  arranged 
  in 
  rows 
  in 
  asymmetricus 
  and 
  very 
  faint 
  bars 
  in 
  parvus), 
  

   whereas 
  the 
  alternate 
  group 
  has 
  the 
  dorsal 
  marked 
  with 
  bars 
  or 
  

   blotches, 
  always 
  very 
  distinct 
  except 
  in 
  arge 
  and 
  luzonius. 
  

  

  A 
  second 
  method 
  includes 
  the 
  combination 
  of 
  the 
  color 
  of 
  the 
  peri- 
  

   toneum 
  and 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  gillrakers. 
  The 
  Indo-Pacific 
  species 
  

   luzonius, 
  arge, 
  oligospilus, 
  and 
  tragula 
  are 
  related 
  in 
  having, 
  almost 
  

   always, 
  light 
  to 
  silvery 
  colored 
  peritoneal 
  Imings, 
  and 
  fewer 
  and 
  

   shorter 
  gillrakers. 
  The 
  remainder 
  of 
  the 
  Indo-Pacific 
  species 
  have 
  a 
  

   light 
  brown 
  to 
  blackish 
  peritoneum, 
  a 
  higher 
  number 
  of 
  gillrakers, 
  

   and 
  comparatively 
  longer 
  rakers. 
  Of 
  these 
  species, 
  bensasi 
  is 
  inter- 
  

   mediate 
  in 
  respect 
  to 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  gillrakers 
  and 
  bensasi 
  and 
  asym- 
  

   metricus 
  show 
  the 
  greatest 
  variation 
  in 
  the 
  color 
  of 
  the 
  peritoneum. 
  

   The 
  Western 
  Atlantic 
  form, 
  parvus, 
  does 
  not 
  conform 
  to 
  this 
  rela- 
  

   tionship 
  in 
  that 
  the 
  peritoneum 
  is 
  light 
  but 
  the 
  gillrakers 
  are 
  

   numerous. 
  

  

  The 
  thu'd 
  method, 
  based 
  on 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  pectoral 
  fin 
  rays 
  (table 
  

   1), 
  clearly 
  indicates 
  two 
  groups 
  of 
  species. 
  

  

  Although 
  the 
  three 
  methods 
  are 
  useful 
  in 
  identifying 
  the 
  species, 
  

   the 
  presence 
  or 
  absence 
  of 
  the 
  minute 
  first 
  dorsal 
  spine 
  strongly 
  sug- 
  

   gests 
  an 
  ontogenetic 
  change 
  resulting 
  in 
  two 
  phyletic 
  lines 
  on 
  a 
  sub- 
  

   generic 
  level 
  of 
  organization. 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  propose 
  or 
  advocate 
  sub- 
  

   generic 
  terminology 
  in 
  a 
  problem 
  such 
  as 
  this 
  where 
  so 
  few 
  species 
  

   are 
  involved 
  and 
  where 
  troublesome 
  and 
  complicated 
  classification 
  

   problems 
  above 
  the 
  species 
  level 
  do 
  not 
  exist. 
  

  

  