Goniistius Gill

Ludt, William B., Burridge, Christopher P. & Chakrabarty, Prosanta, 2019, A taxonomic revision of Cheilodactylidae and Latridae (Centrarchiformes: Cirrhitoidei) using morphological and genomic characters, Zootaxa 4585 (1), pp. 121-141 : 130-131

Genus Goniistius Gill

( Fig. 6 )

Goniistius Gill, 1862: 120 [Type-species: Cheilodactylus zonatus Cuvier, 1830 by original designation].

Zeodrius Castelnau 1879: 377 [Type-species Zeodrius vestitus Castelnau, 1879 by subsequent designation of Jordan, 1919].

Gregoryina Fowler & Ball 1924: 270 [Type-species: Gregoryina gygis Fowler & Ball, 1924 (= junior synonym of G. vittatus Garrett, 1864 ) by original designation].

Etymology. Gender masculine. Derived from the Greek -gon (angled), and the Greek istion (sail) for the oblique bars found on many species.

Inclusive species. Goniistius zonatus (Cuvier) (type species), G. francisi (Burridge) , G. gibbosus (Richardson) , G. plessisi (Randall) , G. quadricornis (Günther) , G. rubrolabiatus (Allen & Heemstra) , G. vestitus (Castelnau) , G. vittatus (Garrett) , G. zebra (Döderlein)

Diagnosis. Diagnosis as in Randall (1983) using the following combination of characters: dorsal-fin elements XVI–XVIII, 29–35; anal-fin elements III, 8–12; lateral-line scales 54–71; pectoral-fin rays 14 with ventral 6 thickened and unbranched; pectoral-fin rays not extending to anal-fin origin. Body ovoid and compressed; lips large and fleshy; bony processes commonly found on the frontal bone medially to the orbit or anteriorly on the maxilla except for G. rubrolabiatus and G. zonatus ; dorsal profile of head steep and resulting in a deep body for all species except G. rubrolabiatus . All species with multiple angled bars along the body and head, which are black and white in most species (reddish brown in G. rubrolabiatus , and yellow in G. zonatus ).

Habitat and distribution. This genus has an anti-tropical distribution in the Pacific ( Randall 1983). In the Southern Hemisphere they are found in the temperate waters off eastern and western Australia and two species occur among south Pacific islands, including Easter Island. Members of this genus also occur in the Northern Hemisphere in Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, and Hawaii. Members of Goniistius are commonly found in rocky reef areas consuming invertebrates from the substrate.

Comments. In their revision of Australian morwongs, Allen and Heemstra (1976) placed several genera, including Goniistius , in synonymy with Cheilodactylus because many of these genera were erected due to morphological differences with the type species, C. fasciatus . Since then, Goniistius was treated as a valid subgenus of Cheilodactylus by many authors ( Randall 1983, Burridge & White 2000), and several suggested reelevating Goniistius ( Randall 2005) . Kimura et al. (2018) distinguished C. fasciatus , and C. pixi , as entirely distinct from all Australian morwongs, and elevated Goniistius as a genus within the Latridae while also expanding it to include all species historically associated with Chirodactylus . Of all species in this genus, G. rubrolabiatus appears to be the most phenotypically distinct, lacking the elevated dorsal head profile, the elongated 4 th dorsal-fin spine, and the black and white coloration. However, molecular evidence strongly supports its placement within the genus.

Material examined. G. francisi , AMS I27139-006 [n=1, Australia: Tasman Sea: Middleton Reef], AMS I42728 -001 [n=1, Australia: Lord Howe Island], AMS I27134-003 [n=1, Australia: Tasman Sea: Middleton Reef], USNM 47814 [n=1]; G. gibbosus WAM P25999-001 [n=1, Australia: Western Australia: Point Peron], WAM P24836 [n=1, Australia: Western Australia: Irwin Inlet], WAM P21780-001 [n=1, Australia: Western Australia: Swan River], WAM P25270-001 [n=1, Australia: Western Australia: Hardy Inlet], WAM P25072 [n=1, Australia: Western Australia: Harding River], USNM 84377 [n=1]; G. plessisi CAS 47908 [n=1 (paratype), French Polynesia: Easter Island], USNM 226553 [n=1 (paratype), French Polynesia: Easter Island], USNM 378135 [n=1, French Polynesia: Easter Island]; G. rubrolabiatus WAM 25225 [n=1 (holotype), Australia: Western Australia: Fremantle], WAM P22580 [n=1 (paratype), Australia: Western Australia: Rockingham], WAM P5562 [n=1, Australia: Western Australia: Rottnest Island], WAM P5925 [n=1, Australia: Western Australia: Trigg Island], USNM 214831 [n=1 (paratype), Australia: Western Australia: Cockburn Sound]; G. vestitus AMS I41831 -003 [n=1, Australia: New South Wales: Iron Peg Point], AMS I4858-005 [n=1, Australia: New South Wales: Clarence River], CAS 20400 [n=1, Australia: Queensland: Moreton Bay], NMV 54113 [n=1, Australia: New South Wales: Port Jackson]; G. vittatus CAS 20386 [n=2, United States: Hawaii: Oahu: Honolulu], USNM 126514 [n=1, United States: Hawaii]; G. zebra CAS 23483 [n=1, Japan: Kanagawa Prefecture: Misaki], USNM 56431 [n=1]; G. zonatus CAS 13996 [n=3, China: Hong Kong: Cape D’Aguilar], USNM 71062 [n=1, Japan: Osaka Prefecture: Misaki].

Figures

FIGURE 6. Goniistius zonatus, FMNH 58764, 161.1mm SL. Photograph by CD McMahan.