Upeneus lombok, Uiblein, Franz & White, William T., 2015

Uiblein, Franz & White, William T., 2015, A new goatfish of the genus Upeneus (Mullidae) from Lombok, Indonesia and first verified record of U. asymmetricus for the Indian Ocean, Zootaxa 3980 (1), pp. 51-66 : 53-56

Upeneus lombok n. sp.

Lombok goatfish

( Figs 1 , 2 ; Table 1)

Holotype. NTM S.11341-002, 94 mm SL, Indonesia, Lombok , 08°48' S, 116°33' E, 54–60 m depth.

Paratypes. NTM S.11343-005, 86 mm SL, Indonesia, Lombok , Alas Strait, 08°50' S, 116°33' E, 56–76 m depth; MZB 22710 (Genetic accession number BW-A7686), 51 mm SL (subadult), Lombok , Tanjung Luar, fish market.

Diagnosis. Dorsal fins VII + 9; pectoral fins 14 or 15; gill rakers 7–8 + 20–21 = 27–29; measurements in % SL for adults (for subadult in parentheses): body depth at first dorsal-fin origin 21–23 (23); body depth at anus 19 (18); caudal-peduncle depth 9.2–9.3 (9.5); maximum head depth 19–20 (19); head depth through eye 14–15 (16); interorbital length 7.2–8.3 (7.8); head length 28–30 (29); snout length 9.2–9.6 (9.0); postorbital length 12 (12); orbit length 7.5–7.9 (8.4); upper jaw length 9.4–9.7 (9.8); barbel length 19–20 (17); caudal-peduncle length 21–23 (24); caudal-fin length 28–29 (29); anal-fin height 12–13 (15); pelvic-fin length 21–22 (20); pectoral-fin length 20– 21 (21); first dorsal-fin height 19 (20); second dorsal-fin height 14 (16); subadult fresh colour: upper lobe of caudal fin with 3 red-brown oblique bars including 1 bar close to tip (5 bars in preserved adult); lower caudal-fin lobe covered on inner (dorsal) two-thirds with dark red-brown pigmentation, the distal-most (ventral) 3 rays mostly unpigmented or whitish; barbels white; body dorsally darkened and head entirely dark apart from silvery scale regions below and behind eyes; preserved fish dark brown, ventrally lighter; bars on upper caudal-fin lobe and lower lobe pigmentation not or only weakly retained in preserved fish.

Description. Morphometric data as ratios of SL for holotype, followed by data for adult and subadult paratype (both in square brackets with subadult in round brackets): body moderately deep, its depth at first dorsal-fin origin 4.7[4.3 (4.4)]; body depth at anal-fin origin 5.1[5.2 (5.4)]; head depth through eye 7.1[6.6 (6.3)]; head length 3.6[3.3 (3.5)], larger than maximum depth of body and subequal to caudal-fin length (3.5[3.4 (3.5)]); snout length 8.6 [8.2 (8.1)], shorter than postorbital length (11 [10 (11)]); orbit length 13[13 (12)], smaller than caudal-peduncle depth (11[11 (10)]); barbel length 5.3[5.1 (6.0)]; anal-fin height 8.1 [7.4 (6.6)], second dorsal-fin height 7.4[6.9 (6.1)]; pectoral-fin length 5.0[4.9 (4.8)], subequal to pelvic-fin length (4.8[4.6 (5.0)]).

Fresh colour (subadult paratype, Figure 1 ): dorsal half of body and postorbital region of head dark grey, ventral half of body pale; belly with several rose to red patches; head dark red-brown anteriorly and below eye to operculum, pale ventrally; barbels white; caudal-fin upper lobe with 3 red-brown oblique bars of about pupil width, 1 small bar close to fin tip and the other 2 proximal bars slightly bent, with hyaline bar interspaces slightly wider than bars; lower caudal-fin lobe covered to about two thirds by red-brown pigmentation at inner (dorsal) side, the ventral-most 3 rays at outer side whitish with some red-brown pigmentation along outermost fin margin proximally, close to fin base; dorsal fins with 2 red-brown horizontal stripes each, the more proximal stripe wellseparated from body at first dorsal fin, while close to body at second dorsal fin; pectoral, pelvic, and dorsal fins hyaline.

