Umbrina ronchus

Umbrina ronchus, the fusca drum, slender baardman, roncador, fusca croaker or slender tasselfish, is a species of croaker or drum from the family Sciaenidae which is found in the western Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.

Umbrina ronchus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Acanthuriformes
Family: Sciaenidae
Genus: Umbrina
Species:
U. ronchus
Binomial name
Umbrina ronchus
Synonyms[3]
  • Corvina ronchus (Valenciennes, 1843)
  • Sciaena capensis (Pappe, 1853)
  • Umbrina robinsoni Gilchrist & Thompson, 1908
  • Sciaena robinsoni (Gilchrist & Thompson, 1908)
  • Umbrina angustilineata Gilchrist & Thompson, 1911
  • Umbrina fusca Dardignac, 1958

Description

Umbrina ronchus has a rather elongate and moderately deep body. The small mouth is positioned inferiorly and contains the villiform teeth which are typical of the genus Umbrina and it has a short stiff barbell on its chin which has a pore on its tip. The tail is usually truncate but may be slightly emarginate. Its scales are mainly ctenoid. They are dark brown in colour with faint diagonal linear markings along the scale rows in larger individuals these markings are faded. The fins are dusky coloured except for the pelvic fins and the distal part of anal fin which are black. They grow to 77 cm standard length, most are around 40 cm.[4]

Distribution

Umbrina ronchus occurs in the eastern Atlantic Ocean from the western Mediterranean Sea and the Straits of Gibraltar south to the Western Cape and into the western Indian Ocean to the Persian Gulf. There are no current records from Namibia.[2]

Habitat and behaviour

Umbrina ronchus is found in inshore waters off sandy beaches and sheltering among rocks, from 20 to 200 m depth. The juveniles are mainly found in close to the shore, but unlike other sciaeinids they are not normally found in estuaries.[4] Its prey is small decapods, molluscs, worms and other benthic invertebrates.[1]

Fisheries

Umbrina ronchus is of minor commercial importance[1] and is normally sold fresh.[2]

Taxonomy

The type location of Umbrina ronchus is the Canary Islands and in a recent study specimens from the Canary Islands and South Africa were compared. The researchers concluded that the South African specimens represented a different taxon and they suggested resurrecting Umbrina robinsoni as the name for this taxon as the form occurring off South Africa and in the western Indian Ocean.[5] In addition, there is some doubt about the occurrence of this species in tropical West African waters as specimens identified as this species are considered more likely to be Steindachner's drum Umbrina steindachneri.[6]

References
  1. Fennessy, S.; Goren, M.; Kara, M. & Nunoo, F. (2015). "Umbrina ronchus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2015: e.T198710A49220819. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T198710A49220819.en.
  2. "Umbrina ronchus Valenciennes, 1843". Fishbase.org. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  3. "Synonyms of Umbrina ronchus Valenciennes, 1843". Fishbase. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
  4. "Fishes of the NE Atlantic and Mediterranean Fusca drum (Umbrina ronchus)". Marine Species Identification Portal. ETI BioInformatics. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  5. K. Hutchings; M.H. Griffiths (2005). "Identity and distribution of southern African sciaenid fish species of the genus Umbrina (abstract)". African Journal of Marine Science. 27 (5): 1–21. doi:10.2989/18142320509504064. hdl:11427/26836.
  6. "A Revision of Irvine's Marine Fishes of Tropical West Africa by Alasdair J. Edwards, Anthony C. Gill & Parcy O. Abohweyere" (PDF). The Darwin Initiative. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
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