Salariopsis burcuae, Yoğurtçuoğlu & Kaya & Atalay & Ekmekçi & Freyhof, 2023

Yoğurtçuoğlu, Baran, Kaya, Cüneyt, Atalay, Mustafa Altuğ, Ekmekçi, Fitnat Güler & Freyhof, Jörg, 2023, Two new freshwater blennies from the Eastern Mediterranean basin (Teleostei: Blenniidae), Zootaxa 5311 (1), pp. 85-104 : 90-96

Salariopsis burcuae , new species

( Figs. 3–7 )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:D9EB2F7D-2C08-4E0C-8494-EBC9658B593B

Holotype. FFR 4260, 88.3 mm SL; Türkiye: Adana prov.: Körkün River at Hacılı , 37.2947 35.1539.

Paratype. FFR 4261, 5, 44–83 mm SL; FSJF 4114 , 4 , 49–64 mm SL; same data as holotype .

Additional materials. FFR 4256, 2, 63–66 mm SL; Türkiye: Adana prov.: Çakıt River at Salbaş , 37.1031, 35.1094.— FFR 4259 , 2 , 47–49 mm SL; Türkiye: Antalya prov.: stream Kargı at Türkler , 36.6219, 31.8047.— FSJF 2281 , 5 , 32–74 mm SL; Türkiye: stream Ilıca at Ilıca , 36.8190 31.3528.— FSJF 2420 , 1 , 34– 34 mm SL; Türkiye: stream Çakırca at Çakırca west of Iznik , 40.4625 29.6746.— FSJF 2453 , 17 , 45–66 mm SL; Türkiye: stream Çakıt, south of Salbaş, the lower part of Pozantı Stream , 37.0961, 35.1170.— FSJF 2652 , 4 , 34–54 mm SL; Syria: River Nahr al Kabir at Safkoon , 35.6561, 35.9972.— FSJF 2710 , 5 , 62–69 mm SL; Syria: Nahr al Marqiya at road bridge, 35.0306 35.9050.— FSJF 3076 , 2 , 60–68 mm SL; Türkiye: Göksu at Hamam, 2 km west of Mut , 36.6313 33.3674.— FSJF 3113 , 8 , 44–76 mm SL; Türkiye: Köprüçay at Belkıs, 3 km east of Serik , 36.9140 31.1609.— FSJF 4114 , 1 , 55 mm SL; Türkiye: Adana prov.: Eğlence about 1 km north of Torunsolaklı , 37.3188 35.2197 .

New material used in molecular genetic analysis. FSJF-DNA 3560 ; Türkiye: Adana prov.: Körkün River at Hacılı , 37.295 35.1539. (GenBank accession numbers: OQ696248) .— FSJF-DNA 2571 ; Israel: Amnun Beach, Lake Tiberias , 32.8910 35.5943 (GenBank accession numbers: OQ696262, OQ696263) .— FSJF-DNA 1155 ; Syria: Nahr al Marqiya at road bridge, 35.0306 35.9050 (GenBank accession numbers: OQ696265, OQ696266).— FFR-DNA 398; Türkiye: Adana prov.: Çakıt at Salbaş , 37.1031 35.1094 (GenBank accession numbers: OQ696252, OQ696252).— FFR-DNA 4259; Türkiye: Antalya prov.: stream Kargı , 36.6249 31.8131, (GenBank accession number: OQ696254) .

Diagnosis. Salariopsis burcuae is distinguished from other species of Salariopsis by having a short, usually branched (often simple in juveniles) cirrus above the eye (vs. simple in juvenile and adult S. atlantica and S. economidisi ), not reaching to, or rarely overlapping the 9 th circum-orbital sensory pore (vs. overlapping, usually reaching much beyond in S. fluviatilis ), many tiny black dots on the cheek not organised in rows or bands (vs. yellowish band between eye and operculum with a broad diagonal band of tiny black dots in S. fluviatilis , 3–5 rows of black dots in S. economidisi , no black dots in S. atlantica ), and 20–28 teeth in the upper and 16–20 teeth in the lower jaw (vs. 13–15 and 14–16 in S. atlantica ). The new species is also distinguished from its congeners by the possession of 13–15 dorsal simple rays (vs. 12–13).

