''Pseudotolithus'' is a
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
of marine
ray-finned fish
Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fish or actinopterygians, is a class of bony fish that comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. They are so called because of their lightly built fins made of webbings of sk ...
belonging to the
family
Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
Sciaenidae
Sciaenidae is a family (biology), family of ray-finned fishes belonging to the Order (biology), order Acanthuriformes. They are commonly called drums or croakers in reference to the repetitive throbbing or drumming sounds they make. The family co ...
, the drums or croakers. The species in this genus are found in the Eastern Atlantic Ocean.
Taxonomy
''Pseudotolithus'' was first proposed as a genus in 1863 by the Dutch
physician
A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...
,
herpetologist
Herpetology (from Ancient Greek ἑρπετόν ''herpetón'', meaning "reptile" or "creeping animal") is a branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians (including frogs, salamanders, and caecilians (Gymnophiona)) and reptiles (in ...
and
ichthyologist
Ichthyology is the branch of zoology devoted to the study of fish, including bony fish (Osteichthyes), cartilaginous fish (Chondrichthyes), and jawless fish (Agnatha). According to FishBase, 35,800 species of fish had been described as of March 2 ...
Pieter Bleeker
Pieter Bleeker (10 July 1819 – 24 January 1878) was a Dutch medical doctor, Ichthyology, ichthyologist, and Herpetology, herpetologist. He was famous for the ''Atlas Ichthyologique des Indes Orientales Néêrlandaises'', his monumental work on ...
when he described the new species ''P. brachygnathus'', ''P. epipercus'' and ''P. typus''.
''P. typus'' was designated as the
type species
In International_Code_of_Zoological_Nomenclature, zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the spe ...
by virtue of being named ''typus''.
[ ]Ethelwynn Trewavas
Ethelwynn Trewavas (5 November 1900 – 16 August 1993) was an ichthyologist at the British Museum of Natural History. She was known for her work on the families Cichlidae and Sciaenidae. She worked with Charles Tate Regan, another ichthy ...
placed the eastern Atlantic Afrotropical
The Afrotropical realm is one of the Earth's eight biogeographic realms. It includes Sub-Saharan Africa, the southern Arabian Peninsula, the island of Madagascar, and the islands of the western Indian Ocean. It was formerly known as the Ethiopi ...
sciaenids, ''Pseudotolithus'' and '' Pteroscion'', in the tribe
The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide use of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. The definition is contested, in part due to conflict ...
Pseudotolithini.subfamily
In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end botanical subfamily names with "-oideae", and zo ...
Pseudotolithinae alongside the tribe Miracorvini, '' Miracorvina'' and '' Pentheroscion''.Fishes of the World
''Fishes of the World'' is a standard reference for the systematics of fishes. It was first written in 1976 by the American ichthyologist Joseph S. Nelson (1937–2011). Now in its fifth edition (2016), the work is a comprehensive overview of t ...
'' does not recognise tribes or subfamilies within the Sciaenidae which it places in the order
Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to:
* A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica
* Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood
...
Acanthuriformes
Acanthuriformes is a large, diverse order of mostly marine ray-finned fishes, part of the Percomorpha clade. In the past, members of this clade were placed in the suborders Acanthuroidea and Percoidea of the order Perciformes, but this treatment ...
.
Etymology
''Pseudotolithus'' prefixes '' Otolithus'' with ''pseudo'' meaning "false" due to Bleeker's perceived false resemblance between these fishes and those of that genus.
Species
''Pseudotolithus'' has the following valid species classified within it:Pseudotolithus epipercus
''Pseudotolithus'' is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family (biology), family Sciaenidae, the drums or croakers. The species in this genus are found in the Eastern Atlantic Ocean.
Taxonomy
''Pseudotolithus'' was first propose ...
'' (Bleeker, 1863) (Guinea croaker)
* '' Pseudotolithus moorii'' ( Günther, 1865) (Cameroon croaker)
* '' Pseudotolithus senegalensis'' (Valenciennes
Valenciennes (, also , , ; ; or ; ) is a communes of France, commune in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department, Hauts-de-France, France.
It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced ...
, 1833) (cassava croaker)
* ''Pseudotolithus senegallus
''Pseudotolithus'' is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family (biology), family Sciaenidae, the drums or croakers. The species in this genus are found in the Eastern Atlantic Ocean.
Taxonomy
''Pseudotolithus'' was first propose ...
'' (Cuvier
Jean Léopold Nicolas Frédéric, baron Cuvier (23 August 1769 – 13 May 1832), known as Georges Cuvier (; ), was a French natural history, naturalist and zoology, zoologist, sometimes referred to as the "founding father of paleontology". Cuv ...
, 1830) (law croaker)
* '' Pseudotolithus typus'' (Bleeker, 1863) (longneck croaker)
Characteristics
''Pseudotolithus'' croakers have a carrot-shaped swim bladder
The swim bladder, gas bladder, fish maw, or air bladder is an internal gas-filled organ (anatomy), organ in bony fish that functions to modulate buoyancy, and thus allowing the fish to stay at desired water depth without having to maintain lift ...
running the whole length of the body cavity with a pair of long tube-like appendages growing out of its front. These appendages branch into as many as 32 tubules. They do not have any barbel
Barbel may refer to:
*Barbel (anatomy), a whisker-like organ near the mouth found in some fish (notably catfish, loaches and cyprinids) and turtles
*Barbel (fish), a common name for certain species of fish
**''Barbus barbus'', a species of cyprini ...
s on the chin.[ The largest species in the genus is the law croaker (''P. senegallus'') which has a maximum published ]total length
Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of their anatomies, for data used in many areas of ichthyology, including taxonomy and fishery biology.
Overall length
Standard length (SL) is the length of a fish measured f ...
of while the smallest is the bobo croaker (''P. elongatus'') at .[
]
Distribution
''Pseudotolithus'' croakers are found in the Western Atlantic Ocean from Morocco in the north to Angola in the south.[
]
References
{{Authority control
Sciaenidae
Ray-finned fish genera
Taxa named by Pieter Bleeker