Gymnocranius audleyi, the collared large-eye bream, collar bream, bastard bream, coral bream, iodine bream, pale-faced bream or sand snapper, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Lethrinidae, the emperors and emperor breams. This species is found in the Western Pacific Ocean.

Gymnocranius audleyi
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Spariformes
Family: Lethrinidae
Genus: Gymnocranius
Species:
G. audleyi
Binomial name
Gymnocranius audleyi
Synonyms[2]

Taxonomy edit

Gymnocranius audleyi was first formally described in 1916 by the Australian herpetologist and ichthyologist James Douglas Ogilby with its type locality given as Snapper Banks off Moreton Bay in Queensland, Australia.[3] Some authors place the genus Gymnocranius in the subfamily Monotaxinae but the 5th edition of Fishes of the World does not recognise the subfamilies traditionally accepted within the family Lethrinidae as valid. The family Lethrinidae is classified by the 5th edition of Fishes of the World as belonging to the order Spariformes.[4]

Etymology edit

Gymnocranius audleyi has a specific name which honours Ogilby's friend Audley Raymond Jones, to whom Ogilby was “indebted for much interesting information regarding the habits of fishes”.[5]

Description edit

Gymnocranius audleyi has an oblong shaped body which has a depth that fits into its standard length between 2.2 and 2.4 times. The snout is quite steep and there is a bony ridge on the nape in adults. It has a large eye but its length is less than the length of the snout.[6] The continuous dorsal fin is supported by 10 spines and 10 soft rays while the anal fin contains 3 spines and 9 or 10 soft rays. There are no scales on the inner base of the pectoral fin.[2] The overall colour is pale silvery, olive or bronze, paler on the lower body. Spots on the scales and flanks create very thin longitudinal rows. The fins are yellowish and there is an obvious darker patch of scales behind the upper part of the eye. The face in scaleless and there is soemtine a dark bar running through the eye.[7] This species has a maximum published total length of 40 cm (16 in), although 35 cm (14 in) is more typical.[2]

Distribution and habitat edit

Gymnocranius audleyi is found in the southwestern Pacific Ocean off eastern Australia from off Port Douglas in the north to Sydney Harbour in New South Wales, it also occurs around Lord Howe Island, the Chesterfield Islands and New Caledonia. It is a solitary species found in sandy and rubble parts of the seabed in the vicinity of reefs.[7]

References edit

  1. ^ Carpenter, K.E.; Lawrence, A. & Myers, R. (2016). "Gymnocranius audleyi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T16719359A16722315. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T16719359A16722315.en. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
  2. ^ a b c Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2023). "Gymnocranius audleyi" in FishBase. October 2023 version.
  3. ^ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Gymnocraniu". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
  4. ^ Nelson, J.S.; Grande, T.C.; Wilson, M.V.H. (2016). Fishes of the World (5th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. pp. 502–506. doi:10.1002/9781119174844. ISBN 978-1-118-34233-6. LCCN 2015037522. OCLC 951899884. OL 25909650M.
  5. ^ "Order SPARIFORMES: Families LETHRINIDAE, NEMIPTERIDAE and SPARIDAE". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf. 17 October 2022. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
  6. ^ Kent E. Carpenter; Gerald R. Allen (1989). Emperor fishes and large-eye breams of the world (Family Lethrinidae). An annotated and illustrated catalogue of lethrinid species known to date (PDF). FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 9. FAO, Rome. pp. 22–223.
  7. ^ a b Bray, D.J. (2022). "Gymnocranius audleyi". Fishes of Australia. Museums Victoria. Retrieved 27 November 2023.