Argyrosomus is a combination of argyros, meaning "silver", with soma, which means "body", this is presumed to refer to the pearly-silver coloration of the type species.[4]
Species
Argyrosomus contains the following valid species:[5]
Argyrosomus meagres have a fairly elongated and moderately compressed body with a dorsal profile that is more convex than the ventral proflle. They have a terminal, slightly oblique mouth with jaws of equal length, or sometimes with a slightly protruding lower jaw. There are 3 pairs of pores and no barbel on the chin. The preoperculum is serrated and the operculum ends in a pair of flattened spines, which are frequently embedded in the skin. They have relatively short pectoral fins and these have a dark fleshy axillary fold at upper end of base of the fin. The caudal fin is ponted in small juveniles and may be S-shaped, rhomboid, rounded in young and adult fish. There are between 47 and 53 scales in the lateral line, typically 51. The tubules in the lateral line are tree-shaped and the scales extend to the end of the caudal fin. Both sexes may have drumming muscles around the swim bladder.[6] These are large fishes with the, largest, the meagre (A. regius) attaining a maximum published total length of 230 cm (91 in).[5]
Distribution
Argyrosomus meagres are found in the eastern Atlantic, Indian and Western Pacific Oceans.[5]
^Griffiths, Marc H.; Heemstra, Phillip C. (1995). "A contribution to the taxonomy of the marine fish genus Argyrosomus (Perciformes: Sciaenidae), with descriptions of two new species from southern Africa". Ichthyological Bulletin J.L.B. Smith Institute of Ichthyology (65). J.L.B. Smith Institute of Ichthyology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa. hdl:10962/d1019891.