Albula virgata explained

Albula virgatais a species of marine fish found in the Hawaiian Islands. It is known commonly as the longjaw bonefish. They grow up to 32cm (13inches).

Taxonomy

Bonefish were once believed to be a single species with a global distribution, however 9 different species have since been identified. There are three identified species in the Atlantic and six in the Pacific.^[1]

Albula virgata was first described by the American ichthyologist David Starr Jordan and his son Edward Knight Jordan in 1922. It has a somewhat convoluted nomenclatural history. It was originally named Esox argenteus,^[2] but that name was already in use for the giant kokopu, and it was later renamed Albula forsteri.^[3] However, Forster's taxon is in a genus different than the giant kokopu, and thus Forster's name still stands.^[4]

For decades, Albula virgata was considered a synonym of either Albula vulpes or Albula neoguinaica.^{[5] [6]} It was eventually recognized as a species distinct from Albula argentea.^[7]

Description

Albula virgata is similar to A. argentea and A. oligolepis in length of the upper jaw, but differs in having fewer vertebrae and lateral-line scales, as well as having the tip of pelvic finreaching beyond anterior edge of anus.^[7]

Distribution

Albula virgata is known only from the Hawaiian Islands. They are thought to be restricted to shallow sand flats, which are a rare and fragmented habitat type in the Hawaiian Islands.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Suescun . Alex . All About Bonefish . saltwatersportsman.com . Salt Water Sportsman . 10 December 2020.
2. Bloch, M. E. and J. G. Schneider 1801 M. E. Blochii, Systema Ichthyologiae Iconibus cx Ilustratum. Post obitum auctoris opus inchoatum absolvit, correxit, interpolavit Jo. Gottlob Schneider, Saxo. Berolini. Sumtibus Auctoris Impressum et Bibliopolio Sanderiano Commissum. i-lx + 1-584, Pls. 1-110.
3. Cuvier, G. and A. Valenciennes 1847. Histoire naturelle des poissons. Tome dix-neuvième. Suite du livre dix-neuvième. Brochets ou Lucioïdes. Livre vingtième. De quelques familles de Malacoptérygiens, intermédiaires entre les Brochets et les Clupes. P. Bertrand, Paris. v. 19: i-xix + 1-544 + 6 pp., Pls. 554-590
4. Hidaka, K., Y. Iwatsuki and J.E. Randall, 2008. A review of the Indo-Pacific bonefishes of the Albula argentea complex, with a description of a new species. Ichthyol. Res. 55:53-64.
5. Whitehead PJP (1986) The synonymy of Albula vulpes (Linnaeus, 1758) (Teleostei, Albulidae). Cybium 10:211–230
6. Randall JE, Bauchot ML (1999) Clarification of the two Indo-Pacific species of bonefishes, Albula glossodonta and A. forsteri. Cybium 23:79–83
7. Hidaka, K., Y. Iwatsuki and J.E. Randall, 2008. A review of the Indo-Pacific bonefishes of the Albula argentea complex, with a description of a new species. Ichthyol. Res. 55:53-64.