A preliminary review of the the amberjacks, genus Seriola, of the western Atlantic

Abstract

From the introduction: The genus Seriola belongs to the large and widespread group of carangid fishes which also includes the jacks (genus Caranx) and the pompanos (genus Trachinotus) .as well as other genera. Several species of amberjacks have been recorded in the western Atlantic, and scientific workers still disagree over their nomenclature. I believe that it is fairly easy to separate the various species, once they have acquired their adult characteristics. There are difficulties, however, in determining the correct scientific names for the respective species. A major one arises from the inadequte original descriptions of several of the species and the apparent lack of type specimens for some of them. Moreover, few American workers have been able to examine the types or an adequate amount of material from the respective type localities. Furthermore the important changes in color pattern, in body and fin proportions, and even in counts, which the respective species undergo with growth, tend to make the study of the genus especially difficult. Therefore, for each species it is necessary to examine a series of specimens covering its complete size range. In comparing species, individuals of approximately the same size should be selected, and in dealing with early descriptions it is important to take into consideration the size of the specimens on which they were based.