Paraplagusia dollfusi Chabanaud, 1931:303 [type-locality:
Suez Canal].
Cynoglossus dollfusi.—Gruvel and Chabanaud, 1937:8 [Suez Canal].
Trulla dollfusi.—Fowler. 1956:183.
Cynoglossus lingua [not Hamilton-Buchanan].—Gruvel and Chabanaud, 1937:10 [Suez Canal].
Cynoglossus cleopatrides Chabanaud, 1949e:146 [type-locality:
Suez Canal].
DESCRIPTION.—Based on the holotype of C.
cleopatrides Chabanaud, 129.0 mm SL.
Depth of body 18.99, length of head 18.60 percent of standard length. Diameter of eye 16.67, inter- orbital space 8.33 percent of length of head. Two nostrils on ocular side, anterior nostril in front of lower eye, posterior nostril in the anterior half of the interorbital space. Snout rounded, 27.08 percent of length of head, rostral hook rather short, ending in front of the perpendicular of the anterior border of fixed eye. Maxillary extending to below posterior half of fixed eye; angle of mouth extending to below vertical from middle of fixed eye, nearer to tip of snout than to branchial opening, tip of snout to angle of mouth 45.83, angle of mouth to branchial opening 52.08 percent of length of head.
Scales: Moderate size, ctenoid on ocular side, including those on lateral lines, weakly ctenoid on blind side.
Lateral-Line System: Two lateral lines on ocular side, midlateral line with 70 scales, 11 scales between middle and upper lateral lines. No lateral line on blind side.
Fins: Dorsal with 115 rays, anal with 85 rays, caudal 8 (radiograph).
Vertebrae: 53, comprising 9 abdominal and 44 caudal elements (radiograph).
Coloration: Upper side brownish, lower whitish or yellowish in preserved specimens.
Size: The only specimen examined is the holotype of C. cleopatrides.
DISTRIBUTION.—Suez Canal.
DIAGNOSIS AND AFFINITIES.—The nearest relative of C. dollfusi is C. cadenati; it differs from C.
cadenati in having a lesser number of rays in the caudal fin.
NOTE ON SYNONYMY.—Chabanaud described C.
dollfusi from the Suez Canal, basing his description on a single specimen, 33.0 mm in T L , and charac- terized it as having three lateral lines in the ocular side, 11 series of scales between the middle and upper lateral lines, and with ctenoid scales on both the sides. The type of C. dollfusi is not available in Paris but Gruvel and Chabanaud (1937:35, figs.
9-12) redescribed the species based on the same specimen and illustrated it. I examined the holotype of C. cleopatrides Chabanaud and found it to con- form well in all respects, including the number of scales between the upper and middle lateral lines, with the description of C. dollfusi except for the absence of any trace of the ventral lateral line on the ocular side. As had been pointed out, there is considerable variation in the development of the lower lateral line among individuals of the same species of Cynoglossus (even of the same size), and the presence or absence of this line should not be depended upon for species differentiation. Cha- banaud's description of C. cleopatrides is, however, inaccurate in so far as the nature of scales on the blind side of the body is concerned—the scales on the blind side of the holotype are ctenoid and not cycloid as mentioned in the description. I have, therefore, no hesitation in synonymizing C. cleo- patrides with C. dollfusi.
T Y P E SPECIMENS.—MN HP 49.24, 129 mm SL, holotype of C. cleopatrides, Suez Canal, coll. Prof.
R. P. Dollfus, 1928.
21. Cynoglossus sinusarabici (Chabanaud)
FIGURE 25; PLATE 9
Dollfusichthys sinusarabici Chabanaud, 1931:304 [type-
locality: Suez Canal]; 1934a: 158.—Gruvel and Chabanaud, 1937:6, 6gs. 5-8.—Ben-Tuvia. 1953:13; 1963:115; 1966:267.
Cynoglossus sinusarabici.—Chabanaud, 1939:30; 1954:465;
1955b: 166.
Cynoglossus branchycephalus [not Bleeker].—Chabanaud, 1951b: 78 [with one lateral line].
DESCRIPTION.—Based on 2 specimens, 83.0 and 99.0 mm SL, the lectotype and paralectotype of C. sinusarabici.
Depth of body 23.23-25.30 (M = 24.26), length of head 19.70-20.48 (M = 20.09) percent of standard length. Diameter of eye 15.38-17.65 (M = 16.52) percent of head, interorbital space absent. Two nostrils on ocular side, anterior nostril tubular, in front of lower eye, posterior nostril simple, in front of eyes. Snout rounded, 26.47-30.77 (M = 28.62) percent of length of head, rostral hook, short, ends in front of anterior nostril. Maxillary extending below posterior half of fixed eye; angle of mouth extending to below vertical from middle of fixed eye, much nearer to tip of snout than to branchial opening, tip of snout to angle of mouth 43.59- 47.06 (M = 45.32), angle of mouth to branchial opening 58.82-61.54 (M = 60.18), percent of length of head.
Scales: Ctenoid on both sides.
