taxonID	type	description	language	source
64634F68592CFFE1FD90FD163875B075.taxon	vernacular_names	(九帶ŝñź)	en	Harefa, Tonisman, Chen, I-Shiung (2025): Trimma novemstriatum, a new species of marine goby fish (Teleostei: Gobiidae) from Taiwan. Zootaxa 5738 (1): 62-72, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5738.1.11, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5738.1.11
64634F68592CFFE1FD90FD163875B075.taxon	description	(Figures 1 – 3)	en	Harefa, Tonisman, Chen, I-Shiung (2025): Trimma novemstriatum, a new species of marine goby fish (Teleostei: Gobiidae) from Taiwan. Zootaxa 5738 (1): 62-72, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5738.1.11, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5738.1.11
64634F68592CFFE1FD90FD163875B075.taxon	materials_examined	Material examined Holotype NTOUP- 2021 - 08 - 062, male, 21.1 mm SL, Maoao, Gongliao District, New Taipei City, Taiwan, depth 8 – 12 m, coll. T. Harefa and D. Y. Hong, 9 August 2021. Paratypes NTOUP- 2020 - 09 - 084, 3 specimens, 14.2 – 16.5 mm SL; Jihue, Chenggong Township, Taitung County, Taiwan, depth 6 – 7 m, coll. T. Harefa and I-S. Chen, 29 September 2020. NTOUP- 2021 - 08 - 063, female, 18.4 mm SL, same data as holotype. NTOUP- 2021 - 09 - 226, female, 20.6 mm SL, Jihue, Chenggong Township, Taitung County, Taiwan, depth 5 – 6 m. coll. T. Harefa et al., 24 September 2021. NTOUP- 2021 - 09 - 227, female, 20.1 mm SL, Jihue, Chenggong Township, Taitung County, Taiwan, depth 5 – 6 m. coll. T. Harefa et al., 24 September 2021. Non-types NTOUP- 2021 - 06 - 282, female, 12.5 mm SL, Maoao, Gongliao District, New Taipei City, Taiwan, Depth 8 – 12 m, coll. T. Harefa and D. Y. Hong, 11 June 2021. NTOUP- 2021 - 08 - 225, 3 specimens, 13.5 – 17.5 mm SL, Jihue, Chenggong Township, Taitung County, Taiwan; depth 5 – 6 m. coll. T. Harefa et al., 24 September 2021. NTOUP- 2021 - 12 - 184, female, 13.7 mm SL, Jihue, Chenggong Township, Taitung County, Taiwan, depth 6 – 8 m, coll. T. Harefa et al., 21 December 2021. NTOUP- 2022 - 11 - 156, 3 specimens, 15.6 – 16.5 mm SL, Jihue, Chenggong Township, Taitung County, Taiwan, depth 5 – 6 m, coll. T. Harefa and D. Y. Hong, 17 November 2022. NTOUP- 2023 - 01 - 098, 2 specimens, 12.9 – 17.2 mm SL, Jihue, Chenggong Township, Taitung County, Taiwan, depth 5 – 6 m, coll. T. Harefa et al., 12 January 2023.	en	Harefa, Tonisman, Chen, I-Shiung (2025): Trimma novemstriatum, a new species of marine goby fish (Teleostei: Gobiidae) from Taiwan. Zootaxa 5738 (1): 62-72, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5738.1.11, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5738.1.11
64634F68592CFFE1FD90FD163875B075.taxon	diagnosis	Diagnosis The new species of Trimma novemstriatum can be well distinguished from other congeners by following unique combination of features: (1) fin ray counts D 2 I / 9, A I / 8, P 17, with pectoral fin rays and 5 th pelvic fin ray unbranched; (2) squamation including LR 22 – 23, TR 6 – 7, SDP 3, no scales on the cheek and operculum, lateral side area of predorsal scales usually present; (3) number of papillae on cheek rows b and d usually 4 – 5; and (4) distinctive colouration with dorsum crossed by 9 yellowish-orange stripes or saddles, the midside of the body with 9 vertical stripe connect to the lower spot of the belly to caudal peduncle, 1 st to 3 rd of which separated from dorsal saddles, all others partly or fully connected to saddles.	en	Harefa, Tonisman, Chen, I-Shiung (2025): Trimma novemstriatum, a new species of marine goby fish (Teleostei: Gobiidae) from Taiwan. Zootaxa 5738 (1): 62-72, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5738.1.11, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5738.1.11
