Stromateoid Fishes (Suborder Stromateoidei) of the Indian Ocean (Species Composition, Distribution, Biology, and Fisheries)

摘要

At least 34 species of stromateoid fishes (including seven endemic species) were found in the Indian Ocean. These fishes represent all six families of the suborder. Five species (Psenopsis intermedia, Cubiceps kotlyari, C. macrolepis, C. namus, and Ariomma parini) were described for the first time, and six species (Pseudoicichthys australis, Schedophilus huttoni, S. maculatus, C. caeruleus, Psenes maculatus, and A. lurida) were observed in this region for the first time during the former USSR surveysfrom 1973 to 1990. This study supports an opinion about the identity of the nominal species C. whiteleggii and C. squamosus; the inclusion of Parapsenes rotundus into the synonymy of P. cyanophrys is proposed; and an occurrence of A. lurida in the Indian Ocean is demonstrated for the first time. The majority of stromateoid fishes of the Indian Ocean (21 species) belongs to the epimesopelagic group; eleven species represented the mesobenthopelagic group; and two species could be referred to the shelf group. In the fauna of the Indian Ocean, the representatives of the suborder Stromateoidei include 21 tropical species, five subtropical species, and eight species of the temperate zone. The biology of stromateoid fishes previously had been poorly studied.The size range of the fish varies between 12 and 140 cm, and their age was from 3 to 15 years. The juveniles were often observed under the driftwood or in association with medusas, siphonophores, and salpas. The food consisted more often of the soft-bodied animals (mainly Tunicata). The commercial importance of these fishes is not large. The following species have the largest commercial value: Psenopsis cyanea on the slope of the Arabian Peninsula, Hyperoglyphe antarctica and Schedophilus velaini above the seamounts in the open waters of the temperate zone, and Ariomma indica and Stromateus argenteus on the shelves the northern Indian Ocean.