Preserved colour. Holotype and adult paratype brown grey on dorsal two thirds of body and head and pale to white-silvery from below head to caudal-fin insertion; the pale pigmented area extends vertically to mid-body on operculum; subadult paratype dark brown on head and body; upper caudal-fin lobe bars: 5 oblique brown bars in holotype, the most distal bar close to tip and the 2 most proximal bars close to fin base and slightly bent, adult paratype with only faintly visible remains of 4 bars, and subadult paratype with 3 dark brown bars; lower caudalfin lobe: in both adult types weakly light brown pigmented on inner (dorsal) two thirds of lobe, while pale along outermost 3 rays on ventral side of lobe, in subadult paratype lower lobe on inner (dorsal) two thirds brown pigmented, while mostly pale in ventral part along the 3 outermost fin rays, with dark pigmentation along outermost fin margin proximally, close to fin base; barbels uniformly brown in all three type specimens.

Distribution. Currently only known from Lombok , Indonesia, Eastern Indian Ocean.

Etymology. The name “ lombok ” is used as a noun in apposition and is derived from the type locality, Lombok , Indonesia.

Comparisons. Upeneus lombok n. sp. differs from all congeneric species in the following combination of characteristics: 7 dorsal-fin spines, 14–15 pectoral-fin rays, 27–29 total gill rakers (20–21 rakers on lower limb), snout length 9.0–9.6% SL and anal-fin height 12–13% SL in adults (15% in single subadult).

Upeneus lombok n. sp. differs from the other similar species of the japonicus group as follows (comparative data in Table 1): from U. asymmetricus in shallower body at anal-fin origin, shorter snout, lower anal and second dorsal fins, and oblique bars on lower caudal fin absent vs. present; it differs from U. francisi , in fewer gill rakers, shallower body and head, shorter snout and jaws, lower anal and second dorsal fins, and shorter pectoral fins; it differs from U. japonicus in shorter snout, lower anal and dorsal fins, and lower caudal-fin lobe with a stripe on inner two thirds of fin vs. more entirely covered; it differs from U. pori in shallower body depth at anal-fin origin, shorter snout and jaws, lower anal and dorsal fins, narrower pectoral fin, and oblique bars on lower caudal-fin lobe absent vs. present; it differs from U. saiab in shorter snout and lower anal fin; and it differs from U. seychellensis in more gill rakers, shorter snout and jaws, and lower anal and second dorsal fins

Furthermore, Upeneus lombok n. sp. differs from 14 other potentially co-occurring species as follows: from U. australiae , U. guttatus , and U. torres in more gill rakers (gill rakers on lower limb, 20–21 vs. 16–19; total gill rakers, 27–29 vs. 22–26), shorter snout length (9.2–9.6 vs. 9.8–13% SL), lower anal fin (anal-fin height 12–13 vs. 15–20% SL), and a red-brown stripe on inner (dorsal) two thirds of lower caudal-fin lobe vs. the lobe either almost entirely covered by an orange or red stripe ( U. torres ), or the lobe crossed by oblique bars at outside (ventrally) that connect to a stripe at inner side (dorsally) ( U. guttatus ), or the lobe crossed by brown or black oblique bars ( U. australiae ); it differs from U. moluccensis , U. quadrilineatus , and U. sulphureus in 7 vs. 8 dorsal-fin spines, fewer lateral-line scales (30–31 vs. 33–37), shallower body (body depth at first dorsal-fin origin 21–23 vs. 24–33% SL; body depth at anal-fin origin 19 vs. 20–27% SL), shorter jaws (upper-jaw length 9.4–9.7 vs. 10–13; lower-jaw length 8.6–9.3 vs. 10–13), and a red-brown stripe on inner (dorsal) two thirds of lobe vs. no stripe; it differs from U. stenopsis , U. subvittatus , and U. vittatus in 7 vs. 8 dorsal-fin spines, shallower head (maximum head depth 19– 20 vs. 21–26% SL; head depth through eye 14–15 vs. 17–20% SL), shorter snout length (9.2–9.6 vs. 10–13% SL), lower anal fin (anal-fin height 12–13 vs. 14–18% SL), and no bars vs. dark oblique bars on lower caudal-fin lobe; it differs from U. luzonius , U. margarethae , U. sundaicus and U. tragula in 7 vs. 8 dorsal-fin spines, more gill rakers (gill rakers on lower limb 20–21 vs. 13–18; total gill rakers 27–29 vs. 18–24), shorter snout (snout length 9.2–9.6 vs. 10–14% SL), lower anal fin (anal-fin height 12–13 vs. 14–18% SL), and a red-brown stripe on inner (dorsal) two thirds of lobe vs. no stripe (all four species) or a stripe with oblique bars on outermost (ventral) lobe margin (Western Indian Ocean U. margarethae ); and it differs from U. nigromarginatus Bos, 2014 in 7 vs. 8 dorsalfin spines, less lateral-line scales (30–31 vs. 36–37), shallower body (body depth at first dorsal-fin origin 21–23 vs. 31–35% SL; body depth at anal-fin origin 19 vs. 27–30% SL), shorter jaws (upper-jaw length 9.4–9.7 vs. 11–12% SL), lower anal fin (anal-fin height 12–13 vs. 16–17% SL), and a red-brown stripe on on inner (dorsal) two thirds of lobe vs. no stripe.

