First Record of Strongspine Silver-Biddy Gerres longirostris (Lacepède, 1801) (Pisces: Gerreidae) from Iraqi Marine Territorial Waters

. Seven specimens of strongspine silver-biddy Gerres longirostris (Lacepède, 1801) were collected from marine territorial water of Iraq near Khor Al-Ummiah during December 2012 and February 2013. Meristic and morphometric characters expressed as percentage of standard length of this species was given. This species is easy distinguished from other two gerreid [ G. filamentosus Cuvier, 1829 and G . oyena (Forsskål)] known from Iraq by absence of an elongated second dorsal spine and having less percentage of body depth to standard length in the former (33-37.8 in compared to 42.9-51.4) and from G. oyena by having both higher counts of pored lateral line scales (44-46 in compared to 35-39) and higher number of scale rows above lateral line (6-7.5 in compared to 4.5-5.5). The present records bring the total number of Gerres species in Iraq to three species.

Adults of G. longirostris often found in clear coastal waters up to about 50m depth; Juveniles often occur in estuaries or lagoons influenced by fresh water, prefers shallow waters over sandy bottoms, from coral reefs to brackish waters, Occurs singly or in groups (3).Sivasubramaniam and Ibrahim (12) studied fishes of Qatar and reported G. filamentosus Cuvier and G. oyena (Forsskål).Kuronuma and Abe (9) during their extensive surveyed in the Arabian Gulf they found only two species of member of Gerreidae, G. filamentosus and G. oyena.Al-Baharna (1) edited a survey of fishes of Bahrain and carried out G. argyreus (Forster,1801), G. filamentosus, G. oyena and Pentaprion longimanus (Cantour).Carpenter et al. (2) listed Gerres acinaces Bleeker, G. filamentosus, G. oyena and Pentaprion longimanus in Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
In Iraq the works on recording the species of Gerreidae was very rare.Khalaf (8) and Mahdi (10) reported G. punctatus Cuvier, 1830 (now G. filamentosus).Recently Mohamed et al. (11) found two specimens of G. oyena from Hamdan and Fao stations along of Shatt Al-Arab River.
During extensive surveyed of marine fish species within territorial water of Iraq, one species from family Gerreidae is record for the first time in Iraq and give a morphometric and meristic characters, which distinguished this species from other two species found in the region.

Materials and Methods
Seven specimens of silver-biddy Gerres longirostris (Lacepede, 1801) were collected from marine territorial water of Iraq near Khor Al-Ummiah during December 2012 and February 2013.Fish were caught with trawl net.Fixed and preserved in 10% formalin.Counts and measurements follow Iwatsuki et al. (7).All measurement in millimeter.Common and scientific name of the fish follow Froese and Pauly (3).The specimens are deposited in the Department of Fisheries and Marine resources, College of Agriculture, Basrah University.

Results and Discussion
Five specimens of G. longirostris 220-265 mm in standard length were collected in December 2012 and two specimens 180-190 mm caught in February 2013 from Khor Al-Ummiah, marine territorial waters, Iraq.

Description: Counts and measurements of all specimens summarized in table 1.
Slender body, compressed, anterodorsal finely convex, ascending at angle of about 40° to horizontal axis, weakly concave profile above eye.Snout length less than eye diameter (Plate.1A).Predorsal length less than dorsal fin base length.Pectoral fin length longer than head length.Tip of it reach at level of first dorsal spine.first dorsal and anal spines very short, second dorsal spine longer than the rest of dorsal spines, while the third anal spine longer than rest of anal spines.Caudal fin deeply forked.Gill rakers 5,1,7 or 6, 1, 7 in the upper, angle and lower parts of arch respectively (Plate 1B).Gill rakers in the upper limb shorter than that on the lower once (Plate 1B).Fresh specimens have silvery body with yellow pelvic and spinous part of anal fins.Pale orange of most part of pectoral fin.Darken posterior margin of caudal fin.7-9 column of dark ovoid spots on sides below of lateral lines (Plate.1A).
Remarks: Gerres longirostris still for considered time have been uncertain taxonomic status (13; 6), Iwatsuki and Kimura (5)  The seven specimens of present study caught in Iraqi marine territorial waters during the winter have larger standard length than that of Iwatsuki et al. (7) (180-260 mm in compared to 92-171 mm from Madagascar, Indian ocean).Although extensive surveyed of Kuronuma and Abe (9) in the most parts of Arabian Gulf did not found G. longirostris or its synonyms, and a few specimens caught in this study and in the limited time (Winter), which considered the first time in Iraqi marine waters, suggest this species may occurrence in few population and in a short time of the year, and may support the result of Grandcourt et al. (4) when studied population dynamics and reproductive biology of G. longirostris in off the coast of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirate appears that even short-lived, fast-growing tropical species with high rate of natural mortality should have conservative harvest rates.Sivasubramaniam and Ibrahim (12) showed the photograph of specimen identified as G. oyena and provided a few morphometric in their book; Because the specimen have broader body and higher count of pored lateral scale line and unique shape of head and presence of seven longitudinal rows of dark spots bellow lateral line aware in compared to G. oyena, hence record of Sivasubramaniam and Ibrahim (12) was misidentification G. longirostris with G. oyena.
After this record bring the total number of Gerres species in Iraq to three species.This species is easy distinguished from other two gerreid [G.filamentosus Cuvier, 1829 and G. oyena (Forsskål)] known from Iraq by absence of an elongated second dorsal spine and having less percentage of body depth to standard length in the former (33-37.8 in compared to 42.9-51.4)and from G. oyena by having both higher counts of pored lateral line scales (44-46 in compared to 35-39) and number of scale rows above lateral line (6-7.5 in compared to 4.5-5.5).

Table 1. Meristic and proportional measurements of the Gerres longirostris
expressed as percentage of standard length.
Serial number of specimen had earlier shown G. longirostris Günther, 1861 from South Africa to be a secondary homony of Labrus longirostris Lacepède, 1801.Iwatsuki et al. (7) redescribed G. longirostris as valid species with designation of neotype from Madagascar, Indian ocean.In that study G. brittannus (Lacepède, 1802), G. poieti Cuvier, 1829 and G. acinaces Bleeker, 1854 all considered senior synonym of G. longirostris.Both two species (G.poieti and G. acinaces Bleeker, 1854) have long been considered valid (see Woodland, 13 for two recent species; see Carpenter et al., 2 for the latter species).On the basis of meristic and morphometric data and colour characters four nominal species G. lineolatus Playfair in Playfair and Günther, 1867, G. longicaudus Alleyne and Macleay, 1876, G. ruppellii Klunzinger, 1884 and G. darnleyense Ogilby, 1913 were also considered junior synonyms of G. longirostris (7).Iwatsuki et al. (7) confirmed G. oblongus Cuvier in Cuvier and Valenciennes, 1830 as valid species based on lectotype and the two species G. macrosoma Bleeker, 1854 and G. gigas Günther, 1862 are junior synonyms of G. oblongus.In the same study G. longirostris and G. oblongus designed in the " G. longirostris complex".