Revisiting the description of Atractoscion macrolepis (Perciformes: Sciaenidae): Another argument for comprehensive taxonomy Author Gouws, Gavin Author Kruger, Jerraleigh L. Department of Ichthyology and Fisheries Science, Rhodes University, PO Box 94, Makhanda, 6140, South Africa. Author Smale, Malcolm Bayworld Centre for Research and Education, Port Elizabeth Museum at Bayworld, Beach Road, Humewood, Gqeberha, 6013, South Africa. Author Henriques, Romina 0000-0003-2770-940X gavingouws@gmail.com Author Potts, Warren M. Department of Ichthyology and Fisheries Science, Rhodes University, PO Box 94, Makhanda, 6140, South Africa. text Zootaxa 2024 2024-10-24 5529 1 159 174 http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5529.1.8 journal article 304997 10.11646/zootaxa.5529.1.8 1cac27c2-cd17-4431-953e-0291c567233c 1175-5326 14022182 9549457C-C0F4-4CC5-87A4-781DE5CBECDF

TABLE 1. The morphometric, meristic and otolith variables considered in the comparison of Atractoscion aequidens and A. macrolepis in the current study. Means and ranges (in parenthesis) of both raw measurements and proportions (prop.), with body variables expressed as a proportion of standard length (SL), head variables (*) as a proportion of head length (HL) and otolith variables as a proportion of fork length (FL), are presented for the morphometric and otolith variables. Modes and ranges are presented for the meristic counts and counts of otolith processes. Samples sizes (n) are indicated for each variable.

Variable		Atractoscion aequidens			Atractoscion macrolepis
	n	Mean (min.–max.)	Mean prop. (min.–max.)	n	Mean (min.–max.)	Mean prop. (min.–max.)
Morphometrics
SL	33	522.2 (323.0–825.0)	–	52	334.0 (229.9–556.0)	–
TL	31	603.7 (381.0–958.0)	1.18 (1.16–1.30)	52	401.3 (279.6–663.0)	1.20 (1.16–1.24)
FL	33	580.8 (364.0–913.0)	1.11 (1.05–1.14)	52	381.5 (268.8–629.0)	1.14 (1.01–1.19)
BD	33	105.6 (68.4–165.7)	0.20 (0.17–0.23)	52	73.4 (48.7–123.6)	0.22 (0.17–0.24)
1DFL	33	73.4 (46.8–115.8)	0.14 (0.11–0.16)	52	52.6 (35.0–87.1)	0.16 (0.13–0.26)
2DFL	33	175.2 (75.4–298.6)	0.33 (0.14–0.38)	52	111.9 (68.8–205.1)	0.34 (0.19–0.37)
CPL	33	79.8 (50.3–125.7)	0.15 (0.13–0.17)	52	47.4 (29.6–77.8)	0.14 (0.12–0.19)
UCLL	32	100.0 (62.4–158.7)	0.19 (0.15–0.21)	52	72.9 (47.2–122.1)	0.22 (0.19–0.25)
MCL	32	60.8 (41.5–87.7)	0.12 (0.10–0.13)	52	48.5 (33.2–75.8)	0.15 (0.13–0.17)
LCLL	32	94.8 (63.4–145.9)	0.19 (0.11–0.21)	51	66.2 (42.7–111.0)	0.20 (0.13–0.22)
AFB	33	43.9 (29.3–71.7)	0.08 (0.08–0.09)	52	29.3 (14.6–47.6)	0.09 (0.06–0.10)
AFL	33	59.9 (38.6–90.1)	0.12 (0.10–0.13)	52	44.2 (28.7–71.0)	0.13 (0.12–0.15)
PFB	33	17.8 (12.6–27.7)	0.03 (0.03–0.04)	52	12.7 (4.2–21.2)	0.04 (0.02–0.05)
PFL	33	82.7 (52.3–125.2)	0.16 (0.15–0.17)	52	61.7 (37.6–103.9)	0.19 (0.14–0.20)
PLFB	33	18.4 (12.5–30.0)	0.04 (0.03–0.04)	52	12.1 (3.1–22.9)	0.04 (0.01–0.04)
PLFL	33	73.1 (47.8–111.8)	0.14 (0.12–0.16)	52	53.0 (37.5–82.1)	0.16 (0.14–0.18)
PPL	33	168.7 (104.9–271.4)	0.32 (0.29–0.34)	52	113.3 (76.8–186.5)	0.34 (0.32–0.36)
HL	33	146.4 (94.5–229.0)	0.28 (0.26–0.30)	52	103.4 (70.5–166.9)	0.31 (0.29–0.33)
LDL*	33	81.7 (52.3–128.0)	0.56 (0.53–0.59)	52	56.9 (37.3–91.8)	0.55 (0.53–0.58)
IOW*	33	32.1 (17.9–52.2)	0.22 (0.16–0.24)	52	20.8 (11.3–34.0)	0.20 (0.16–0.23)
OD*	33	20.0 (14.9–28.3)	0.14 (0.09–0.17)	52	15.9 (7.5–23.0)	0.16 (0.11–0.18)
SNL*	33	43.2 (26.2–69.5)	0.29 (0.23–0.31)	52	27.0 (13.9–46.2)	0.26 (0.20–0.28)
GFL*	32	15.9 (10.0–23.8)	0.11 (0.08–0.13)	52	11.8 (3.2–18.8)	0.11 (0.04–0.14)
PSF*	32	23.9 (12.4–38.4)	0.16 (0.13–0.20)	52	13.7 (3.6–28.2)	0.13 (0.05–0.17)
Meristics
1DS	33	10	–	52	10	–
2DS	33	1	–	52	1	–
2DR	33	27 (26–29)	–	52	27 (24–28)	–
AFS	33	2	–	52	2	–
AFR	33	9	–	52	9 (9–10)	–
P	33	17 (16–18)	–	52	18 (16–19)	–
LL	15	72, 73, 74 (71–75)	–	31	70 (68–74)	–
Otoliths
OH	16	6.8 (5.1–8.7)	0.014 (0.011–0.016)	27	7.5 (5.6–9.7)	0.015 (0.013–0.036)
OL	17	14.3 (10.9–7.7)	0.030 (0.024–0.041)	27	14.7 (11.0–18.1)	0.030 (0.025–0.071)
OCD	17	3.9 (2.6–6.3)	0.008 (0.006–0.013)	27	3.5 (2.3–4.8)	0.007 (0.005–0.016)
OrCD	17	6.3 (4.9–7.7)	0.013 (0.010–0.018)	27	6.4 (4.3–8.3)	0.013 (0.010–0.028)
TOTC	17	6.3 (4.5–8.0)	0.013 (0.011–0.018)	27	6.8 (4.8–8.2)	0.014 (0.011–0.035)
TOBC	17	13.2 (9.7–16.8)	0.028 (0.023–0.039)	27	13.5 (9.8–16.9)	0.028 (0.023–0.062)
WC	17	1.9 (1.1–2.6)	0.004 (0.003–0.006)	27	2.0 (1.3–2.7)	0.004 (0.003–0.008)
OW	17	6.1 (4.3–7.4)	0.013 (0.010–0.022)	27	6.1 (1.1–8.6)	0.013 (0.002–0.028)
Processes	17	5 (3–10)		27	2, 3, 4 (0–8)