Antennablennius adenensis Fraser-Brunner, 1951

Estekani, Sanaz, Bogorodsky, Sergey V., Zajonz, Uwe, Hundt, Peter J., Siahsarvie, Roohollah & Aliabadian, Mansour, 2024, Mitochondrial DNA-based reassessment of Antennablennius Fowler (Blenniidae: Salariini) from the north-western Indian Ocean, with resurrection of A. persicus (Regan), Zootaxa 5501 (3), pp. 425-446 : 431-433

Antennablennius adenensis Fraser-Brunner, 1951 and affiliated lineages

Aden Blenny

Figure 4 , Tables 3 & 4

Antennablennius adenensis Fraser-Brunner, 1951: 219 (Gulf of Aden, Yemen, at Aden; holotype: BMNH 1954.4.26.1)— Bath 1983: 50 (Red Sea, Eritrea; Gulf of Aden, Yemen; Gulf of Oman; Pakistan); Randall et al. 1994: 236 (Persian Gulf); Randall 1995: 312, Fig. 880 (Oman, Musandam); Sharafiniya et al. 2021: 67 (Persian Gulf, Iran, Qeshm Island); Ryanskiy 2022: 95 (Oman).

Description (nominal species vs. affiliated lineages). Dorsal-fin rays XII, 16–18 in Red Sea and western Gulf of Aden specimens, XII, 17–19 in A. aff. adenensis 1 ( Iran and Pakistan), XII, 18 in A. aff. adenensis 2 ( Socotra Island); anal-fin rays II, 18–20 in Red Sea and western Gulf of Aden specimens, XII, 17–20 in A. aff. adenensis 1, XII, 19 in A. aff. adenensis 2; pectoral-fin rays 14; body depth 5.1–5.8 in SL; lateral line ending below dorsal-fin spine III–VI; a nasal cirrus just reaching to upper lip; a pair of very short cirri on nape; no crest on head; 40 teeth in upper jaw and 25 in lower in a specimen from Red Sea, 38 and 30 teeth in Socotra specimen, 39–42 and 31–34 teeth in specimens from Iran, respectively; dorsal fin moderately notched between spinous and soft portions (less than half the length of first soft ray). Size: Attains 5 cm.

Coloration of living and fresh specimens (based on specimens from Socotra Island, Oman , and Persian Gulf, Fig. 4 ). Males pale grey, with six indistinct blackish bars alongside of body, blackish spots below spinous portion of dorsal fin, including vertically-elongate darker spots within first two bars, and numerous, scattered, small pale blue spots below soft portion of dorsal fin; head with six, slightly elongate, blackish spots, four below and behind eye and two on upper half of opercle (the spot on dorsoposterior edge of opercle blue-edged dorsally), and an oblique row of small blue spots from posterior edge of eye to posterior opercular edge; chin, snout, nape and predorsal area covered with small pale blue and red spots; four black spots present from chin to lower pectoral-fin base; iris with an oblique dark red bar and curved marks, one dorsoanteriorly and another posteriorly along edge; spinous portion of dorsal fin yellow, with three indistinct, oblique, dusky bands, small blackish spot between second and third spines distally, dusky submarginal stripe and white margin; soft portion of dorsal fin with small pale blue and greenish spots along rays; anal fin greyish white, every other soft ray and adjacent edge of membrane blackish; basal half and base of pectoral fins with tiny blue spots; caudal fin with greenish spots along rays. Females paler in color; spinous portion of dorsal fin simple without any color and spot; fins without blue spots. There are no marked differences in coloration between the various locations and lineages.

Distribution and habitat. Known from the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden ( Bath 1983), but not reported from the Socotra Archipelago before ( Zajonz et al. 2019). Previously reported from the coastline of Oman and the Persian Gulf ( Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Iran) to Pakistan (e.g. Bath 1983; Randall 1995). These reports are questionable as long as the lineage from Iran (present study) is not referred to A. adenensis sensu Fraser-Brunner with certainty. For the same reason the lineage from Socotra (present study) is not referred to A. adenensis sensu Fraser-Brunner. Typically occurs on stones in areas with wave actions, at depths of 2–4 m, often in tidepools.

Remarks. Described from 17 specimens collected from a tidepool at Aden; first reported from the Red Sea by Bath (1983) from eight specimens collected from the Dahlak Archipelago, Eritrea, in addition to material examined by him from Oman and Pakistan. The species is easily distinguished from other members of the genus by having relatively short nape and nasal cirri, red spots on nape and predorsal area for both sexes, and spinous portion of dorsal fin yellow in males. Two genetic lineages are recognized in the present study (see above). Neither of which can presently be referred with certainty to A. adenensis sensu Fraser-Brunner , pending COI data from populations near the locus typicus Aden, given that morphological differences are minor among them. The Socotra specimen has fewer teeth than the Iranian specimens, yet within the range given by Bath (1983) ( Table 3 ). The frequencies of dorsal- and anal-fin ray counts are shown for four localities in Table 4 . Additional study is needed to determine whether two or three species exist within a putative A. adenensis clade, and whether one of the two lineages found in the present study represents the true A. adenensis .

Material examined. Antennablennius adenensis (n=2), Red Sea, Eritrea, Dahlak Archipelago: SMF 36380, 38.5 mm SL; SMF 36381, 36.7 mm SL.

Antennablennius aff. adenensis 1 (n=13), Persian Gulf, Iran: Hormozgan province, Kish Island , coral reef, 26.5107° N, 54.0484° E, depth 0–3 m, coll. S. Estekani: ZMFUM-BLE-0100, 32.0 mm SL; ZMFUM-BLE-0101 (tissue sample 310k2021), 37.0 mm SL; ZMFUM-BLE-0102, 41.5 mm SL; ZMFUM-BLE-0103 (tissue sample 313k2021), 35.0 mm SL; ZMFUM-BLE-0104, 40.0 mm SL; ZMFUM-BLE-0105, 40.0 mm SL; ZMFUM-BLE-0106, 42.0 mm SL; ZMFUM-BLE-0107 (tissue sample 314k2021), 29.0 mm SL; ZMFUM-BLE-0108, 31.0 mm SL; ZMFUM-BLE-0109 (tissue sample 317k2021), 31.0 mm SL; ZMFUM-BLE-0110, 31.0 mm SL; ZMFUM-BLE-0111 (tissue sample 328k2021), 32.0 mm SL. Gulf of Oman, Iran: Sistan and Baluchestan province, Chabahar— Ramin, 25.2670° N, 60.7531° E, depth 1.5 m, coll. S. Estekani: ZMFUM-BLE-0112 (tissue sample 386ch2021), 35.0 mm SL.

Antennablennius aff. adenensis 2, Socotra Island: SMF 34097 (tissue sample SOC18-006), 23.2 mm SL, male, Di Hamri, depth 3 m, coll. S.V. Bogorodsky & U. Zajonz.

Figures

FIGURE 4. A: Antennablennius adenensis, BPBM 34470, 35.0 mm SL, Musandam, Oman. Antennablennius aff. adenensis 2, SMF 34097 (tissue sample SOC18-006), 23.2 mm SL, male, Di Hamri, Socotra Island, B: fresh specimen; C: live specimen. Antennablennius aff. adenensis 1, D & E: ZMFUM-BLE-0104, 40.0 mm SL, male, Kish Island, Iran, Persian Gulf; F: ZMFUM- BLE-0110, 31.0 mm SL, female, Kish Island, Iran, Persian Gulf. Photos by J.E. Randall (A), S.V. Bogorodsky (B & C), S. Estekani (D–F).