A New Species of <i>Trinectes</i> (Pleuronectiformes: Achiridae), with Comments on the other Eastern Pacific Species of the Genus

Abstract

A new eastern Pacific achirid, Trinectes xanthurus, has a distinctive yellow or light caudal fin, without pattern, to contrast with its relatively dark body. This species also has black, posterior margins of the dorsal and anal fins and 21- 22 caudal vertebrae, versus 19-20 for its Pacific coast congeners. It usually is found in shallow, continental shelf waters on sand or mud bottoms and ranges from Colombia to El Salvador. The genus Trinectes is represented in the eastern Pacific by four species. A fifth species usually occurs in Pacific slope drainages (freshwater) in Panama. Of these species, only Trinectesfonsecensis is found throughout the tropical eastern Pacific, while the other three coastal species are confined to tropical waters south of the Golfo de Tehauntepec.