consequently it is rarely caught by anglers. Flesh good.
Known only from False Bay to Maputo in 20 - 200 m.
188.1 Paraseorpis typus: 35 em SL (Port Alfred).
Family No. 189: KYPHOSIDAE
by M.M. Smith
Sea chubs
See-vetsakke
Body oval, with small, weakly ctenoid scales covering
head, body and fins; mouth small; maxilla scaly; outer
series of incisors with long roots in jaws and fine teeth
within jaws, on palate and sometimes on tongue. Single
dorsal fin with 10 or 11 spines and 11-15 soft-rays; anal fin
with 3 spines and 11-14 soft-rays. Gasbladder divided behind, extends into tail.
Moderate-sized fishes of shallow water about rocks and
reefs; feed mainly on algae and associated small creatures.
Flesh not highly esteemed. Three genera, the 2 monotypic
genera Hermosilla Jordan & Evermann, 1889 and Sectator
Jordan & Fowler, 1893 from the Pacific differ from
Kyphosus in the naked interorbital and edentate tongue of
the former, and elongate body and small incisiform teeth
with inconspicuous roots of the latter.
Genus Kyphosus Lacepede, 1801
Circumglobal in warm water; contains about 7 species,
3 in our area.
KEY TO SPECIES
la Anterior D soft-rays longer than D spines .............. K. eineraseens
Ib No D soft-rays longer than D spines .. ..................... ............... 2
2a D soft-rays 12; lower GR 14-16; soft D base less
than spinous Dbase .............................................. K. bigibbus
2b D soft-rays 13-15 (our area 14); lower GR 20-24;
soft D base longer than spinous Dbase .................... K. vaigiensis
Grey chub
189.1 Kyphosus bigibbus
Lacepede, 1801
Grys vetsak
Kyphosus bigibbus Lacepede, 1801: 115, PI. 8, Fig. 1 (no locality);
Smith, SFSA No. 639*; van der Elst, 1981: 185*.
189: KYPHOSIDAE (SEA CHUBS)
D XI,12; A m,l1; P 18-20; GR (6-7)+(14-16) = 20-22; LL 65-75
(pores 51-54).
Colour variable, brown band across interorbital; xanthitic form has body and fins bright yellow, dark edge to C, but
brown band from corner of mouth to angle of preopercle always present. Attains 75 cm. South African angling record
6.8 kg, spearfishing record 10.0 kg. Red Sea to Japan and
Hawaii; south to Cape of Good Hope, found with floating
objects in Agulhas Current.
189.1 Kyphosus bigibbus: 60 em (Kenya).
Blue chub
189.2 Kyphosus cinerascens
(Forsskal, 1775)
PLATE 68
Blou vetsak
Seiaena eineraseens ForsskAI, 1775: xii, 53 (Arabia). Kyphosus cineraseens: Smith, SFSA No. 638*.
D XI,12; A m,l1; P 18-19; LL 65-72 (1 specimen has 78); (55-58 pores);
GR (8-10)+(18-20) = 26-30. Soft D base shorter than spinous Dbase.
Silvery-blue, darker above; silver band below eye and
yellow lines along body scale rows; fins dark. Attains over
50 cm. Red Sea, Indo-West Pacific south to East London.
Reported that K. cinerascens swims in groups high in water
column during the day, but at night it swims alone near the
bottom.
189.3 Kyphosus vaigiensis
(Quoy & Gaimard, 1825)
Brassy chub
Brons vetsak
Pimeiepterus vaigiensis Quoy & Gaimard, 1825: 386, PI. 61, Fig. 4
(Waigeo, Indonesia). Kyphosus vaigiensis: Smith, SFSA No. 638a*.
189.3 Kyphosus vaigiensis: 65 em (Inhaca Id.).
603
Known only from False Bay to Maputo in 20 - 200 m.
188.1 Paraseorpis typus: 35 em SL (Port Alfred).
Family No. 189: KYPHOSIDAE
by M.M. Smith
Sea chubs
See-vetsakke
Body oval, with small, weakly ctenoid scales covering
head, body and fins; mouth small; maxilla scaly; outer
series of incisors with long roots in jaws and fine teeth
within jaws, on palate and sometimes on tongue. Single
dorsal fin with 10 or 11 spines and 11-15 soft-rays; anal fin
with 3 spines and 11-14 soft-rays. Gasbladder divided behind, extends into tail.
Moderate-sized fishes of shallow water about rocks and
reefs; feed mainly on algae and associated small creatures.
Flesh not highly esteemed. Three genera, the 2 monotypic
genera Hermosilla Jordan & Evermann, 1889 and Sectator
Jordan & Fowler, 1893 from the Pacific differ from
Kyphosus in the naked interorbital and edentate tongue of
the former, and elongate body and small incisiform teeth
with inconspicuous roots of the latter.
Genus Kyphosus Lacepede, 1801
Circumglobal in warm water; contains about 7 species,
3 in our area.
KEY TO SPECIES
la Anterior D soft-rays longer than D spines .............. K. eineraseens
Ib No D soft-rays longer than D spines .. ..................... ............... 2
2a D soft-rays 12; lower GR 14-16; soft D base less
than spinous Dbase .............................................. K. bigibbus
2b D soft-rays 13-15 (our area 14); lower GR 20-24;
soft D base longer than spinous Dbase .................... K. vaigiensis
Grey chub
189.1 Kyphosus bigibbus
Lacepede, 1801
Grys vetsak
Kyphosus bigibbus Lacepede, 1801: 115, PI. 8, Fig. 1 (no locality);
Smith, SFSA No. 639*; van der Elst, 1981: 185*.
189: KYPHOSIDAE (SEA CHUBS)
D XI,12; A m,l1; P 18-20; GR (6-7)+(14-16) = 20-22; LL 65-75
(pores 51-54).
Colour variable, brown band across interorbital; xanthitic form has body and fins bright yellow, dark edge to C, but
brown band from corner of mouth to angle of preopercle always present. Attains 75 cm. South African angling record
6.8 kg, spearfishing record 10.0 kg. Red Sea to Japan and
Hawaii; south to Cape of Good Hope, found with floating
objects in Agulhas Current.
189.1 Kyphosus bigibbus: 60 em (Kenya).
Blue chub
189.2 Kyphosus cinerascens
(Forsskal, 1775)
PLATE 68
Blou vetsak
Seiaena eineraseens ForsskAI, 1775: xii, 53 (Arabia). Kyphosus cineraseens: Smith, SFSA No. 638*.
D XI,12; A m,l1; P 18-19; LL 65-72 (1 specimen has 78); (55-58 pores);
GR (8-10)+(18-20) = 26-30. Soft D base shorter than spinous Dbase.
Silvery-blue, darker above; silver band below eye and
yellow lines along body scale rows; fins dark. Attains over
50 cm. Red Sea, Indo-West Pacific south to East London.
Reported that K. cinerascens swims in groups high in water
column during the day, but at night it swims alone near the
bottom.
189.3 Kyphosus vaigiensis
(Quoy & Gaimard, 1825)
Brassy chub
Brons vetsak
Pimeiepterus vaigiensis Quoy & Gaimard, 1825: 386, PI. 61, Fig. 4
(Waigeo, Indonesia). Kyphosus vaigiensis: Smith, SFSA No. 638a*.
189.3 Kyphosus vaigiensis: 65 em (Inhaca Id.).
603