Chromis gunting, Gabriela Arango, B., T. Pinheiro, Hudson, Rocha, Claudia, D. Greene, Brian, L. Pyle, Richard, M. Copus, Joshua, Shepherd, Bart & A. Rocha, Luiz, 2019

Gabriela Arango, B., T. Pinheiro, Hudson, Rocha, Claudia, D. Greene, Brian, L. Pyle, Richard, M. Copus, Joshua, Shepherd, Bart & A. Rocha, Luiz, 2019, Three new species of Chromis (Teleostei, Pomacentridae) from mesophotic coral ecosystems of the Philippines, ZooKeys 835, pp. 1-15 : 2-3

Chromis gunting sp. n. Figure 1 a–c, Table 1

Type material.

Holotype: PNM 15357 (field code: LAR 1762). 67.7 mm SL, GenBank MH170474, Layaglayag point, Batangas, Philippines. 13°41'22.74"N, 120°50'12.46"E, 100 m, BD Greene and RL Pyle, 6 December 2013 (Figure 1 a–c). Paratype: CAS 242328 (field code: HTP 509). 77.4 mm SL, Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro, Philippines. 13°31'17.68"N, 120°59'41.78"E, 100 m, LA Rocha, HT Pinheiro, B Shepherd, E Jessup and BD Greene, 9 April 2015.

Diagnosis.

The following combination of characters distinguishes Chromis gunting sp. n. from all of its congeners: dorsal-fin rays XIII,11; anal-fin rays II,11-12; pectoral-fin rays 16-17; procurrent caudal-fin rays 3; tubed lateral-line scales 14-16; gill rakers 4 –5+14– 16 (total 19-20); body depth 2.1-2.2 in SL; color of adults when fresh is light brown, with a silver area on the anterior end and a bilateral black margin along the exterior side of the tail.

Description.

Dorsal-fin rays XIII, 11 (XIII, 11); anal-fin rays II,11 (II,12); all dorsal and anal-fin rays branched, the last to base; pectoral-fin rays 16 (17), the upper and lowermost unbranched; pelvic-fin rays I,5; principal caudal-fin rays 7+6=13 (6+6=12); upper and lower procurrent caudal-fin rays 3; upper and lower rudimentary (spiniform) caudal-fin rays 2 and 2 respectively (3 and 3); tubed lateral-line scales 16|15 (14|damaged); posterior midlateral scales with a pore 7|7 (5|6); scales above dorsal fin to origin of dorsal fin 3|3; scales below lateral line to origin of anal fin 8|8 (7|7); circumpeduncular scales 12 (11); gill rakers 5+14=19 (4+16=20); vertebrae 25 (10 precaudal + 15 caudal).

Body depth 2.1 (2.2) in SL, and width 2.6 (2.4) in body depth; head length 3.2 (3.1) in SL; dorsal profile of head with slight convexity anterior to eye, straight dorsal to eye, and slight convexity on nape; snout length 8.0 (6.1) in head length; orbit diameter 2.6 (2.3) in head length; interorbital width 2.7 (2.4) in head length; caudal-peduncle depth 2.1 (2.4) in head length; caudal-peduncle length 2.4 (2.6) in head length.

Mouth terminal, oblique, upper jaw angle of about 35°; maxilla posterior edge vertical at anterior edge of pupil, upper jaw length 2.6 (3.1) in head length; teeth multi-serial, outer row of conical teeth in each jaw, largest anteriorly; narrow band of villiform teeth lingual to outer row, in 2-3 irregular rows anteriorly, narrowing to a single row on side of jaws; tongue triangular with rounded tip; gill rakers long and slender, longest on lower limb near angle almost two-thirds length of longest gill filaments; nostril without fleshy rim, located at level of middle of pupil.

Opercle ending posteriorly in flat spine, tip relatively obtuse and obscured by large scale; preopercle margin smooth, posterior margin extending dorsally to level of upper edge of pupil; suborbital with free lower margin extending nearly to a vertical at posterior edge of pupil. Scales finely ctenoid; anterior lateral line ending beneath rear portion of spinous dorsal fin (between 12th and 13th dorsal-fin spines); head scaled except lips; narrow scaly sheath at base of dorsal and anal fins, progressively wider on soft portion; column of scales on each membrane of dorsal fin, narrowing distally, those on spinous portion of dorsal progressively longer, reaching about half the distance to spine tips on posterior membranes; scales on anal-fin membrane in one column, progressively smaller distally; small scales on caudal fin extending slightly more than three-fourths distance to posterior margin; small scales on basal one-fifth of pectoral fins; median scaly process extending posteriorly from between base of pelvic fins, its length about half that of pelvic spine; axillary scale above base of pelvic spine slightly more or less than one-third length of spine.

Color.

Fresh adult specimens (Figure 1a) brown dorsally, changing gradually to pinkish on center of body, to silver ventrally. Black margin along spinous dorsal fin, and on dorsal and ventral margins of caudal fin and peduncle. Soft dorsal fin translucent with dark rays. Anterior two-thirds of anal fin black, posterior with yellowish base and translucent bottom half with dark rays. Pectoral fin base gray, pectoral fin translucent with dark margins on rays. Pelvic fins light brown, almost translucent, with yellow membranes on basal half and gray rays. Color in alcohol similar to live specimen, but body overall browner, and shiny silver portions of anterior ventral portion replaced with whitish silver color.

Etymology.

The name Chromis gunting sp. n. means scissors in Tagalog, in reference to the bilateral outermost black margins of fish’s caudal fin that gives it the appearance of scissors. To be treated as a noun in apposition.

Distribution and habitat.

Chromis gunting sp. n. is only known from the Verde Island Passage, in Puerto Galera and Batangas. The species was recorded on MCEs at depths of 90-130 m.