Family PEMPHERIDAE

Pempheridae

Pempheris analis

Parapriacanthus elongatus

Museums

Museum list

Regional Maps

External Links

CAAB: 37357000

Family PEMPHERIDAE

Bullseyes, Sweepers

Compiler and date details

19 December 2016 - Dianne J. Bray, Douglass F. Hoese, John R. Paxton & Matthew M. Lockett

25 January 2012 - Dianne J. Bray, Douglass F. Hoese & John R. Paxton

December 2006 - Dianne J. Bray, Douglass F. Hoese & John R. Paxton

Introduction

The family Pempheridae is currently recognised as comprising two genera and 31-60 valid species, with considerable disagreement in the literature over some species. Undescribed species are known, but Mooi & Randall (2014) estimated about 25 species of Pempheris. However, Randall & Victor (2015) recently described 34 new species from the western Indian Ocean, many based on few specimens and many not showing genetic differences from other species. Australian material was not included and we are unable to determine if that paper impacts on the Australian fauna. It is apparent that there are major disagreements between various specialists on this group. Randall & Bogorodsky (2016) treated western Indian Ocean species of Parapriacanthus, but not compare them with most of the western Pacific species. The family is represented in Australia by both genera and 16 described species. Additional species from Australia will be treated by other authors.

Pempherids occur in tropical and temperate waters of the Indo-Pacific and western Atlantic oceans. They are typically associated with rocky and coral reefs, and are inshore fishes, often found in caves. They have a compressed body with a short dorsal fin and long anal fin. Maximum length reached is 20 cm.

Jubb (1977) reviewed the Australian species and, subsequently, Mooi & Jubb (1996) described two new Australian species and presented a key to those Australian species in the genus Pempheris. Mooi (2001) also provided a key that includes many of the species known from tropical regions of Australia. One new species of Parapriacanthus from Queensland and one Pempheris species of uncertain identity from Western Australia will be added to the fauna known from Australia. Although Kuiter (1996) recorded Pempheris vanicolensis from northern Australia, it is not listed here, as it is likely that it represents a different species of Pempheris, and it cannot be identified at present with certainty from the photographic record. Also records of Pempheris vanicolensis Cuvier, 1831 from Lord Howe Island were based on misidentified specimens of Pempheris schwenkii.

Koeda et al. (2014) reviewed the pempherids of the Red Sea including the description of a new species, P. tominagai. This publication has resulted in substantial changes to the distributions of several Pempheris species, largely through re-identification of specimens in Australian museums. The distributions of P. adusta and P. mangula have subsequently changed to include Australia, while the distributions of P. oualensis and P. schwenkii in Australia have been reduced. Larson et al. 2013 include P. mangula based on a tentative identification by Randy Mooi, and it is possible that the record of P. vanicolensis in Kuiter (1996) may represent P. adusta. Randall et al. (2014) disagreed with the classification presented by Koeda et al. (2014), but the paper involved a personal attack on Koeda's knowledge of the group. Randall et al. (2014) suggested that P. tominagai was endemic to the Red Sea, but appear not to have examined Australian material and gave little reason to restrict the species to the Red Sea. The limited amount of justification for recognition of different names for other species known from Australia occurs throughout the paper and we are unable to resolve the conflict between the various authors. As a result, the identity of P. tominagai, P. adusta and P. mangula is uncertain, Because Koeda examined types and large samples, we use his names here. As noted by Mooi & Jubb (1996) and Koeda et al. (2014) a complete revision of Pempheris is required to properly determine relationships between all species and their distributions.

Randy Mooi kindly reviewed a previous draft of this account and provided new information based on his current research, including documentation of Pempheris otaitensis from Australia.