Helcogramma rhinoceros Hansen, 1986

Chiang, Min-Chia & Chen, I-Shiung, 2012, A new species of the genus Helcogramma (Blenniiformes, Tripterygiidae) from Taiwan, ZooKeys 216, pp. 57-72 : 64

Helcogramma rhinoceros Hansen, 1986 Fig. 3c

Helcogramma rhinoceros Hansen 1986: 344 (Type locality: Putic Island, Philippines).

Helcogramma rhinoceros : Fricke 1997: 467.

Material Examined for Description.

USNM 222370, holotype, 27.5 mm SL, N.W. Putic Island, Palawan province, Philippines, V. G. Springer, 22 May 1978; NTOU-P 2009-06-043, 1 male, 29.6 m SL, Feng-chui-sha, Hengchun Township, Pingtung County, Taiwan, 9 m depth, M. C. Chiang et al., 20 July 2007.

Description.

D III, XIV-XV, 10-11. A I, 20. Lateral line with 19-22 pored scales. Dentary pore pattern 4+1+4. Supraorbital cirrus small and pointed. Nasal cirrus simple and slender. First dorsal-fin height equal to second dorsal-fin height. Vertebrae 11+26. Males with a proboscis-like dermal prolongation on tip of upper lip. Head of males orange above; head below level of eye, including upper lip and its extension, black; black pigment extending onto basal portion of pectoral fin. A yellowish or bluish white line extending along edge of black mask from upper rim of upper jaw to opercle and onto pectoral-fin base. Body pale yellow with indistinct H-shaped yellowish orange to orange markings. In males, H-shaped markings diffuse, narrow pale saddle marks extending discontinuously from dorsum to midline and below. A row of reddish blotches present along lateral midline, yellowish orange spots present at dorsal-fin base, and a dark blotch comprising densely packed melanophores present at posterior base of first dorsal fin and at anterior base of second dorsal fin. Dorsal-fin spines and rays orange near distal margin of fin; membranes yellowish orange on basal half and spotted with small melanophores on distal half. Uppermost pectoral-fin rays translucent, lowermost grayish or blackish. Anal fin orange. Caudal fin pale red and semi-translucent. Colour pattern of females based on Hansen (1986): head and body overall lighter than males; body with same pigment pattern as males; head without dark mask but with irregular scattered melanophores on face and diffuse band from eye onto upper lip.

Distribution.

One specimen was collected in this study at a depth of 9 m from southern Taiwan. This species previously has been recorded from the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu ( Hansen 1986; Fricke 1997).

Remarks.

This species is recorded herein for the first time in Taiwanese waters.