Bollmannia

Genus Bollmannia View in CoL Jordan, 1890

Discussion Fricke et al. (2023) list 11 valid extant Bollmannia species, four in the West Atlantic, seven in the East Pacific. Otoliths are available from all species except B. gomezi Acero, 1981 , from the Pacific coast of southern Colombia. We distinguish four groups (otolith plexus) within the genus based on certain otolith patterns:

Te Bollmannia boqueronensis otolith plexus containing the extant B. boqueronensis Evermann & Marsh, 1899

( Fig. 15a View Fig ), from the West Atlantic; and B. marginalis Ginsburg, 1939 ( Fig. 15k View Fig ), and B. ocellata Gilbert, 1892

( Fig. 15l–m View Fig ), from the East Pacific. Te otoliths of this plexus are characterized by a relatively high predorsal angle and a compressed shape (OL:OH = 1.0–1.1).

Te Bollmannia chlamydes View in CoL otolith plexus containing the extant B. chlamydes View in CoL Jordan, 1890 ( Fig. 17a–b View Fig ), and B. umbrosa Ginsburg, 1939 View in CoL ( Fig. 19f View Fig ), from the East Pacific; and B. communis Ginsburg, 1942 View in CoL ( Fig. 17e View Fig ), and B. litura Ginsburg, 1935 View in CoL ( Fig. 17k–l View Fig ), from the West Atlantic. Te otoliths of this plexus differ from the foregoing one in being more elongate (OL:OH = 1.1–1.3) and often showing a distinctly depressed predorsal angle.

Te Bollmannia stigmatura View in CoL otolith plexus containing the extant B. macropoma Gilbert, 1892 View in CoL ( Fig. 20o View Fig ), and B. stigmatura Gilbert, 1892 View in CoL ( Fig. 20p View Fig ), from the East Pacific. Acero (1981) considered B. gomezi View in CoL as being related to B. macropoma View in CoL and B. stigmatura View in CoL , and this species may therefore belong to the same plexus, but its otoliths are not known. Te otoliths of the B. stigmatura View in CoL plexus resemble those of the B. chlamydes View in CoL plexus in proportions (OL:OH = 1.1–1.2) but show a remarkable broad middorsal concavity.

Te Bollmannia eigenmannorum otolith plexus containing the extant B. eigenmannorum (Garman, 1896)

( Fig. 21e View Fig ) from the West Atlantic. Tese otoliths differ from all the others in the nearly rectangular outline and the rather short and narrow sulcus (OL:SuL> 1.9 vs <1.9 in other Bollmannia species).

Tere is no comprehensive phylogenetic evaluation of Bollmannia species. Van Tassell et al. (2012), however, reviewed the Atlantic species of the genus. Tey found that B. eigenmannorum was the most distinct of the Atlantic species and commented that Ginsburg considered separating it into its own subgenus. In the review of Van Tassell et al. (2012), B. communis and B. litura were considered closely related (in agreement with comments they mentioned from Ginsburg). In fact, the otoliths of both species are so similar that they may not be distinguishable. Ginsburg (1939) considered B. marginalis from the Pacific to be most closely related to the Atlantic B. litura , while we have B. marginalis in the B. boqueronensis plexus. Ginsburg (1939) also compared B. chlamydes , B. macropoma , and B. umbrosa . Acero (1981) related B. macropoma , B. stigmatura , and B. gomezi . Te otolith plexus grouping is consistent with results from the review of Van Tassell et al. (2012) and Acero (1981) and also appears to be mostly consistent with comments by Ginsburg (1939) commented in Van Tassell et al. (2012).