Starksia greenfieldi Baldwin & Castillo

Baldwin, Carole C., Castillo, Cristina I., Weigt, Lee A. & Benjamin C., Victor, 2011, Seven new species within western Atlantic Starksia atlantica, S. lepicoelia, and S. sluiteri (Teleostei, Labrisomidae), with comments on congruence of DNA barcodes and species, ZooKeys 79, pp. 21-72 : 41-44

Starksia greenfieldi Baldwin & Castillo sp. n. Figs 11215Table 3

Starksia sluiteri Williams and Mounts 2003, Aqua 6(4): Fig. 9 (male and female specimens from Tobago)

Type Locality:

Tobago, Trinidad and Tobago

Holotype.

USNM 320832, male, 19.0 mm SL (not a DNA voucher), sta. JTW 90-9, vertical wall just north of Charlotteville on east side of North Point, Tobago, 5-12 m, 8 Sep 1990, J. T. Williams, J. Howe, S. Blum, D. Johnson, S. Love, M. Schotte.

Paratypes (all from Tobago).

USNM 398919, male, 22.0 mm SL (not a DNA voucher), same locality information as for holotype; USNM 398922, TOB 9282, female, 19.0 mm SL, sta. TOB09-8, rock/coral outcrops on sand, Pirate’s Bay, Charlotteville, <3 m, 11°19.300'N, 60°32.977'W, 18 Mar 2009 (small fillet removed from right side for DNA tissue sample). USNM 398921, TOB 9275, male, 17.0 mm SL, collected in same station, TOB09-8, as USNM 398922 above (small fillet removed from right side for DNA tissue sample); USNM 398920, TOB 9212, male, 15.0 mm SL, sta. TOB09-6, Buccoo Reef, 9-11 m, 11°11.167'N, 60°50.761'W, 17 Mar 2009 (posterior portion of body destroyed for DNA tissue sample); USNM 398924, sta. TOB09-11, 4 specimens: (1) 12.0 mm SL juvenile, (2) 18.0 mm SL females, (1) 19.5 mm SL female (not DNA vouchers), Store Bay, 5-9 m, 11°09.349'N, 60°50.535'W, 16 Mar 2009; USNM 398923, sta. TOB 09-1, (1) 17.0 mm SL male (not a DNA voucher), coral heads/coral rubble off Mt. Irvine Beach (Hotel Beach), <1 m, 11°11.786'N, 60°47.768'W, 15 Mar 2009; USNM 320829, sta. JTW 90-11, female, 22.0 mm SL (not a DNA voucher), coral rubble/sand, Buccoo Reef (reef crest and lagoon side of reef), 1-3 m, 11°11'12"N, 60°49'30"W, 10 Sep 1990.

Additional Material (all Tobago).

USNM 398925, TOB 9213; USNM 398926, TOB 9214; USNM 398918, 19 specimens; USNM 398917, 16; USNM 320823, 5.

Diagnosis.

A species of Starksia distinguished by the following combination of characters: orbital cirrus present; two to three rows of dark blotches on side of body, blotches in middle row (or ventral row if only two rows) mostly circular, never vertically elongate or oval; white (or pale), mostly round spots (absence of melanophores against a darker background) on at least portions of cheek, opercle, and gular region, this spotting pattern more prominent in males; males with dark blotch of pigment on anterior portion of spinous dorsal fin; first anal-fin spine one-half to three-quarters length of male genital papilla; belly naked.

Description.

See Table 3. Dorsal spines XVIII–XX (XIX); segmented dorsal rays 7-9, modally 8 (7); total dorsal elements 26-28, modally 27 (26); anal spines (II); segmented anal rays 15-16, modally 16 (15); dorsal segmented caudal-fin rays 7; ventral segmented caudal-fin rays 6; dorsal procurrent caudal-fin rays 5-6 (5); ventral procurrent caudal-fin rays 5-6, rarely 6 (5); segmented pelvic-fin rays 2; pectoral-fin rays 13-14, rarely 14 (13); vertebrae 10+21 –23=31– 33, usually 10+22=32 (10+22=32); infraorbital pore arrangement variable-unpaired (condition in holotype), one pair at 3 o’clock, two pairs (3 and 6 o’clock), and one specimen with three pairs (3, 4, and 5 o’clock); orbital, nape, and anterior-nostril cirri present and; belly and pectoral-fin base completely naked.

Specimens examined ranging from 11.0-23.0 mm SL; HL 30-36% SL (36%); length of male genital papilla 19-26% SL in specimens 19.0 mm SL and larger (26%), 12-14% in specimens 15.0-17.0 mm SL; papilla adhered to first anal-fin spine and extending well beyond it, spine one-half length of papilla in most males, greater than three-quarters in smallest males.

Pigment.

Head and body pale yellow to pale orange, generally more orange in males, more yellow in females; posterior margins of most body scales covered with yellow or orange chromatophores mixed with melanophores, resulting in background pattern of chain-link or diamond-shaped markings. Two or three rows of dark markings on trunk in mature specimens, markings diffuse in some specimens: dorsalmost row with 7-10 roughly square blotches that extend onto bases of dorsal-fin elements (another dark blotch on nape in line with this row of markings); second row with 6-7 circular blotches situated just above lateral midline; lower row, if present, with 1-4 diffuse, round to oblong blotches. A few to many white, mostly round spots on at least portions of cheek, opercle, and gular region and sometimes lower jaw; this pattern resulting from the absence of melanophores against a darker background and typically significantly more prominent in males. Males also differing from females in having dark blotch of pigment on anterior portion of spinous dorsal fin. Distinctive, dark-orange markings usually present on proximal portion of dorsal fin where dark blotches in dorsalmost row of markings on body extend onto dorsal fin; where those dark blotches extend onto two (vs. one) dorsal-fin element, dark orange markings distinctly paired. Orange pigment also present on distal portions of pectoral-fin rays and lighter orange pigment present on at least distal portions of second dorsal-, caudal-, and posterior anal-fin rays; sometimes orange blotches present intermittently along lengths of second dorsal-, caudal-, and anal-fin rays forming wavy stripes or bars of pigment on those fins. Orange pigment present on top of head, in bright ring around eye, and on nasal cirrus. Some specimens with dark orange pigment on snout, in blotches radiating from pupil, on operculum, and on dorsal portions of pectoral-fin base. In one specimen most chromatophores on head and body yellow to yellowish orange, but those on nasal cirrus, around eye, and on fins distinctly orange.

Color in preservative.

Diagnostic dark markings on trunk present as described above; diagnostic white, round spots on head described above present as distinctive pale markings in preserved specimens-head markings especially prominent in large males; trunk largely tan and peppered with dark dots, especially along posterior margins of scales; lips with mottled or barred pigment pattern; a fairly uniform covering of melanophores on snout, branchiostegals, pectoral-fin base, and belly; eye sometimes surrounded by dark ring of pigment; top of head and nape usually darker than rest of head, pigment on nape usually in form of dark saddle extending over dorsal midline; two concentrations of melanophores usually visible on brain; dorsal and anal fins dusky, dark body blotches in upper row usually extending onto base of dorsal fin; dorsal fin of males with dark blotch between spines II–IV; caudal-fin rays edged with dark pigment, outer rays with more uniform scattering of melanophores; proximal portion of pectoral fin covered with scattered melanophores, distal portion with dark edging along rays; males sometimes with pigment on membranes between some pectoral rays distally; pelvic fin clear.

Etymology.

The species name is in honor of David W. Greenfield, in recognition of his work on blennioid fishes, particularly his work on the Starksia ocellata complex.

Distribution.

Known only from Tobago