Helcogramma obtusirostris ( Klunzinger, 1871 )

Holleman, Wouter & Bogorodsky, Sergey V., 2012, A review of the blennioid fish family Tripterygiidae (Perciformes) in the Red Sea, with description of Enneapterygius qirmiz, and reinstatement of Enneapterygius altipinnis Clark, 1980, Zootaxa 3152, pp. 36-60 : 54-56

Helcogramma obtusirostris ( Klunzinger, 1871)

Fig. 8 F & G; table 1

Tripterygium obtusirostris Klunzinger, 1871: 498 (Red Sea). Golani & Bogorodsky, 2010: 45.

Helcogramma obtusirostre: Clark, 1980: 85 , figs. 3e, 7 & plate 1; Holleman in: Smith & Heemstra, 1986: 757; Randall, 1995: 309, fig. 872; Holleman, 2007: 68, Fig. 1 & 10, Pl. 2.

Helcogramma obtusirostris: Hansen, 1986: 341 (in part: Red Sea).

Helcogramma trigloides (non Bleeker): Marshall, 1952: 242 (Gulf of Aqaba).

non Helcogramma shinglensis : Lal Mohan, 1971: 219, fig. 1 (Gulf of Mannar, India). non Helcogramma ascensionis : Lubbock, 1980: 294, fig. 2 ( Ascension Island, S Atlantic).

Diagnosis. Dorsal fins III + XII–XIII + 9–10 (rarely with XII spines or 9 rays); anal fin I, 18–19 (usually 19); pectoral fin 16: usually 2, 7, 7. LL 20–23 (usually 21–22) tubed scales, ending below junction of second and third dorsal fins; total lateral scales 36–38 (usually 37–38); transverse scales 7/5. Dentary pores 4 + 1 + 4. Head length 3.3–3.7 (3.5) in SL. Nape and belly naked; scales do not extend to bases of first dorsal and anterior of anal fins; 2 rows of scales on base of caudal fin. Pelvic–fin rays united by membrane for half shorter ray, longest ray reaching vent. First dorsal fin half height of second. Maxilla reaches vertical through centre of pupil; orbital cirrus small and simple.

Fresh colour. (From colour photograph by the second author and J. E. Randall.) Body of males mottled greenish with darker interconnecting areas, with 4 narrow, pale saddle marks extending from base of dorsal fins to midline, 2 below second dorsal fin, 2 below third dorsal fin; series of paler spots along midline; dorso–anteriorly suffused with dull red; belly pink. Head dark, black below eye and to branchiostegal membrane; bright blue stripe extends from lower lip across cheek, broadly edged with black above and below. Pectoral–fin base with red spot above and below, the lower one with blue above and anterior; pelvic fins dark pink proximally; first dorsal fin dusky with some orange, darkest on the margin, and with small black spot at base of membrane connecting first and second dorsal fins; second dorsal fin dusky with dull orange band basally; third dorsal fin dusky; caudal fin dusky; anal fin dark, with an even cover of melanophores.

Females dull green, the dark areas forming a zig–zag pattern down the body, on a pale green background; body pale ventrally. Head dorsally dark green, ventrally pale; median fins with light sprinkling of melanophores, first dorsal fin with small black spots as in males, basal third of dorsal and entire anal fins white.

Colour underwater. Body of males translucent with reddish ‘H’-bars and streak of white marks from dorsal fins onto body, belly and pelvic fins pinkish-red; head reddish above and with many melanophores below eyes, extending onto base of pectoral fin; blue-white line from lower lip, through corner of mouth to preopercle, with blue patch below; dorsal fins translucent with red and white marks, caudal fin pink, pectoral fins translucent with red and white marks. Females paler versions of males and lack the distinctive pigmentation on the head and belly, which are largely white.

Key features. Iridescent blue band from corner of mouth to opercle in males; males in ‘breeding dress’ nearly entirely black with 3 or 4 white ‘slashes’ below second and third dorsal fins; females whitish with irregular brownish bars.

Distribution. H. obtusirostris occurs in the Red Sea, Yemen and Oman.

Remarks. H. obtusirostris is one of a group of widespread Indo-west Pacific species with at least four sibling species, which all have an iridescent blue line running from the lower lip to the corner of the mouth and onto the opercle. It is easily distinguished from H. steinitzi , which is reddish in general colour, has a large head and lacks the blue line from the corner of the mouth. Usually seen in pairs in coral and rocky areas of lagoons in depths of 0.5– 8 m. Attains 38 mm SL.

the west coast of Indian and has been recorded from South Africa and Mauritius ( Holleman, 2005). E. pallidus is endemic to the Red Sea and, again, is found throughout. E. ventermaculus occurs in tide pools and to a depth of some 12 m ( Randall, 1995), while E. pallidus is found on the upper part of reefs, on reef flats, often on corals covered in short algae, in fairly sheltered environments.

The odd species is E. abeli , in which the males are markedly sexually distinct with the prominent black head, chest and pectoral-fin bases. This species too is widely distributed throughout the Red Sea and down the East African coast to KwaZulu-Natal and Mascarene Islands. The species has a sibling species, E. elaine , which is endemic to Rodrigues ( Holleman 2005).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Map of the Red Sea showing localities mentioned in the text.

FIGURE 8. (A) Enneapterygius obscurus, Marsa Alam; (B) Enneapterygius pallidus, Farasan Is.; (C) Enneapterygius pusillus, M, Sharm el Sheik; (D) Enneapterygius pusillus, M, Oman; (E) Enneapterygius ventermaculus, Farasan Is.; (E) Helcogramma obtusirostris, M, Sharm el Sheil; (F) Helcogramma obtusirostris, F, Sharm el Sheik; (G) Helcogramma steinitzi, F, Marsa Alam; (H) Norfolkia brachylepis, Bali. Photos by R. Field (B, E), J. E. Randall (D); G. R. Allen (H); S. V. Bogorodsky (the others).