Lateral-Line System: Only midlateral line present on ocular side with 54-60 scales, 11 scales from base of dorsal to midlateral line at middle of body. No lateral line on blind side.
Fins: Dorsal with 99-101 rays, anal with 78-79 rays, caudal 8 in 2 specimens (radiograph).
Vertebrae: 48-50 comprising 9 abdominal and 39-41 caudal elements in 2 specimens (radiograph).
Coloration: Upper side uniform brown, lower whitish in preserved specimens.
FIGURE 25.—Outline drawing of C. sinusarabici (BMNH 1938.107.11) from Great Bitter Lake, Suez Canal.
Size: Largest specimen examined, 107 mm (99 mm SL) is the lectotype of C. sinusarabici.
DISTRIBUTION.—Red Sea, Suez Canal, and eastern Mediterranean (Israel); recorded from a depth of not more than 75 fms.
DIAGNOSIS AND AFFINITIES.—In C. sinusarabici only the midlateral line is present, which readily distinguishes it from the other members of the ecaudatus complex.
TYPE SPECIMENS.—Chabanaud (1931:304) de-
scribed C. sinusarabici on the basis of 24 specimens, thVmaximum length being 134 mm, from the Gulf of Suez. 1 specimen, MNHP 1967-600a, 99.0 mm SL, which is selected here as the lectotype, agrees well with the original description of the species.
Fourteen other paralectotypes, MNHP 1967-6006, are available in the Paris Museum. The whereabouts of the rest of the 9 original specimens are not known tome.
The sealarki complex
Cynoglossus sealarki, C. microphthalmus, C.
Zanzibarensis, and C. capensis form the sealarki complex, the characteristics of which are the absence of the posterior nostril, comparatively smaller eyes with a very narrow interorbital space, three lateral lines on ocular side, and relatively small scales on the body, the interlinear scale count being 10-11 or 14-15 or 17. Their distribution is now the central and western parts of the Indian Ocean. They seem to have descended from the same ancestral stock from which the kopsi complex of species evolved.
22. Cynoglossus sealarki Regan
FIGURE 26; PLATE 10
Cynoglossus sealarki Regan, 1908:235, pi. 26: fig. 1 [type- locality: Saya-de-Malha Bank].—Norman, 1928:195.
DESCRIPTION.—Based on 4 specimens, 164-182 mm SL, including the lectotype and the paralectotypes
of C. sealarki.
Depth of body 23.08-24.39 (M = 23.50), length of head 18.45-21.67 (M = 19.99) percent of standard length. Diameter of eye 9.38-12.82 (M = 11.08) per- cent of length of head, interorbital space 2.56-3.23 (M = 2.90) percent. Anterior nostril of eyed side tubular, in front of lower eye, posterior nostril absent. Snout rounded, 30.77-35.48 (M = 32.87) percent of head, rostral hook very short, extending to front of anterior nostril. Maxillary extending to below middle of fixed eye; angle of mouth extending to below vertical from anterior half of fixed eye, and nearer to tip of snout than to branchial open- ing; tip of snout to angle of mouth 30.77-45.16 (M = 37.92), angle of mouth to branchial opening 42.31-61.29 percent of length of head.
Scales: Ctenoid on ocular side including those of lateral lines; scales on blind side cycloid anteriorly and ctenoid posteriorly.
Lateral-Line System: Three lateral lines on ocular side, midlateral line with 64-66 scales, 10-11 scales between middle and upper lateral line in 3 speci- mens. No lateral line on blind side.
Interlinear scale rows 10 11 Frequencies 1 2
I cm
FIGURE 26.—Outline drawing of C. sealarki, paralectotype (BMNH 1908.3.23.154) from Saya de-malha.
57 Fins: Dorsal with 112-116 (M = 114) rays, anal
with 92-96 rays, caudal 10 in 2 specimens (radio- graph).
Vertebrae: 57 comprising 9 abdominal and 48 caudal elements in 2 specimens (radiographs).
Coloration: Upper side uniform brown, lower whitish in preserved specimens.
Size: Largest specimen examined the lectotype of C. sealarki, is 190 mm.
DISTRIBUTION.—Saya-de-Malha Bank; recorded from a depth of over 123 fms.
DIAGNOSIS AND AFFINITIES.—Cynoglossus sealarki is closely allied to C. microphthalmus. It can, how- ever, be distinguished by its larger scales, the interlinear scale count being 10-11, whereas C.
microphthalmus has 14 scale rows between its middle and upper lateral lines.
NOTE ON SYNONYMY.—Regan (1908:235) de- scribed C. sealarki based on four specimens, 172 to 190 mm in TL, from Sayade Malha, over 123 fms.
There has been no question of the identity of the species.
TYPE SPECIMENS.—From the syntype series a specimen, BMNH 1908.3.23.153, 182 mm SL, from Saya-de-Malha Bank, coll. Gardiner, is selected here as the lectotype of C. sealarki, and 3 specimens, BMNH 1908.3.23.154-156, 164-180 mm SL, col- lected along with the lectotype are paralectotypes.