95

BONY FISHES

SCIAENIDAE Pentheroscion mbizi (Poll, 1950)

FAO names : En - Blackmouth croaker; Fr - Courbine à bouche noire; Sp – Corvina bocanegra.

Size : 40 cm, common to 25 cm.

Fishing gear : bottom trawls.

Habitat : continental shelf and upper slope, from 50 to at least 350 m depth.

Loc.name(s) :

Pseudotolithus (Pseudotolithus) brachygnathus Bleeker, 1863

Pseudotolithus (Fonticulus) elongatus (Bowdich, 1825)

Synonyms : Corvina nigrita Cuvier, 1830.

FAO names : En - Bobo croaker; Fr - Otolithe bobo; Sp - Corvina bobó.

Size : 45 cm, common to 30 cm.

Fishing gear : bottom trawls, set nets, beach seines, line gear.

Habitat : found in brackish waters and estuaries.

Loc.name(s) :

Pseudotolithus (Pinnacorvina) epipercus Bleeker, 1863

FAO names : En - Guinea croaker; Fr - Otolithe guinèen; Sp - Corvina de Guinea.

Size : 60 cm, common to 35 cm.

Fishing gear : bottom trawls, line gear.

Habitat : muddy bottoms, from the coastline to about 70 m depth.

Loc.name(s) :

soft part black-edged

inside of mouth and opercle black

pectoral fins long

9 rays

FAO names : En - Law croaker; Fr - Otolithe gabo; Sp - Corvina reina.

Size : 230 cm, common to 85 cm.

Fishing gear : bottom trawls, bottom set nets, line gear.

Habitat : on sandy and muddy bottoms to-about 75 m depth; also in estuaries.

Remarks : often confused with Pseudotolithus Senegalensis.

Loc.name(s) : a black spot at

base of pectoral fin

25-27 rays

oblique lines

7 rays

dark spots

29-34 rays

(see Plate IX, 64)

pointed

6 rays

2nd spine strong and long

35-39 rays

S-shaped

7 rays

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96

BONY FISHES

Pseudotolithus (Hostia) moorii (Günther, 1865)

FAO names : En - Cameroon croaker; Fr - Otolithe camerouonais; Sp - Corvina de Camerún.

Size : 50 cm, common to 25 cm.

Fishing gear : bottom trawls, line gear.

Habitat : muddy bottoms from about 15 to 70 m depth.

Loc.name(s) :

FAO names : En - Cassava croaker; Fr - Otolithe sénégalais; Sp - Corvina casava.

Size : 100 cm, common to 50 cm.

Fishing gear : bottom trawls, set nets, seines, line gear.

Habitat : in shallow waters, on muddy, sandy or rocky bottoms.

Loc.name(s) :

Pseudotolithus (Pseudotolithus) typus Bleeker, 1863

FAO names : En - Longneck croaker; Fr - Otolithe nanka; Sp - Corvina bosoro.

Size : 100 cm, common to 70 cm.

Fishing gear :

Habitat : muddy and sandy bottoms, to about 150 m depth; often found in estuaries.

Loc.name(s) :

7 or 8 spines in anterior part of dorsal fin

eyes small

25-27 rays

SCIAENIDAE

pointed

7 rays

Pseudotolithus (Pseudotolithus) senegalensis (Valenciennes, 1833) 10 spines in anterior part of dorsal fin

28-33 rays

inside of gill cover black oblique lines

7 rays

pectoral fin long

(see Plate IX, 65)

distance between eye smaller than eye diameter

9 spines in anterior part of dorsal fin

28-32 rays

7 rays

(see Plate IX, 66) easily distinguished from P. senegalensis by its more elongated body and more slender, slightly upturned head

Pteroscion peli (Bleeker, 1863)

FAO names : En - Boe drum; Fr - Courbine pélin; Sp - Bombache boé.

Size : 35 cm, common to 18 cm.

Fishing gear : bottom trawls, bottom set nets, line gear.

Habitat : coastal waters to about 200 m depth, but more common between 30 and 60 m.