The single subadult paratype of U. lombok n. sp. deviates from the two adult types slightly in a few morphometric characters, e.g. a deeper head through eye, larger eyes, shorter barbels, and a higher second dorsal fin; it differs from subadults of U. francisi in body form in a similar way as indicated for the adults of both species (see further above). Upeneus lombok n. sp. attains 94 mm SL.

Remarks. Upeneus lombok n. sp. is most similar to U. saiab , from which it differs in having a shorter snout and a lower anal fin ( Figure 2 A, C, E). Both species are currently known only from a single locality in the Eastern Indian Ocean ( Lombok ) and the Western Indian Ocean (Angoche, Mozambique), respectively. The genetic relationship between the two species is unknown, as no tissue samples of U. saiab are currently available. One possible distinction in colour patterns that deserves further attention are the rose to red patches on belly of the new species which seem to be absent in U. saiab . These patches may however also be an artifact. A recent underwater photograph of a small Upeneus species from off Bali ( Allen & Erdmann, 2012: 510) has a few pale red patches on the belly and a caudal-fin colour pattern very similar to U. lombok n. sp. This specimen, attributed to U. sundaicus , has a marked red bar through the eye to the ventral head margin, very similar to specimens of U. pori photographed under water (e.g. Ben-Tuvia & Golani 1989: 107; Randall 1995: 243). Furthermore, the Allen & Erdmann fish has yellow barbels; Upeneus pori , like U. guttatus , has white or yellow barbels in life ( Uiblein & Heemstra, 2010 ).

The comparative material of Upeneus francisi studied here confirms the presence of this species from the Kermadec Islands where it had previously been recorded only once, based on a photograph ( Randall & Guézé 1992).

Figures

FIGURE 1 (A) Upeneus lombok n. sp., paratype (MZB 22710), 51 mm SL, Lombok (W. T. White); (B) U. asymmetricus (CSIRO H 7417 - 02), 93 mm SL, Lombok (W. T. White); (C) Upeneus francisi (BPBM 34256), 56 mm SL, Norfolk Island (J. E. Randall); (D) U. pori, holotype (HUJ 13627), Eilat, Red Sea, 98 mm SL (D. Darom); (E) U. saiab, holotype (SAIAB 188298), 102 mm SL, Angoche, Mozambique (M. Lisher); (F) Upeneus seychellensis, paratype (SAIAB 84280), 102 mm SL, Seychelles Bank (O. Alvheim)

FIGURE 2. Relationships between SL and four body-form characters (A – D), between two body-form characters (E), and between a meristic and body-form character, respectively (F, G) in Upeneus lombok n. sp., U. asymmetricus, and five other species of the japonicus group with high gill-raker counts. The two geographic groups of U. asymmetricus from the Philippines and Lombok are indicated.