Equulites popei ( Whitley, 1932 )

Miki, Ryohei, Murase, Atsunobu & Wada, Masaaki, 2018, A checklist of ponyfishes (Teleostei, Leiognathidae) from Miyazaki Prefecture, east coast of Kyushu, southern Japan, with range extensions of three tropical species, Check List 14 (1), pp. 243-255 : 247

Equulites popei ( Whitley, 1932) : Figure 2C, D

Macilentichthys popei Whitley 1932: 114 .

Leiognathus elongatus [not of Günther]— Senou 2013: 904; Fujiwara and Motomura 2016: 189.

Equulites popei — Suzuki and Kimura 2017: 339.

Diagnosis. this species is characterized by the following combination of characters: slender body, its depth equal to or shorter than head length; mouth protruding downwards; small slender teeth on both jaws; anterior dorsolateral surface of body and breast completely scaled; anterior spinous dorsal fin without conspicuous black blotch ( Senou 2013).

Distribution. Equulites popei is known from Japan, Philippines, Malaysia (Sabah), Thailand (Gulf of Thailand), Oman, the Red Sea including Suez Bay, the Mediterranean (immigrant from the Red Sea), and southern Mozambique. In Japanese waters, this species is known from the Noto Peninsula, Sea of Japan coast of Yamaguchi Prefecture, western coast of Kyushu (Sea of Japan coast), Sagami Bay to the southern part of eastern coast of Kyushu (Pacific coast), and Okinawa Island ( Senou 2013, Suzuki and Kimura 2017).

Remarks. Five specimens (35.6–65.5 mm SL) of E. popei were caught from the southern coast of Miyazaki Prefecture in December.