English: Cubiceps gracilis

Title: Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College Identifier: bulletinofmuseum135harv Year: 1966-1967 (1960s) Authors: Harvard University. Museum of Comparative Zoology Subjects: Zoology Publisher: Cambridge, Mass. : The Museum Contributing Library: Harvard University, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Ernst Mayr Library Digitizing Sponsor: Harvard University, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Ernst Mayr Library

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Text Appearing Before Image: 80 Bulletin Museum of Comparative Zoology, Vol. 135, No. 2 =^^?S .-.s^

Text Appearing After Image: Figure 26. Cubiceps gracilis, drawing of a 164-mm specimen, from Gunther, 1889. continues significantly. Specimens near 800 mm SL have been reported from the Medi- terranean (Ariola, 1912). With growth, the relative length of the pectoral fin increases markedly. In the Philippines, Cubiceps is caught by using night-lights and lift-nets (Herre and Herald, 1950). Large specimens are taken occasionally by the near-shore winter long- line fishery for swordfish off southern Japan. Relationships. Cubiceps occupies the central position in nomeid evolution. The two other nomeid genera, Nomeus and Psenes, are certainly derived from Cubi- ceps. In both derived genera the patch of teeth on the tongue has been lost, and there has been a tendency towards an increase in the number of vertebrae and finrays. The papillae in the pharyngeal sacs of Cubiceps are very similar to those of Nomeus (Fig. 25), but those of Psenes are in general smaller (Figs. 29, 30). The caudal skeletons of all three genera are almost identical (Fig. 24). The Ariommidae have probably evolved from a Cubiceps, although the systematic position of the family is far from clear. The ariommids do share certain characters, however, with the fi.shes of the Cubiceps pauciradiatus group, as discussed on pages 77 and 90. Cubiceps and the tetragonurids both have patches of teeth on the tongue. The jaw teeth, the pharyngeal sacs, and the scales, however, are very different in these two groups. It seems likely that the Tetrago- nuridae branched off very early from the nomeid stem, but their ancestor may have been a fish similar in many respects to the present-day Cubiceps. Species. Cubiceps is found in the tem- perate and tropical waters of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans. It also occurs in the western Mediterranean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea. Much confusion surrounds the species of Cubiceps. The counts of all described are fairly close. Lacking sufficient comparative material, it is difficult to evaluate the small differences which do occur, for example in vertebral number. There seems to be a great differential in the size attained by the adult. The species of the Cubiceps paucira- diatus group may never exceed 200 mm SL (Haedrich, 1965), whereas fishes allied to Cubiceps gracilis are reported (Smith, 1849; Ariola, 1912; Abe, 1955a) to approach a meter in length. The nominal species in the genus Cubi- ceps are: Cidjiceps gracilis (Lowe, 1843) = Seriola gracilis Lowe. Atlantic Ocean and western Mediterranean, type locality Madeira, per- haps a world-wide species. D IX-XI, I-II 20-22. A I I-II I 20-23. P 20-24. Gill-rakers 8-9 + 1 + 14-17. Vertebrae 15 + 18. Syn- onyms are: Navarchus sulcatus Filippi and Verany, 1859, from the Mediterranean; Trachelocirrhus mediterraneus Doumet,

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