Genus CIHI/ldonlchthys Kaup, 1873
LL scales normal, without keels, spines or vertical expansions; opercular spine not, or barely, reaching past margin
of operculum; band of minute sharp teeth on jaws and
vomer. Vertebrae 33-36. Three species in our area; C.
gabonensis (Poll & Roux, 1955) is a west African species
that extends south to Angola.
KEY TO SPECIES
1a Total soft D + A rays = 34 to 36 .............. C. queketti
1b Soft D + A rays = 29 to 33 ..... ... .. ... .... . ....... 2
2a Breast fully scaled; body scales imbricate, 6-8
rows between LL and D2 origin; total GR 5-8 plus
rudiments . . .. ... .. .. ...... .. ......... C. gabonensis
2b Breast naked; body scales more or less embedded,
12-15 rows between LL and D2 origin; total GR 8-18
plus rudiments ........ .. ......... ... .. ...... ... 3
3a Interorbital width 0.5-1.7 in orbit diameter;
lower GR 13-18 plus rudiments ............... C. capensis
3b Interorbital width 1.5-2.2 in orbit diameter; lower
GR 8-10 plus rudiments ..... . ................ C. kumu
157.1 Chelidonichthys capensis
(Cuvier, 1829)
PLATE 31
Cape gurnard
Kaapse knorhaan
Trig/a capensis Cuvier, in Cuv. & VaL, 1829: 55 (Cape of Good Hope);
Smith, SFSA No. 1083*; Smith & Smith, 1966: SO·. Chelidonichthys
capensis: Richards, 1968: 96·; Trunov & Malevany, 1974: 370; Hecht,
1977: 373; Heemstra, 1982: 292.
D VIII-IX+ 15-17; A 14-16; P 10-11 +3; 10werGR 13-18 plus rudiments.
Head 2.8-3.3 in SL; eye 3.9-5.0 in head. Preorbitals rounded in front, with
4-6 short spines. P reaches vertical at 7th A ray. Vertebrae 33 or 34.
Attains 70 cm. Known only from Cape Fria (SWA) to
Maputo, in 10 -390 m. An excellent food-fish and an important commercial species caught mainly by the trawlers;
feeds mainly on fishes.
157.2 Chelidonichthys kumu
(Lesson, 1829)
PLATE 31
Bluefin gurnard
Blouvin-knorhaan
Trig/a kumu Lesson, in Cuv. & VaL, 1829: 50 (New Zealand); Lesson,
1830: 214, PI. 19; Sniith, SFSA No. 1081; Smith & Smith, 1968: SO·.
Chelidonichthys kumu: Heemstra, 1982: 292.
o IX-X+15-16; A 14-16; P 10-11 +3; lower GR 8-10 plus rudiments.
Head 3.0-3.5 in SL; eye 3.7-4.3, snout 2.1-2.3 in head. Preorbitals and
opercular spine as in C. capensis. P reaches vertical at 7th A ray.
Attains 60 cm. Indo-West Pacific, common in Australia
and New Zealand; also reported from Korea and Japan; in
our area from the Cape to Delagoa Bay in 1 - 200 m. Often
found in rivers.
157: TRIGLIDAE (GURNARDS)
157.2 Chetidonichthys kumu: 21.5 em Sl (Port Alfred).
157.3 Chelidonichthys queketti
(Regan, 1904)
PLATE530&31
Lesser gurnard
Kleiner knorhaan
Trig/a queketti Regan, 1904: 128 (Natal); Smith, SFSA No. 1084*.
Chelidonichthys queketti: Heemstra, 1982: 294.
o IX+ 18-19; A17-18; P 10-11 +3; GR 10-12 plus rudiments. Head
3.3-3.7 in SL; eye 3.4-3.7, snout 2.1-2.4 in head; interorbital width 1.2-1.5
in orbit. Preorbitals with 1 or more smaller spines mostly covered by skin
and medial to the large outer spine. P reaches above 1st-3rd A rays.
Vertebrae 36.
Attains 35 cm. Table Bay to Natal, from shore out to
150m.
Genus Lepldotrigla Gunther, 1860
Indian Ocean species of this genus were revised by
Richards & Saksena (1977). Two species in our area; L.
cadmani Regan, 1915, a west African species reaching
southern Angola, and L. spiloptera, Gunther, 1880, a
widely distributed Indo-Pacific species reported from Zanzibar, are extralimital species likely to be found in our area
and are included in the key.
KEY TO SPECIES
1a Scales cycloid; 1st D spine smooth; breast scaly;
0 2 13-15; A 13-15 . .... .. . .... ... ... .. .... L. cadmani
1b Scales ctenoid; lst 0 spine serrate; 0 2 15-17; A 14-17 .. .. . . .. 2
2a Bony sub-horizontal ridge on preopercle; lower
GR 5-7 plus rudiments .. . .......... . ..... L. mu/tispinosa
2b No ridge on preopercle; lower GR 7-9 plus rudiments . . . . . . . . 3
3a Rostral spines subequal; 12-16 scales in vertical
series from A origin to LL; 3rd 0 spine 2.0-2.3
times orbit diameter ...... ... . ...... ..... . .. L. {aurei
3b Lateral rostral spines largest; 19-21 scales between
A origin and LL; 3rd 0 spine 1.4-1.8 times orbit
diameter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. L. spiloptera
157.4 Lepidotrigla faurei
Gilchrist & Thompson, 1914
Prickly gumard
Prikkel-knorhaan
Lepidotrig/a {aurei Gilchrist & Thompson, 1914: 75 (off Tugela River in
40 & 63 fms); Smith, SFSA No. 1077; Richards & Saksena, 1977: 216·;
487
LL scales normal, without keels, spines or vertical expansions; opercular spine not, or barely, reaching past margin
of operculum; band of minute sharp teeth on jaws and
vomer. Vertebrae 33-36. Three species in our area; C.
gabonensis (Poll & Roux, 1955) is a west African species
that extends south to Angola.
