Selene dorsalis (Gill)

Oladipo, Segun Olayinka, Everett, Amaya, Atofarati, Olabisi Tawakalit, Smith, Kennedy K., Nneji, Ifeanyi C., Adelakun, Kehinde Moruf & Nneji, Lotanna Micah, 2025, An updated ichthyofaunal checklist for the Nigerian Lagos Lagoon with notes on nomenclatural changes and the conservation status of species, Zootaxa 5646 (1), pp. 38-62 : 51

Selene dorsalis (Gill) ;

African moonfish

( Figure 2E )

Remarks: Selene dorsalis , synonymized with Vomer dorsalis (Gill) , was commonly encountered in Badagry and Ikorodu, with occasional sightings in Epe. Distributed across the Eastern Atlantic Ocean, this species remains poorly studied and may be conspecific with Selene setapinnis (Mitchill) . Pending further taxonomical revisions, we refer to our specimen as S. dorsalis . It is characterized by a rounded head profile that slopes sharply through a slight concavity in front of the eye to a blunt snout, with the lower jaw slightly protruding. The body is short, deep, and highly compressed, with a ventral profile that is more convex than the dorsal profile.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Representative pictures (A–L) of some newly collected fish species from the Nigerian Lagos Lagoon (A) Fontitrygon margaritella (Compagno & Roberts); (B) Strongylura senegalensis (Valenciennes); (C) Caranx fischeri (Smith- Vaniz & Carpenter); (D) Chloroscombrus chrysurus (Linnaeus); (E) Selene dorsalis (Gill); (F) Trachinotus falcatus (Linnaeus); (G) Trachinotus ovatus (Linnaeus); (H) Heterotis niloticus (Cuvier); (I) Marcusenius brucii (Boulenger); (J) Coptodon zillii (Gervais); (K) Oreochromis niloticus (Linnaeus); and (L) Citharinus citharus (Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire). Photo credit and Identification: Dr. S.O. Oladipo.