ABSTRACT
The Family Serranidae comprises some of the most valuable commercial and recreational marine fishes in the world. The most notable as food fishes are the groupers and black sea basses. Most serranid species are tropical, but several occur in temperate waters, and a few enter freshwater. The family is very large, with about 62 genera and 449 species worldwide (Nelson 1994). We follow Johnson (1983) in dividing the Serranidae into three subfamilies: Serraninae, Epinephelinae, and Anthiinae. The Epinephelinae are divided into tribes following Baldwin & Johnson (1993). These are convenient because the larvae are distinct for each subfamily. In the following pages each subfamily is introduced, and separate accounts are given for each species for which larvae are known. Illustrations are provided if available. Tables of meristic and other counts are also provided because counts are very useful in identifying larval and juvenile serranids. Eggs are poorly known but resemble the general percoid egg of tropical waters in being about 1mm in diameter with a clear shell and very narrow periviteline space. Development is presumed to be very rapid, thus making eggs especially difficult to identify. Serranine larvae are typical basal percoid-like with slightly laterally compressed bodies and few small spines on bones of the opercular series. The head is smooth, lacking rugosity, and fin spines are not elongate. Pigmentation is variable but always found on the ventral midline. All serranid larvae have 3 opercular spines, a condition only found also in Sphyraenops, Champsodon, and scorpaenoids. Epinepheline larvae are distinctive in having one or more elongate dorsal-fin spines. Grouper larvae (Tribe Epinephlini) have elongate, strongly serrate second dorsal-and pelvic-fin spines that give them a kiteshaped appearance. Cave-bass or basslet larvae (Tribe Liopropomini) are laterally compressed with a deep caudal peduncle and have very long second and third dorsal spines encased in fleshy sheaths; these appendages sometimes resemble siphonophore tentacles. Soapfish, Jeboehlkia, and Pseudogramma larvae (Tribe Grammistini) are similar in body shape to the Liopropomini but have only one elongate dorsal spine. Anthiine larvae have a large deep head adorned with spines and sometimes rugosity. A large interopercular spine lies medial to the preopercular spine giving a double-spine appearance to the preopercle. Fin ray and other counts for the family are given in Table Serranidae 1.
