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Serrasalmo punctatus

Spotted Saw-bellied Salmon

1841

Plate XVII

Macusi, Katte; L. Geral, Chitao. Schomb. Drawings, No. 23, B.

HISTORICAL AUTHOR

The outline is an oval, regular, and without so many angular undulations are the two last presented (S. piranha and S. stagnatilis); above, the colour is bluish grey, shading into white, perhaps silvery, before reaching the lateral line, and which covers the remaining part of the lower parts, contrasting sharply with the deep vermilion which colours the percula, all the lower fins, and the tail. The dorsal fin is bluish olive at the base, shading to yellow at the upper edge; and this member, with two-thirds of the body, is spotted over with minute, round, black spots. The lateral line undulates at its commencement, but often runs straight to the tail; lower jaw projects about half and inch, and both are armed with strong triangular teeth. The vertebrae are stated at thirty-five.

The Collection possesses two drawings of one fish, which approaches very near S. nigricans of Spix. The specimen from which the figure in the Brazilian Fishes was made was only four inches and half long, and the lighter colour may be owing to a younger state. Our drawing, at the same time, shows a fish rather deeper in proportion, and there is no anterior dorsal spine represented. Another circumstance of variation occurs in the shade of the pupil, which spirits could not have changed; in Schomburgk's drawing it is elliptical, and it may be worth the while of future observers to attend to the cause of this forum. We place the Guiana fishes, for the present, distinct.

punctatus, Serrasalmus Jardine [W.] in Schomburgk 1841:223, Pl. 17 [The Natural history of fishes of Guiana.--Part I.;] Guyana. No types known. •Questionably a synonym of Serrasalmus denticulatus Cuvier 1819 -- (Géry 1972:210, Machado-Allison 2002:43). •Synonym of Pygopristis denticulata (Cuvier 1819) -- (Jégu in Reis et al. 2003:189 with authors as Jardine & Schomburgk). Current status: Synonym of Pygopristis denticulata (Cuvier 1819).

REFERENCE

• JARDINE, Sir William Bart. 1852 Vol. XXXIX. The Naturalist's Library., Ichthyology. Fishes of British Guiana - Part I. by R. H. Schomburgk, Esq.

• William Eschmeyer California Academty of Sciences (CAS) VIEW.