KEY TO SPECIES
1a Total soft D + A rays = 34 to 36 .............. C. queketti
1b Soft D + A rays = 29 to 33 ..... ... .. ... .... . ....... 2
2a Breast fully scaled; body scales imbricate, 6-8
rows between LL and D2 origin; total GR 5-8 plus
rudiments . . .. ... .. .. ...... .. ......... C. gabonensis
2b Breast naked; body scales more or less embedded,
12-15 rows between LL and D2 origin; total GR 8-18
plus rudiments ........ .. ......... ... .. ...... ... 3
3a Interorbital width 0.5-1.7 in orbit diameter;
lower GR 13-18 plus rudiments ............... C. capensis
3b Interorbital width 1.5-2.2 in orbit diameter; lower
GR 8-10 plus rudiments ..... . ................ C. kumu
157.1 Chelidonichthys capensis
(Cuvier, 1829)
PLATE 31
Cape gurnard
Kaapse knorhaan
Trig/a capensis Cuvier, in Cuv. & VaL, 1829: 55 (Cape of Good Hope);
Smith, SFSA No. 1083*; Smith & Smith, 1966: SO·. Chelidonichthys
capensis: Richards, 1968: 96·; Trunov & Malevany, 1974: 370; Hecht,
1977: 373; Heemstra, 1982: 292.
D VIII-IX+ 15-17; A 14-16; P 10-11 +3; 10werGR 13-18 plus rudiments.
Head 2.8-3.3 in SL; eye 3.9-5.0 in head. Preorbitals rounded in front, with
4-6 short spines. P reaches vertical at 7th A ray. Vertebrae 33 or 34.
Attains 70 cm. Known only from Cape Fria (SWA) to
Maputo, in 10 -390 m. An excellent food-fish and an important commercial species caught mainly by the trawlers;
feeds mainly on fishes.
157.2 Chelidonichthys kumu
(Lesson, 1829)
PLATE 31
Bluefin gurnard
Blouvin-knorhaan
Trig/a kumu Lesson, in Cuv. & VaL, 1829: 50 (New Zealand); Lesson,
1830: 214, PI. 19; Sniith, SFSA No. 1081; Smith & Smith, 1968: SO·.
Chelidonichthys kumu: Heemstra, 1982: 292.
o IX-X+15-16; A 14-16; P 10-11 +3; lower GR 8-10 plus rudiments.
Head 3.0-3.5 in SL; eye 3.7-4.3, snout 2.1-2.3 in head. Preorbitals and
opercular spine as in C. capensis. P reaches vertical at 7th A ray.
Attains 60 cm. Indo-West Pacific, common in Australia
and New Zealand; also reported from Korea and Japan; in
our area from the Cape to Delagoa Bay in 1 - 200 m. Often
found in rivers.
157: TRIGLIDAE (GURNARDS)
157.2 Chetidonichthys kumu: 21.5 em Sl (Port Alfred).
157.3 Chelidonichthys queketti
(Regan, 1904)
PLATE530&31
Lesser gurnard
Kleiner knorhaan
Trig/a queketti Regan, 1904: 128 (Natal); Smith, SFSA No. 1084*.
Chelidonichthys queketti: Heemstra, 1982: 294.
o IX+ 18-19; A17-18; P 10-11 +3; GR 10-12 plus rudiments. Head
3.3-3.7 in SL; eye 3.4-3.7, snout 2.1-2.4 in head; interorbital width 1.2-1.5
in orbit. Preorbitals with 1 or more smaller spines mostly covered by skin
and medial to the large outer spine. P reaches above 1st-3rd A rays.
Vertebrae 36.
Attains 35 cm. Table Bay to Natal, from shore out to
150m.
Genus Lepldotrigla Gunther, 1860
Indian Ocean species of this genus were revised by
Richards & Saksena (1977). Two species in our area; L.
cadmani Regan, 1915, a west African species reaching
southern Angola, and L. spiloptera, Gunther, 1880, a
widely distributed Indo-Pacific species reported from Zanzibar, are extralimital species likely to be found in our area
and are included in the key.
KEY TO SPECIES
1a Scales cycloid; 1st D spine smooth; breast scaly;
0 2 13-15; A 13-15 . .... .. . .... ... ... .. .... L. cadmani
1b Scales ctenoid; lst 0 spine serrate; 0 2 15-17; A 14-17 .. .. . . .. 2
2a Bony sub-horizontal ridge on preopercle; lower
GR 5-7 plus rudiments .. . .......... . ..... L. mu/tispinosa
2b No ridge on preopercle; lower GR 7-9 plus rudiments . . . . . . . . 3
3a Rostral spines subequal; 12-16 scales in vertical
series from A origin to LL; 3rd 0 spine 2.0-2.3
times orbit diameter ...... ... . ...... ..... . .. L. {aurei
3b Lateral rostral spines largest; 19-21 scales between
A origin and LL; 3rd 0 spine 1.4-1.8 times orbit
diameter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. L. spiloptera
157.4 Lepidotrigla faurei
Gilchrist & Thompson, 1914
Prickly gumard
Prikkel-knorhaan
Lepidotrig/a {aurei Gilchrist & Thompson, 1914: 75 (off Tugela River in
40 & 63 fms); Smith, SFSA No. 1077; Richards & Saksena, 1977: 216·;
487