Loc.name(s) :

eyes large

mouth strongly oblique

9 rays

97

BONY FISHES

Sciaena umbra Linnaeus, 1758

FAO names : En - Brown meagre; Fr - Corb commun; Sp - Corvallo.

Size : 50 cm, common to 35 cm.

Fishing gear : bottom trawls, gillnets, beach seines.

Habitat : sandy and rocky bottoms from 20 to 180 m depth; very active at night.

Remarks : presence in the Gulf of Guinea to be confirmed.

Loc.name(s) :

Umbrina canariensis Valenciennes, 1843

FAO names : En - Canary drum; Fr - Ombrine bronze; b - Verrugato de Canarias.

Size : 63 cm, common to 35 cm.

Fishing gear : bottom trawls, artisanal fishing gear, mainly hook-and-line.

Habitat : sandy mud bottoms from 15 to 75 m depth.

Loc.name(s) :

SCIAENIDAE

no mental barbel

pelvic and anal fins black

lower part of caudal fin black

27-31 rays

mental barbel

opercular membrane dark brown

oblique lines

Umbrina cirrosa (Linnaeus, 1758)

FAO names : En - Shi drum; Fr - Ombrine côtière; Sp - Verrugato común.

Size : 70 cm, common to 40 cm.

Fishing gear : bottom trawls, beach seines, set nets. Habitat : sandy mud bottoms from 30 to 70 m depth.

Remarks : presence in the Gulf of Guinea to be confirmed.

Loc.name(s) :

Umbrina ronchus Valenciennes, 1843

Synonyms: Umbrina fusca Dardignac, 1961

FAO names : En - Fusca drum; Fr - Ombrine fusca; Sp - Verrugato fusco.

Size : about 80 cm, common to 40 cm.

Fishing gear : bottom trawls, Iine gear.

Habitat : on rocky and sandy bottoms, from 20 to 200 m depth.

Loc.name(s) :

(see Plate IX, 67)

23-25 rays

opercular membrane deep black

25-27 rays

black

2nd spine about half the length of third

black

98

BONY FISHES

Umbrina steindachneri Cadenat, 1950

Synonyms : Umbrina cirrosa (non Linnaeus, 1758) [Bellemans et al., 1988]:

FAO names : En - Steindachner's drum; Fr - Ombrine de Steindachner, Sp - Verrugato de Steindachner.

Size : 45 cm.

Fishing gear : bottom trawls, gillnets and beach seines.

Habitat : sandy mud bottoms; caught at a depth of 30 m.

Remarks : obviously a rare species, often confused with Umbrina cirrosa.

Loc.name(s) :

Acanthocybium solandri (Cuvier, 1831)

FAO names : En - Wahoo; Fr - Thazard-bâtard; Sp - Peto.

Size : 210 cm, common to 100 cm.

Fishing gear : seines, hook-and-line, sportfishing gear.

Habitat : found in coastal surface waters, more abundant during thé warm season.

Loc.name(s) :

Auxis rochei (Rossi, 1810)

Synonyms : Auxis thynnoides Bleeker, 1855; Auxis maru Kishinouye, 1923.

FAO names : En - Bullet tuna; Fr - Bonitou; Sp - Melvera.

Size : to 40 cm fork length, common to 35 cm.

Fishing gear : beach seines, purse seines (poli), drift nets, trolling lines, liftnets.

Habitat : a cosmopolitan species, found in warm waters.

Loc.name(s) :

ground colour golden-yellow with undulating blue lines bordered by black

SCIAENIDAE

29 to 31 rays

mental barbes

(see Plate IX, 68)

24-26 spines

SCOMBRIDAE

vertical bars

10 or 11 spines

dark bars

pectoral fins not reaching vertical from beginning of scaleless area above corselet

Auxis thazard (Lacepède, 1800)

Synonyms : Auxis tapeinosoma Bleeker, 1854.

FAO names : En - Frigate tuna; Fr - Auxide; Sp - Melva.

Size : 55 cm, common to 40 cm.

Fishing gear : beach seines, purse seines, driftnets, trolling lines, liftnets.

Habitat : coastal waters.

Loc.name(s) :

10-12 spines (see Plate IX, 69)

spots

pectoral fins reaching anterior margin of scaleless area above corselet

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