Nectamia bandanensis ( Bleeker,1854 )

Fraser, Thomas H., 2008, Cardinalfishes of the genus Nectamia (Apogonidae, Perciformes) from the Indo-Pacific region with descriptions of four new species, Zootaxa 1691 (1), pp. 1-52 : 13-15

Nectamia bandanensis ( Bleeker,1854)

Figures 6G , 8 , 18 and Tables 2–4

Synonyms: misspelled as Apogon batjanensis by Weber 1895.

Type material. Neotype Apogon bandanensis RMNH 5584, 71.2 mm SL, 90+ total length, Indonesia, Banda Neira , one of 29 specimens (17–80 mm SL, 24-103 TL).

Additional material. Indonesia: BMNH 1880.4.21.83–86; (4, 51–71); Banda Neira. Papua New Guinea: Coral Sea : BPBM 32437 ; (2, 66–71); off Bootless Inlet, S. of Motupore I., caves; 13–15m ; 28 Oct 1987; x-ray. Fiji: CAS 220918 ; (2, 55–60); Charybdis Reef , 17°13.138'S, 178°02.851'E; G03-78; 30 May 2003; 14– 18 m. CAS 223740 ; (1,69); Pascoe Reefs , W of Yadua I., 16°50.188'S, 178°13.665'E; G02-136; 4 Apr 2002 . CAS 223742 ; (3, 47–60); Patch reef, 17°13.138'S, 178°02.851'E; G03-82; 30 May 2003; 12– 18 m. CAS 223743 ; (2, 59–60); NE of Yaqaga I., 16°30.717'S, 178°38.730'E; G02-104; 25Mar2002; 9– 12 m. CAS 223754 ; (4, 52–59); outside barrier reef, 16°27.333'S, 179°40.250'W; G03-55; 22 May 2003; 12– 17 m. CAS 223755 ; (1, 60); Budd Reef , 16°30.444'S, 179°40.571'W; G03-53; 22 May 2003; 20– 24 m. Rotuma: USNM 287945 ; (4, 35–53); Hatan I.; VGS 86-14; 19 May 1987; x-ray . USNM 287966 ; (1, 43); VGS 86-16; 20 May 1986; 29–32 m ; x-ray. Samoa: American Samoa: BPBM 17522 ; (3, 31–53); Tutuila; 9 May 1974; color photo; x-ray . Guam: ANSP 152918 ; (3, 42–44); 20–30m ; 27 June 1968. BPBM 17768 ; (2, 24–41); 27 June 1968; x-ray . Japan: Ryukyu Islands : BPBM 22308 ; (4, 34–75); Okinawa, Sesoko I.; 13 Sep. 1977; color photo; x-ray . Marshall Islands: BPBM 28971 ; (1, 51) and BPBM 28974 ; (2, 51–53); Enewetak Atoll; 23m ; 24–25 Sep. 1982; x-ray.

Diagnosis. A Nectamia with two dark saddles on body, one below the first dorsal fin, the second below the second dorsal fin, basicaudal saddle extends below lateral-line scales in adults, no pale bars on side of body, caudal fin without dark margins, subocular mark, thin and triangular (Tab. 2); 13 pectoral-fin rays; total gill rakers usually 26–28 ( Tab. 4); body depth 38–46%, caudal-peduncle length 21–26%, second anal-spine length 18–22%, pectoral-fin length 25–31% of standard length (Tab. 3).

Description. Range of proportions (as percentage of standard length) in Table 3 with neotype first and additional material in parentheses.

Dorsal fin VII(I)–I,9; anal fin II,8; pectoral-fin-rays 13-13; pelvic fin I,5; principal caudal rays 9+8; pored lateral-line scales 25 (24); transverse scale rows above lateral line 2; transverse scale rows below lateral line 6; 4 median predorsal scales; circumpeduncular scale rows 12 as 5+2+5; total gill rakers 25 (25–29), well developed 22 (22–27), upper arch 3+4 (1-3+5-7), lower arch 18+0 (18-21+0-1), second arch with shorter gill rakers 3+18.

Villiform teeth in several rows on the premaxilla; two rows on the dentary; one row on the palatine and vomer; none on ectopterygoid, endopterygoid or basihyal.

Vertebrae 10+14. Five free hypurals, one pair of slender uroneurals, three epurals, a free parhypural. Three supraneurals, two supernumerary spines on first dorsal pterygiophore. Basisphenoid present. Supramaxilla absent. Posttemporal serrate on posterior margin. Preopercle serrate on vertical and horizontal margins. Infraorbital shelf present on third bone.

Scales ctenoid on cheek, subopercle, opercle, nape, isthmus, cycloid on base of pectoral fin and ctenoid behind pectoral fin and rest of body. Two large ctenoid scales on base of pelvic fin, no axillary scale. Pored lateral-line scales complete, fourth scale with one pore extending up to near overlapping scale edge and one below main canal.

Life colors. See Figure 6G . Kuiter and Kozawa (1999) provide a number of underwater photographs (p. 33, A–E) identified as Apogon bandanensis . Their figure D of a Sulawesi specimen is the only one that I can identify as this species. Their photographs of species 17, (p33, B and C) and species 19 (p.34, A and B) may also represent this species. Randall’s photograph of a fresh specimen (BPBM 22308, 48 mm SL) has a red iris and three blackish body bars, one from the base of the first dorsal fin reaching to behind the pectoral-fin base, the second from the posterior base of the second dorsal reaching almost to the posterior portion of the anal fin, the third a circumpeduncular bar, body otherwise silvery. A blackish membrane (distal two thirds) between the third and fourth first dorsal spines, membranes dusky (darker distal two thirds) between the fourth and seventh spines and dusky between the second and third spines. Second dorsal fin, anal fin and caudal fins uniformly pale. Darkish subocular cheek mark present.

