Species Chrysophrys auratus (Forster, 1801)

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CAAB: 37353001

Species Chrysophrys auratus (Forster, 1801)

Snapper, Cockney, Cockney Bream, Eastern Snapper, Nobblers, Old Man, Old Man Red Snapper, Old Man Snapper, Pink Snapper, Pinkie, Pinkies, Queen, Red Bream, Reddie, Ruggers, Schnapper, Silver Seabream, Squire, Tamure, Western Snapper, White Snapper

Labrus auratus Forster, J.R. in Bloch, M.E. & Schneider, J.G. 1801. Systema Ichthyologiae Iconibus ex Illustratum. Berlin. 584 pp. 110 pls [266].
Type data:
Status unknown, whereabouts unknown, Queen Charlotte Sound, New Zealand.
Chrysophrys unicolor Quoy, J.R.C. & Gaimard, J.P. 1824. Chapter 8. Poissons. 183-328 pls 43-65 in Freycinet, L.C.D. de (ed.). Voyage autour du Monde, entrepris par ordre du Roi, exécuté sur les corvettes de S.M. Uranie et la Physicienne, pendant les années 1817, 1818, 1819 et 1820. Paris : Pillet Aîné Vol. 1 712 pp. 96 pls. [299].
Type data:

Syntype(s) MNHP 704, Shark Bay, WA; MNHP, Dirk Hartog Island (as Isle Dirck-Hatichs), WA.
Pagrus guttulatus Valenciennes, A. in Cuvier, G.L. & Valenciennes, A. 1830. Histoire Naturelle des Poissons. Paris : Levrault Vol. 6 559 pp. pls 141-169. [160].
Type data:
Syntype(s) MNHP 8627–9, 8641, King George Sound, WA, Jervis Bay, NSW and New Zealand
Comment: Jervis Bay, NSW designated as type locality by Whitley (1931: 319), but no lectotype designated.

Taxonomic Decision for Synonymy

Paulin, C. 1990. Pagrus auratus, a new combination for the species known as "snapper" in Australasian waters (Pisces: Sparidae). New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 24: 259-265 [260]

Generic Combinations

Pagrosomus auratus (Forster, 1801). —
McCulloch, A.R. 1929. A check-list of the fishes recorded from Australia. Part II. Memoirs of the Australian Museum 5: 145–329 [230]
Pagrus auratus (Forster, 1801). —
Paulin, C. 1990. Pagrus auratus, a new combination for the species known as "snapper" in Australasian waters (Pisces: Sparidae). New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 24: 259-265 [260]
Chrysophrys auratus (Forster, 1801). —
Allen, G.R., Hoese, D.F., Paxton, J.R., Randall, J.E., Russell, B.C., Starck, W.A., Talbot, F.H. & Whitley, G.P. 1976. Annotated checklist of the fishes of Lord Howe Island. Records of the Australian Museum 30(15): 365-454 figs 1-2 [403]
Last, P.R., Scott, E.O.G. & Talbot, F.H. 1983. Fishes of Tasmania. Hobart : Tasmanian Fisheries Development Authority 563 pp. figs. [369]
Kuiter, R.H. 1993. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 437 pp. [193]
Gomon, M.F 1994. Family Sparidae. pp. 599-602, figs 530-531 in Gomon, M.F., Glover, C.J.M. & Kuiter, R.H. (eds). The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. Adelaide : State Printer 992 pp. 810 figs. [601]
Allan, R. 2002. Australian Fish and How to Catch Them. Sydney : New Holland Publishers (Australia) 394 pp. [310]
Chrysophrys guttulatus (Valenciennes, 1830). —
Roughley, T.C. 1957. Fish and Fisheries of Australia. Sydney : Angus & Robertson 341 pp. [76]
Whitley, G.P. 1964. A survey of Australian Ichthyology. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 89(1): 11-127 [46] (1253)

Introduction

The generic placement of this species has been in dispute for many years. The species was placed in genus Chrysophrys until Paulin (1990) regarded the genus as a synonym of the Atlantic genus Pagrus. Gomon (1994, 2008) continued to use Chrysophrys, while specialists on the group followed Paulin (Carpenter 2001). Molecular work (Day 2002; Orrelll et al. 2002; Orrell & Carpenter 2004; Chiba et al. 2009) has questioned the monophyly of the subfamilies and genera within the family, including Pagrus. Mitochondrial DNA suggested more similarity between Pagrus auratus and Evynnis from Japan and Argyrops. However, many of these studies have not agreed with morphological classifications based on dentition. Leis et al. provided evidence for recognising Chrysophrys as distinct from Pagrus. Dr. Yukio Iwatsuki of Miyazaki University in Japan is soon to publish information confirming that the two genera should be separate (Leis et al. 2014), with Pagrus confined to the Atlantic Ocean. Consequently we revert to the older name Chrysophrys auratus for the Australian species.

Authors have also disputed how widely distributed this species is. Paulin (1990) and Carpenter (2001) regarded Pagrus major from the north-west Pacific as a junior synonym. Workers from Japan and China have treated Pagrus major as a distinct species. Tabata & Taniguchi (2000) found genetic differences between the two forms and recommended recognising the two groups as subspecies. We accept here the separation of the two forms as distinct species.

There is a major fishery for this species in Australia and New Zealand.

Distribution

States

New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia

Extra Distribution Information

Townsville, QLD (19°11'S) to Cape Cuvier, WA (24°10'S) and Bass Strait, TAS, also Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island; subtropical, temperate, south-west Pacific (New Zealand).

IBRA and IMCRA regions (map not available)

IMCRA

Lord Howe Province (14), Norfolk Island Province (21), Central Western Shelf Province (29), Southwest Shelf Transition (30), Southwest Shelf Province (31), Great Australian Bight Shelf Transition (32), Spencer Gulf Shelf Province (33), Western Bass Strait Shelf Transition (34), Bass Strait Shelf Province (35), Tasmanian Shelf Province (36), Southeast Shelf Transition (37), Central Eastern Shelf Province (38), Central Eastern Shelf Transition (39), Northeast Shelf Province (40)