Alepes

Taxobox
name = "Alepes"
fossil_range = fossilrange|23|0
Miocene to Present [cite journal | last = Sepkoski | first = Jack | title = A compendium of fossil marine animal genera | journal = Bulletins of American Paleontology | volume = 364 | pages = 560 | date = 2002 | url = http://strata.ummp.lsa.umich.edu/jack/showgenera.php?taxon=611&rank=class| accessdate = 2008-01-05 ]


image_caption = Razorbelly scad
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Actinopterygii
ordo = Perciformes
subordo = Percoidei
superfamilia = Percoidea
familia = Carangidae
genus = "Alepes"
genus_authority = (Swainson, 1839)
type_species = "Trachinus melanoptera",
Swainson, 1839
synonyms =
*"Trachinus" Swainson, 1839
subdivision_ranks = Species
subdivision =
*"Alepes apercna"
*"Alepes djedaba"
*"Alepes kleinii"
*"Alepes melanoptera"
*"Alepes vari"

"Alepes" is a genus containing five extant species of tropical marine fishes in the jack family, Carangidae. They are commonly known as scads, a term applied to many genera of carangid fishes. Their body form, however, differs from these other scads by being much more ovate in shape, more similar to the larger jacks taken as game fish, although scads are generally much smaller. They are found in coastal waters throughout the Indo-West Pacific region.

Taxonomy and phylogeny

"Alepes" is a genus containing five extant and one extinct species. It is part of the jack family, Carangidae, a group of perciform fish in the suborder Percoidei. Recent phylogenetic studies using molecular information have placed "Alepes" in the subfamily Caranginae (or the tribe Carangini). [cite journal | last = Zhu | first = Shi-Hua | coauthors = Zheng, Wen-Juan; Zou, Ji-Xing; Yang, Ying-Chun; Shen, Xi-Quan | title = Molecular phylogenetic relationship of Carangidae based on the sequences of complete mitochondrial cytochrome b gene | journal = Acta Zoologica Sinica | volume = 53 | issue = 4 | pages = 641–650 | date = 2007 | url = http://www.actazool.org/pdftemp/%7B9453C306-9408-413D-A425-232B2AA1F536%7D.pdf | accessdate =2007-11-14 ] The most comprehensive study suggests the genus is basal to all other 'scads' and 'horse mackerels' of the genera "Trachurus, Decapterus, and Selar", whilst still being closely affiliated with larger members of Caranginae such as "Caranx". [cite journal | last = Reed | first = David L. | coauthors = Kent E. Carpenter and Martin J. deGravelle | title = Molecular systematics of the Jacks (Perciformes: Carangidae) based on mitochondrial cytochrome b sequences using parsimony, likelihood, and Bayesian approaches | journal = Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution | volume = 23 | issue = 3 | pages = 513–524 | publisher = Elsevier Science | location = USA | date = 2002 | doi = 10.1016/S1055-7903(02)00036-2 | accessdate =2007-11-17 ]

"Alepes" was first created in 1839 by the English naturalist William John Swainson, after he initially proposed it to be a subgenus of "Trachinus", which he had created to accommodate "Trachinus melanoptera", a species he had just described. [cite book | last = Swainson | first = W. | title = The natural history and classification of fishes, amphibians, & reptiles, or monocardian animals | publisher = Spottiswoode & Co | date = 1839 | location = London | pages = 176, 248 | isbn = ] "Trachinus" was invalid, however, as it was already in use for a genus of weevers. This makes "A. melanoptera" the type species of the genus. The other species currently placed in "Alepes" were not directly classified in the genus, but were transferred from other, often distantly related genera. Many of these species have numerous junior synonyms.cite journal | last = Lin | first = Pai-Lei | coauthors = Shao, Kwang-Tsao | title = A Review of the Carangid Fishes (Family Carangidae) From Taiwan with Descriptions of Four New Records | journal = Zoological Studies | volume = 38 | issue = 1 | pages = 33–68 | date = 1999 | url = http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=10055944 | accessdate = ] "Alepes" comes from the Greek word "alepis", 'without scales'.FishBase genus | genus = Alepes | year = 2007 | month = October]

A single species has been identified from the fossil record; "Alepes pin", described from the Lower Miocene in eastern Crimean Oblast. This area was once part of the Indian Ocean which extended well into Europe at the time. [cite journal | last = Bannikov | first = A.F. | title = A Find of the Genus "Alepes": Teleoisti in the Miocene Crimean Oblast, Ukrainian-SSR USSR | journal = Paleontologicheskii Zhurnal | volume = 1 | issue = 1 | pages = 101–107 | date = 1985 | id = ISSN 0031-031X | accessdate = 2008-01-04 ]

pecies

* Smallmouth scad, "Alepes apercna" (Grant, 1987)
* Shrimp scad, "Alepes djedaba" (Forsskål, 1775)
* Razorbelly scad, "Alepes kleinii" (Bloch, 1793)
* Blackfin scad, "Alepes melanoptera" (Swainson, 1839)
* Herring scad, "Alepes vari" (Cuvier, 1833)
* "Alepes pin", (Bannikov, 1985) Extinct

