Scale characteristics of Acanthopagrus bifasciatus (Forsskål, 1775) from the Southern Red Sea, Egypt

Abstract

Acanthopagrus bifasciatus is a member of family Sparidae. It is a tropical coastal fish species dis­tributed throughout the Red Sea and the western Indian Ocean. In the present study, 253 scales from ten specimens of A. bifasciatus (170- 350 mm Total length) were examined to elucidate their scale characteristics. A wide spectrum of intraspecific variation between different body regions of A. bifasciatus was recorded in terms of scale morphometric indices and primary and tertiary radii counts. The scale characters including rostral field, outer and inner lateral circuli, grooves, denticles, focus region, granulation in caudal field and lateral line canal were studied. Scale morphology and ultrastructure characteristics are important for fish identification, taxonomy and phylogeny.