Albula is an ancient genus of fish belonging to the family Albulidae. Members of this genus inhabit warm coastal waters worldwide.[1]
Quick Facts Scientific classification, Synonyms ...
Albula
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| Bonefish (A. vulpes) |
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Scientific classification  |
| Domain: |
Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: |
Animalia |
| Phylum: |
Chordata |
| Class: |
Actinopterygii |
| Order: |
Albuliformes |
| Family: |
Albulidae |
| Subfamily: |
Albulinae |
| Genus: |
Albula
Gronow 1763 ex Scopoli 1777 non Osbeck 1765 non Bloch & Schneider 1801 non Catesby 1771 |
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| Synonyms |
- Atopichthys Garman 1899
- Butyrinus Commerson ex Lacépède 1803
- Dixonina Fowler 1911
- Albula (Dixonina) (Fowler 1911)
- Esunculus Kaup 1856
- Glossodonta Cuvier 1815
- Glossodus Agassiz 1828 ex Spix & Agassiz 1829 non Costa 1853 non McCoy 1848
- Metalbula Frizzell 1965
- Pisodus Owen 1841
- Vulpis Catesby 1771
- Conorynchus Nozemann 1758 ex Gill 1861 non Bleeker 1863 non Motschousky 1860
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Close
This genus contains many of the species popularly referred to as bonefish, which are vital components of both subsistence fisheries and sport fishing industries worldwide; this, in conjunction with destruction of breeding habitat, has led to population declines in many species.[2]
Bonefish were once believed to be a single species with a global distribution; however, 11 distinct species have since been identified. There are three identified species in the Atlantic and eight in the Pacific.[3] All species are morphologically indistinguishable from one another and can only be reliably distinguished with genetic evidence, but all of them diverged from one another between 4 and 20 million years ago.[4][5]
The oldest fossils belonging to this genus are from the Late Cretaceous of Alabama and Uzbekistan.[6]
Extant species
The 11 currently recognized living species in this genus are:[7]
- Albula argentea (Forster 1801) (silver sharpjaw bonefish)
- Albula esuncula (Garman 1899) (Eastern Pacific bonefish)
- Albula gilberti Pfeiler, van der Heiden, Ruboyianes & Watts, 2011[8] (Cortez bonefish)
- Albula glossodonta (Forsskål, 1775) (Roundjaw/shortjaw bonefish)
- Albula goreensis Valenciennes, 1847 (West African bonefish)
- Albula koreana Kwun & Kim, 2011[9] (Korean bonefish)
- Albula nemoptera (Fowler, 1911) (Threadfin bonefish)
- Albula oligolepis Hidaka, Iwatsuki & Randall, 2008[10] (Smallscale bonefish)
- Albula pacifica (Beebe, 1942)[11] (Pacific shafted bonefish)
- Albula virgata Jordan & Jordan, 1922 (Longjaw bonefish)
- Albula vulpes (Linnaeus, 1758) (bonefish)
Fossil species
- †Albula bartonensis Schedl 1933
- †Albula bashiana (Frizzell 1965) [Metalbula bashiana Frizzell 1965]
- †Albula campaniana Nolf & Stringer 1996
- †Albula dunklei Applegate 1970
- †Albula eppsi White & Frost 1931
- †Albula oweni (Agassiz 1844) [Pisodus owenii Agassiz 1844; Pisodus owenii Agassiz 1844]
Suescun, Alex. "All About Bonefish". saltwatersportsman.com. Salt Water Sportsman. Retrieved 10 December 2020. Pfeiler, E., Van Der Heiden, A.M., Ruboyianes, R.S., & Watts, T. (2011). Albula gilberti, a new species of bone fish (Albuliformes: Albulidae) from the eastern Pacific, and a description of adults of the parapatric A. esuncula. Zootaxa 3088: 1-14.
Kwun, H.J. & Kim, J.K. (2011): A new species of bonefish, Albula koreana (Albuliformes: Albulidae) from Korea and Taiwan. Zootaxa, 2903: 57–63.
Hidaka, Iwatsuki & Randall (2008). "A review of the Indo-Pacific bonefishes of the Albula argentea complex, with a description of a new species". Ichthyological Research. 55 (1): 53–64. doi:10.1007/s10228-007-0010-5. S2CID 1129833. Pfeiler, E., 2008. Resurrection of the name Albula pacifica (Beebe, 1942) for the shafted bonefish (Albuliformes: Albulidae) from the eastern Pacific. Rev. Biol. Trop. 56(2):839-844.