Biology

The species in "Alepes" are all relatively small fish, with the largest, "A. vari", growing to convert|56|cm|in|0. The other species are much more often encountered at sizes below convert|20|cm|in|0.cite book | last = Carpenter | first = Kent E. | coauthors = Volker H. Niem (eds.) | title = FAO species identification guide for fishery purposes. The living marine resources of the Western Central Pacific. Volume 5. Bony fishes part 3 (Menidae to Pomacentridae) | publisher = FAO | date = 2001 | location = Rome | pages = 2684 | url = http://ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/009/y4160e/y4160e00.pdf | isbn = 92-5-104587-9 ] They have strongly compressed ovate to oblong shaped bodies, with fin arrangements much like the rest of the Carangidae. They have two dorsal fins, the first consisting of weak spines and the second of a single spine followed by a number of soft rays. The anal fin has two detached spines anterior to the main section which consists of one spine and a number of soft rays. Their lateral lines have a moderate to strong anterior curve, with scutes present on the straight section of the lateral line. They are all a blue-green-grey above, fading to silvery white below. Only one, "A. kleinni" has bands or markings.cite book | last = Randall | first = John E. | title = Coastal Fishes of Oman | publisher = University of Hawaii Press | date = 1995 | location = Honolulu | pages = 183 | isbn = 0-8248-1808-3 ]

The fish in "Alepes" are all predators, taking a range of crustaceans including copepods, decapods, prawns and shrimp, as well as small fish. At least one species shows a change in feeding intensity over the period of a year.cite journal | last = Kalita | first = Binod | coauthors = Jayabalan, N. | title = Food and feeding habits of the golden scad "Caranx kalla" (Cuv. & Val.) along Mangalore coast | journal = Environment and Ecology | volume = 18 | issue = 4 | pages = 869–873 | location = | date = 2000 | issn= 0970-0420 | accessdate = 2008-01-03 ] The reproduction of most species is unstudied, except for "A. kleinii". This species spawns on a single event over a period of a few months, releasing small transparent, pelagic eggs.cite journal | last = Venkataramani | first = V.K. | coauthors = Natarajan, R. | title = Breeding biology of carangid fishes "Carangoides malabaricus" (Bloch and Schn.) and "Alepes kalla" (Cuv. and Val.) along Porto Novo Coast | journal = Indian Journal of Marine Sciences | volume = 13 | issue = 1 | pages = 14–18 | location = New Delhi | date = 1984 | issn= 0379-5136 | accessdate =2007-11-30 ] Natural spawning behavior in the genus is unknown.

Distribution and habitat

The members of "Alepes" are all distributed in the tropical to subtropical regions of the Indo-West Pacific region. Their ranges overlap along the Indian, Asian and Indonesian coastlines, although some are distributed as far south as South Africa and northern Australia, while others extend as far north as Japan. Two species, "A. djedaba" and "A. kleinii" are known to inhabit the Red Sea, and have passed into the Mediterranean Sea through the Suez canal as part of the Lessepsian migration.cite journal | last = Adam | first = B.T. | title = Red Sea Fishes Recently Found in the Mediterranean | journal = Copeia | volume = 1966 | issue = 2 | pages = 254–275 | date = 1966 | id = | accessdate = 2008-01-03 | doi = 10.2307/1441133 ] They are all coastal species, not found in the open ocean.

Relationship to humans

The species of "Alepes" are not of major commercial interest, although "Alepes kleinii" appears to be taken in substantial enough numbers in India to warrant extensive research. They are taken by a variety of fishing methods including hook and line, trawls and a variety of netting methods. Their flesh is of good quality, and some regions regard various species as high quality and market them fresh, or dried and salted. [cite book | last = Davidson | first = Alan | title = Seafood of South-East Asia: A Comprehensive Guide with Recipes | publisher = Ten Speed Press | date = 2004 | pages = 63 | isbn = 1-58008-452-4] They are of no interest to recreational fishermen, although occasionally taken as bait or bycatch.

References

External links

* [http://www.fishbase.org/Eschmeyer/GeneraSummary.cfm?ID=Alepes "Alepes" at fishbase]
* [http://data.gbif.org/species/13222720 Map of recorded captures of all "Alepes" species]