* = neotype

Preserved color pattern. Adults (Tab.2): narrow, triangular subocular cheek mark behind upper jaw; first dorsal fin with dark membrane between spines 1–4; edges of caudal lobes plain; caudal peduncle with a nearly complete dark wide bar, connected dorsally and almost connected ventrally; dark saddles under the first and second dorsal fins; stomach and intestine black; roof of mouth dark with melanophores extending down onto upper part of lower gill arch. Juveniles: similar to the adults, except with a complete, dark caudal-peduncle band.

Distribution. Known only from the West Pacific, extending into the Central Pacific to the Marshall Islands and Samoa ( Fig 8 ), with a tendency to be found in deeper water (13–27m). This species has been collected from Halimeda algae beds or rubble and dense corals.

Remarks. Bleeker mentions two specimens (75 and 94mm total length) in the original description. Ernest A. Lachner (museum notes) and I independently examined RMNH 5584, the probable type series, which contained 29 specimens, 18–81mm SL. Bleeker’s auction catalogue listed 24 specimens as do his 1874 and 1876 papers. No specimen in RMNH 5584 was close to the 75mm total length of one syntype and is considered missing. One specimen, 81 mm SL was 90+mm total length was the closest to the 94 mm specimen and could be considered to be the larger syntype. It is completely faded, lacking all of the distinguishing color pattern. The British Museum has three specimens, 51–53 mm SL (all with broken caudal fins, total lengths unknown 54+, 61+ and 65+) and one specimen 70 mm SL (85+ TL) in BMNH 1880.4.21.83–86 listed as syntypes (also in Eschmeyer, 1998). All the BMNH specimens are considered to be non-type material because none agrees with the syntypes’ total lengths. All specimens belong in the species group but lack species specific color patterns because of fading with time.

Additional Bleeker material is present in both museums beyond what Bleeker originally reported or in the auction catalog (see Lamme, 1973). Because of the additional material, missing one syntype, and inability to make a completely positive identification of a remaining syntype, designation of a lectotype is not possible. The basis for Bleeker’s name is from data in the original description and his illustrations in the Atlas (1875– 76, percoid Pl. 67, Fig. 2 ). The iris of the eye is reddish in this figure and Bleeker (1874 and 1871 –75) mentions this trait (yellow or red) but not in the original description: “... aureo fuscescente plus minusve arenato; fasciis 3 latis transversis diffusis violascentibus, anteriore sub pinna dorsali spinosa, 2 a sub pinna dorsali radiosa, 3 a cauda basi pinnae caudalis approximata; pinna dorsali radiosa fusca; pinnis ceteris roseis, caudali leviter violascente.” The species treated here as Nectamia bandanensis requires the fewest assumptions and has the best fit to Bleeker’s original concept and subsequent figure. The 90+mm total length specimen is more likely then any other extant specimens to be one of the syntypes, but because the collection was contaminated with non-type material a neotype is designated.

This species has been mis-identified from many locations by virtually all ichthyological reports except for a few of the most recent publications. Lachner (1951) treated this species but provided a photograph (Plate 18,B) of a new species, Nectamia similis . His study material was from the Albatross Expeditions to the Philippines and Indonesia and consisted of Nectamia luxuria (13 lots), N. savayensis (2 lot, both questionably referred, p.599), N. similis (7 lots) and N. viria (1 lot, questionably referred, p.599). No specimens of Nectamia bandanensis were clearly present. This species has been taken with Nectamia savayensis in the Marshall Islands (BPBM 28971). The largest of 55 specimens was 80 mm SL.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Gill rakers and rudiments on second arch. Ostorhinchus fleurieu, USNM 171272, 79.1 mm SL, (A) hypobranchial, dorsal view, (B) ceratobranchial, lateral view. Nectamia fusca, USNM 112348, 62.3 mm SL (C) hypobranchial, dorsal view, (D) ceratobranchial, lateral view. Scale = 1.0 mm.

FIGURE 6. Underwater photographs of eight species of Nectamia. A. N. similis, new species, Calamian Is., Philippines, G. R. Allen. B. N. luxuria, new species, Andaman Sea, Thailand, U. Satapoomin. C. N. viria, new species, Raj Ampat, Indonesia, R. F. Myers. D. N. zebrinus, Red Sea, Egypt. R. F. Myers. E. N. annularis, Red Sea, Sudan, J. E. Randall. F. N. savayensis, Solomon Sea, Bougainville I., J. E. Randall G. N. bandanensis, Ogasawara Is., Japan, J. E. Randall. H. N. fusca, Red Sea, R. H. Kuiter.

FIGURE 8. Distribution of the material examined for Nectamia bandanensis and N. ignitops.

FIGURE 18. A hypothesis for phylogenetic relationships within Nectamia based characteristics in Tables 12 and 13. One of six best trees retained based on a heuristic search using parsimony was identical to the 50% majority rule consensus of 6664 trees. All 11 characters of equal weight were parsimony-informative. Holapogon maximus was used as an outgroup.