Preliminary Guide to the Identification of the Early Life History Stages of211 Serranid Fishes of the Western Central Atlantic

摘要

The Family Serranidae comprises some of the most valuable commercial and211u001erecreational marine fishes in the world. Most species are tropical, but several 211u001eoccur in temperate waters and a few enter freshwater, too. The most notable 211u001especies are the groupers and the black sea basses. The family is very large with 211u001eabout 62 genera and 449 species worldwide (Nelson 1994). The family comprises 211u001eseveral subfamilies and we follow Eschmeyer (1990) in dividing it into the 211u001efollowing 5 subfamilies: Serraninae, Anthiinae, Epinephelinae, Liopropomatinae, 211u001eand Grammistinae. These are convenient because the larvae are distinct for each 211u001esubfamily. Each subfamily is introduced and separate accounts are given for each 211u001especies along with illustrations.