64634F68592CFFE1FD90FD163875B075.taxon	description	Description Body proportion in Table 1. Body moderately elongated, slightly compressed posteriorly. Head slightly depressed anteriorly. Mouth oblique, maxilla extending posteriorly to slightly beyond vertical drawn through anterior margin of orbit. Lower jaw protruding slightly beyond tip upper jaw. Anterior nasal with a short tapering tube reaching anteriorly to above anterior margin of upper lip, posterior opening pore-like with low raised rim. Eyes large, dorsolateral. Interorbital narrow, with shallow trench and postorbital trench with slightly groove. Cheek slightly fleshy. Gill opening on each side large, extending anteroventrally to vertical drawn through posterior edge of mid-pupil. VC = 26. Fins. — D 1 VI, D 2 I / 9, A I / 8, V I / 5, P 17. First dorsal fin with no filamentous rays, all spinous rays about equal except sixth spinous ray shorter and rather distance from others, its rear tip extending to origin of second dorsal fin when depressed. 1 st segmented ray of second dorsal-fin usually unbranched, remaining rays branched, most posterior element with two rays. 1 st segmented ray of anal-fin usually unbranched, 2 nd segmented ray branched except in two specimens, remaining rays all branched, most posterior element with two rays. Rear margins of second dorsal fin and anal fin not reaching the procurrent rays of caudal fin when depressed. Pectoral fin rays not branched. Pelvic fin with no frenum and basal membrane, its first 4 rays each branching once, 5 th ray shorter, unbranched and only 41 – 48 % as long as 4 th ray, latter posteriorly reaching spine or 2 nd ray of anal-fin. Caudal fin rounded. Scales. — LR 22 – 23 (modally 23), TR 6 – 7 (modally 6), SDP 3. No scales on cheek and operculum. Predorsal midline flanked by 6 – 7 cycloid scales, but midline itself usually not scaled or, if scaled, with 1 – 5 rows. Pectoral base with 2 – 3 vertical row of cycloid scales. Prepelvic area with 5 – 6 rows of cycloid scales, body otherwise covered with ctenoid scales. Head lateral-line system. — (Figure 1) Canals: No canal pore on head. Sensory papillae: Sensory papillae or free neuromast distributed as follows, with counts and ranges shown in parentheses: row a (6) long, extending from posterior to anterior of orbit; rows b and d (4 – 5 and 4 – 5 respectively) short; row c (6) present longitudinally below infraorbital; single cp papilla (1); rows e and i (26 – 27 and 14 – 15, respectively) on preoperculo-mandibular; row f (3 paired papillae) on rostral mandibular; rows g and n (1 and 4 – 5, respectively) anteriodorsal; row h (4) posteriodorsal; rows ot, oi and os (13 – 14, 3 – 4, and 4 – 5, respectively) on opercular; p papillae (6, paired) flanking midline on interorbital; rows r and s (3 and 1, respectively, all paired) flanking midline in preorbital area; rows u, x and z (5, 4 – 5, and 6, respectively) on oculoscapular. Colouration while fresh. — (Figures 2 – 3) Head and body gray to light gray. Yellowish-orange stripe on upperlip either continuous with or separate from small, yellowish-orange spot on the cheek. Vertical yellowish-orange bar on preopercle, broad yellowish-orange bar on posterior end of operculum and elongated yellowish-orange bar behind each eye. Pectoral-fin base with 2 small yellowish-orange spots on middle and lower margin respectively. Dorsum crossed by 9 yellowish-orange saddles: 1 st of these situated behind the eyes; 2 nd above pectoral fin base; 3 rd at base of spine 1 – 4 of first dorsal fin; 4 th at base of spine 6 of first dorsal fin; 5 th at bases of spine 1 and rays 1 – 3 of second dorsal fin; 6 th at bases of rays 4 – 8 of second dorsal fin; 7 th and 8 th on caudal peduncle; and 9 th on dorsal procurrent caudal fin. Nine vertical stripes along mid-side of body, starting from before first dorsal fin to caudal peduncle, 1 st to 3 rd of which separated from dorsal saddles, remainder partly or fully connected to saddles. Dorsal fin translucent, with yellowish-orange stripe near base; caudal fin mostly yellowish-orange. Colouration in preserved Broad dense fields of black melanophores present on cheek below the eyes and in non scaled mid-predorsal area. Black melanophores present on former yellowish-orange bars on upper lip and preopercle. Pectoral fin base with light black melanophores, lower base also with some black spots. Scale margins of the anterior body with dense melanophores, but such scales becoming light on caudal peduncle. Dorsal fin and anal fin translucent, with black melanophores on tips of rays and near bases of fins. Caudal fin translucent.	en	Harefa, Tonisman, Chen, I-Shiung (2025): Trimma novemstriatum, a new species of marine goby fish (Teleostei: Gobiidae) from Taiwan. Zootaxa 5738 (1): 62-72, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5738.1.11, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5738.1.11