Description. See Figures 3–7 for general appearance and Table 3 for morphometric data. Small to medium sized species. Body compressed laterally, deepest at dorsal-fin origin. Section of head triangular, flattened on ventral surface. Caudal peduncle short and compressed, 0.9–1.4 times deeper than long. Male with 2–3 glandular shaped tissue between first anal ray and anus. Posteriormost gland attached to first anal-fin ray. Supraocular tentacle branched. Lateral line incomplete, with 5–19 simple pores and 5–8 short bi-pore tubes. Dorsal fin with 13–15 simple and 13–16 segmented rays. First segmented dorsal-fin ray 1.4–1.9 times longer than first simple dorsal-fin ray. Maximum depth of simple-ray portion approximately equal to segmented-ray portion, usually shallower in female; posterior membranous attachment on dorsal edge of caudal peduncle anterior to caudal-fin base. Anal fin with 2 simple and 16–17 segmented rays, posterior membranous attachment on ventral edge of caudal peduncle anterior to caudal-fin base. Pectoral-fin with 1 simple 12–14 segmented rays. Pelvic-fin with (2) 3 segmented rays. Anterior nostril with a short end along posterior margin, never developed as supraocular tentacle. Supratemporal canal with (2) 3 pores. Preoperculo-mandibular canal with 10–11 pores. Circumorbital canal with 10–11 pores. Upper jaw with 18–27 teeth, posterior 2 on each side caniniform. Lower jaw with 15–18 teeth, posterior 2 on each side caniniform. Both sexes with a fleshy ridge or crest on head in individuals larger than 30 mm SL. Adult male larger than 30 mm SL with a well-developed crest, Adult female larger than 30 mm SL with a sharp ridge only.

Coloration. Background pale yellowish brown. Pattern highly variable, following the basal pattern described below. A midlateral row of 6–8 dark-brown blotches, more or less rectangular, horizontally elongated, irregularly shaped, alternating with 5–6 dark brown saddles along dorsal body contour and on base of dorsal fin. In some individuals, an intermediate row of horizontally elongated, irregular, dark brown spots or blotches or intermediate, irregularly shaped and set blotches forming a marbled or mottled pattern. Surface of lateral myomeres usually darker, rarely paler, than surface of myosepts resulting in a pattern of parallel edges of triangles. Many tiny black dots on upper flank. An upper and lower, pale-yellowish blotch at caudal peduncle.

Head with four yellowish band. First from tip of snout to eye, two bands from eye to head-crest, one from eye to lower part of opercule. Bands except one from tip of snout to eye as well as head around eye and behind covered with many tiny black dots, not organised in rows. A large yellowish blotch at corner of mouth and adjacent, posterior part of upper lip, and one additional yellowish blotch on anterior part of lower jaw. A short additional yellowish band on lower jaw, all these without minute dots. Cirrus yellowish.

Dorsal fin with dark blotches or band along base. A black botch between anterior two spines, conspicuous in female and juveniles, faint to indistinct in male. Anal fin plain greyish brown, with a white distal and a dark brown subdistal bands. Caudal fin with a dark brown blotch continuing mid-lateral row on flank; 3–4 vertical rows of dark brown spots on rays, usually with red or pink distal colouration. Pectoral-fin rays hyaline or tessellated and a few black spots equivalent to those on head and flank. Pelvic hyaline.

Etymology. The species is named after Burcu Yoğurtçuoğlu, the wife of the first author, in gratitude for her profound inspiration, as well as admirable patience and support towards her husband’s endless travels to explore fishes. Her understanding, despite the occasional unintentional neglect due to her husband‘s tireless dedication to his work, have been invaluable to his achievements in ichthyology.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Salariopsis burcuae, FFR 4260, holotype, 88 mm SL; Türkiye: Körkün at Hacılı.

FIGURE 4. Salariopsis burcuae, paratypes, FFR 4261, from top, 80 mm SL; 75 mm SL; FSJF 4114, 64 mm SL; 57 mm SL; Türkiye: Körkün at Hacılı.

FIGURE 5. Salariopsis burcuae, from top, FFR 4260, holotype, 88 mm SL; FFR 4261, paratypes, 80 mm SL; 75 mm SL; Türkiye: Körkün at Hacılı.

FIGURE 6. Salariopsis burcuae; FSJF 2710, 69 mm SL; Syria: Nahr al Marq’ya.

FIGURE 7. Salariopsis burcuae; not preserved, nuptial male, about 50 mm SL; Israel: Lake Tiberias.