Fibramia new genus Fraser, 2014

Mabuchi, Kohji, Fraser, Thomas H., Song, Hayeun, Azuma, Yoichiro & Nishida, Mutsumi, 2014, Revision of the systematics of the cardinalfishes (Percomorpha: Apogonidae) based on molecular analyses and comparative reevaluation of morphological characters, Zootaxa 3846 (2), pp. 151-203 : 189-191

Fibramia new genus Fraser & Mabuchi

Figure 8

Type species Apogon thermalis Cuvier in Cuvier & Valenciennes, 1829, holotype MNHN 8686; 54.7 mm SL, Sri Lanka, Trincomalee, Reynaud.

Diagnosis. A member of the Apogoninae ; dorsal fin VI+I,9; anal fin II,8; developed gill rakers 16–25; posttemporal edge smooth; anterior naris tubular; black dorsal spine membranes of the first, most of the second and distal part of the third membranes with the remainder of the fin pale; discreet or diffuse dark or silvery midline body stripe ending in a basicaudal spot smaller than the pupil of the eye; intestine and stomach pale with tiny melanophores, peritoneum pale.

Other characteristics. one supernumerary dorsal spine; one supernumerary anal spine; first segmented fin-ray in second dorsal-fin branched, first anal fin-ray branched and segmented; ctenoid scales on predorsal, cheek, breast, two pelvic scales, and body; cycloid scale on opercle and onto base of caudal fin; pored lateral-line scales simple with one pore above and one below midline; caudal fin forked; 9+8 segmented principal caudal rays, 15 branched, upper and lower unbranched; unbranched procurrent rays, longest segmented; teeth on premaxilla, dentary, vomer, palatine, all villiform; preopercle ridge smooth, preopercle edges ossified and serrated; infraorbitals smooth; six infraorbitals, bony shelf on third infraorbital; supramaxilla absent; basisphenoid present; anterior ceratohyal notched; three supraneurals; 10+14 vertebrae; 8 ribs; 8 epipleurals; 5 free hypurals, 3 epurals; reduced second pair of uroneurals; free parhypural; low crest on PU2.

Etymology. A combination of the feminine Latin fibra meaning thread or filament and the feminine Greek amia often applied as an ending for some cardinalfish genera as well as an incorrect past usage as a cardinalfish genus. The name refers to two characteristics of the species in this genus, an elongate second dorsal spine in one species and the narrow, pale or dark mid-line on the body of two species.

Remarks. Three recognized species, Apogon amboinensis Bleeker 1853 , Apogon lateralis Valenciennes 1832 and Apogon thermalis Valenciennes 1832 , all described in Apogon belong in the new genus. There is one or possibly two new species in this group. Fraser (1972) treated these three species in the subgenus Nectamia . Gon (1987) revived Ostorhinchus which replaced Nectamia . Fraser (2008) later recognized Nectamia as a genus for a different group of apogonids. Mabuchi et al. (2006, Fig. 2 ) using a molecular analysis, hypothesized that these species ( Apogon thermalis and A. amboinensis were included with the former species referred to as Apogon sangiensis ) were related to species of Zoramia Jordan 1971 as Ostorhinchus I. That hypothesized relationship holds for the molecular analyses reported here (clade VIII in the molecular trees).

The dorsal and anal fins of these three species share a VI+I, 9 in the dorsal fin and II, 8 in the anal fin. Species of Zoramia shares the VI+I,9 dorsal fins but have one more anal ray II,9. Adults of thermalis have a somewhat elongated second dorsal spine similar to some species of Zoramia . All species of Fibramia have black dorsal spine membranes of the first, most of the second and distal part of the third membranes with the remainder of the fin pale. No species of Zoramia has a black mark in the first dorsal fin ( Fraser & Lachner 1985; Kuiter & Kozawa 1999; Greenfield et al. 2005). All species of Fibramia have a discreet or diffuse midline body stripe ending in a basicaudal spot smaller than the pupil of the eye. No species of Zoramia has a midline stripe, rather those species with body markings have bars while the others have no bars or stripes. The intestine and stomach are pale for species of Fibramia and blackish for all species of Zoramia . Species of Fibramia have an ossified shelf on the third infraorbital while species of Zoramia lack this shelf. Species of Fibramia have 16–25 developed gill rakers while species of Zoramia have 24–32 developed gill rakers.

Fibramia and Zoramia are sister genera recognized in the new tribe Zoramiini .

Figures

FIGURE 2. Phylogenetic tree from the partitioned maximum-likelihood (ML) analysis. Numbers besides internal branches indicate bootstrap probabilities (BPs) from 1000 replicates (only those of> 50% shown). Species names of recent Ostorhinchus [we included here Apogonichthyoides melas as a possible Ostorhinchus, following Mabuchi et al. (2006)] were blue, those of Apogon sensu lato [genus Apogon in Fraser (1972)] excepting the Ostorhinchus red, and those of genus Rhabdamia in Fraser (1972) green. The names of the twelve major clades (clades I to XII) within the Apogoninae were indicated on the left of the corresponding clades. Four species, which phylogenetic positions were largely different among the ML, Bayesian (BA: Fig. 3), and most parsimonious (MP: Figs. 4 and 5) tress, were indicated by arrows with asterisks.

FIGURE 8. Fibramia thermalis. A. Live adults taken at Gilimanuk, Bali, Indonesia, about 50 mm by J.E. Randall. B. Preserved in 70% ethanol, USNM 361694, 50.2 mm SL, Vanuatu, Efate I., Emten Lagoon, by T. Fraser.