64634F68592CFFE1FD90FD163875B075.taxon	distribution	Distribution Currently known from coastal regions of northern and southeastern Taiwan.	en	Harefa, Tonisman, Chen, I-Shiung (2025): Trimma novemstriatum, a new species of marine goby fish (Teleostei: Gobiidae) from Taiwan. Zootaxa 5738 (1): 62-72, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5738.1.11, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5738.1.11
64634F68592CFFE1FD90FD163875B075.taxon	etymology	Etymology The specific name novemstriatum, a declineable compound participle with a neuter ending to match the gender of Trimma, is derived from the Latin “ novem ” meaning nine, and “ striatus, - a, - um ”, meaning striped with reference to the colouration pattern.	en	Harefa, Tonisman, Chen, I-Shiung (2025): Trimma novemstriatum, a new species of marine goby fish (Teleostei: Gobiidae) from Taiwan. Zootaxa 5738 (1): 62-72, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5738.1.11, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5738.1.11
64634F68592CFFE1FD90FD163875B075.taxon	discussion	Remarks Among all the valid species of Trimma, nine species have 17 or more unbranched pectoral fin rays and an unbranched 5 th pelvic fin: T. albicaudatum Wada, Takase & Senou, 2023, T. anaima, T. bathum Winterbottom, 2017, T. erwani Viviani, Williams & Planes, 2016, T. grammistes, T. kardium Winterbottom, Erdmann & Cahyani, 2015, T. matsunoi Suzuki et al., 2012, T. meityae Winterbottom & Erdmann, 2018, and T. sanguinellum Winterbottom & Southcott, 2007. Of these, only T. grammistes and T. matsunoi share similarities with T. novemstriatum sp. nov. in not having scales on the opercle. However, the new species T. novemstriatum can be distinguished from T. matsunoi by having fewer rays in the second dorsal fin (8 vs 9). It also differs from T. grammistes in having fewer rays in the first dorsal fin (8 vs 10 – 11), fewer rays of pectoral fin (17 vs 18 – 20), and fewer lateral scales rows (22 – 23 vs 26 – 28). Among the species members of genus Trimma, the new species T. novemstriatum sp. nov. sharing many similarities to T. maiandros (type located in Queensland, Autralia) in having equal number of scales and fin rays. However, accroding to Winterbottom’s key (Winterbottom 2019), the new species differs from T. maiandros in having no branched pectoral fin rays (vs some rays branched). Moreover, it can be well distinguished from T. maiandros (type located in Queensland, Australia) (Hoese et al. 2013) by having fewer number of papillae on the cheek in rows b and d (4 – 5 vs 5 – 6), and in colouration having nine yellowish-orange vertical stripes on the midside of the body (vs irregular, yellow to reddish-orange bands). In the type specimen of T. maiandros, these bands are barely connected to the lower spot of the belly to caudal peduncle, whereas in T. novemstriatum sp. nov., all the vertical stripes are fully connected along the ventral midline (Fig. 2, 3). Hoese et al. (2011) noted the differences in colouration between live specimens of T. maiandros from the Great Barrier Reef (paratypes) and other specimens from Chesterfield Bank, the Coral Sea, Enewetak, Palau, Fiji, Samoa, New Caledonia, Guam and Saipan that were excluded from type series. In the present study, not only the molecular evidence but also distinctive morphological features support the conclusion that T. novemstriatum sp. nov. and T. maiandros are good discret species.	en	Harefa, Tonisman, Chen, I-Shiung (2025): Trimma novemstriatum, a new species of marine goby fish (Teleostei: Gobiidae) from Taiwan. Zootaxa 5738 (1): 62-72, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5738.1.11, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5738.1.11
