Comments on Lestidiops cadenati (Maul, 1962)

Lestidiops cadenati was described from a single specimen found on the beach at Gorée, Senegal. The holotype, MNHN 1963-0032, is a fragile specimen with body largely dissected. The nostrils are situated at about the posterior third of the snout, about 0.8 times eye diameter anterior to the eye. The posterior end of the maxilla is about 1/5 eye diameter anterior to the eye. The anus is situated at about the tip of the adpressed pelvic fin, below the base of fourth dorsal-fin ray. The DFO is slightly behind the VFO and slightly before the anus, well in front of the midpoint of V ‒ A. The lateral line is incomplete, running to above the posterior one third of the anal-fin base. Lateral-line scales: PVLL 28 (right)/29 (left), PDLL 33 /33, PVLL 52 /51, and total 66 large +15 small = 81 (83 or 84 in original description). Anterior 3 pairs of palatine teeth enlarged.

Based on the previous literature, there are a number of similar species found in the Atlantic Ocean (also some other species in the Indo-Pacific Ocean) with the anus slightly before or close to the DFO, some being recognized as subspecies of the others. They can be roughly separated into a high vertebrae group: total vertebrae 88‒92 in Lestidiops sphyrenoides (Risso, 1820) (northeastern Atlantic) and 85‒91 in Lestidiops similis (Ege, 1933) (central eastern Atlantic); and a low vertebrae group: total vertebrae 81 in L. cadenati (central eastern Atlantic), 78‒81 in Lestidiops danae (Ege, 1930) (Mediterranean Sea), 81‒85 in Lestidiops pseudophyraenoides (Ege, 1918) (northeastern Atlantic), and 77‒85 in Lestidiops affinis (Ege, 1930) (central Atlantic). With a limited number of adult specimens, we are not able to evaluate the status of these species. However, since L. cadenati is the most recent described species in this complex, it may be a junior synonym of one of the above mentioned species. Furthermore, additional investigation may reveal these species are synonyms of earlier described congeners, including those similar species occurring in the Indo-Pacific Ocean.