Pseudochromis ammeri, Gill, Anthony C., Allen, Gerald R. & Erdmann, Mark, 2012

Gill, Anthony C., Allen, Gerald R. & Erdmann, Mark, 2012, Two new species of striped Pseudochromis from the Philippine Islands and Indonesia, with a redescription of P. c o l e i (Perciformes: Pseudochromidae), Zootaxa 3165, pp. 25-38 : 26-33

Pseudochromis ammeri sp. nov.

Raja Ampat Dottyback

Figures 1–4 , Table 1

Pseudochromis sp. 3 (“Batanta Dottyback”); Kuiter and Tonozuka 2001: 184 (colour photos; Raja Ampat Islands).

Pseudochromis sp.: Allen, 2002: 52 (habitat).

Pseudochromis sp. (“Raja Dottyback, Bantanta Dottyback”); Michael, 2004: 136 (distribution, habitat, aquarium requirements, colour photo).

Pseudochromis ‘Irian Jaya’: Kuiter and Debelius 2006: 331 (colour photos).

Pseudochromis sp. 1: Allen and Erdmann, 2009: 599.

Holotype. MZB 20566, 59.6 mm SL, Indonesia, West Papua, Raja Ampat Islands, Pulau Wagmab, 2°00.483’S 130°38.121’E, 32 m, G.R. Allen, 1 February 2008.

Paratypes. WAM P.31444-001, 53.9 mm SL, Indonesia, West Papua, Waigeo Island, west side of entrance to Mayalibit Bay, 0°19.725’S 130°56.390’E, 15–20 m, sand and rubble, spear, G.R. Allen, 2 May 1998; WAM P.31540-001, 2: 57.3–70.7 mm SL, Indonesia, West Papua, Raja Rampat Islands, Kri Island, 0°33.391’S 130°41.417’E, 25–27 m, G.R. Allen, 13 April 1999; WAM P.32949-005, 10: 33.0–66.0 mm SL, Indonesia, West Papua, north Fakfak Peninsula, rocky islets off NW side of Ogar Island (02°36.332’S 132°24.775’E), 3–15 m, G.R. Allen, 16 January 2008; AMS I.45650-001, 2: 42.4-43.4 mm SL, collected with holotype; AMS I.45650.002, 2: 56.0– 57.5 mm SL (cleared and stained), collected with holotype; WAM P.32963-002, 3: 26.3–56.0 mm SL, collected with holotype.

Diagnosis. Pseudochromis ammeri differs from other pseudochromids in having the following combination of characters: pelvic-fin rays I,5; dorsal-fin rays III,24–25, usually III,24; anal-fin rays III,14; anterior tip of palatine tooth patch directed medially behind posterolateral arm of vomerine tooth patch; dark (dark grey to black in life) longitudinal stripe on upper part of body, when present on body, extending horizontally to or towards caudal-fin base; scales in lateral series 39–43; and circumpeduncular scales 20–21, usually 20.

Description (based on 21 specimens, 26.3.0– 70.7 mm SL; data for all types followed, where variation was noted, by data for holotype in parentheses). Dorsal-fin rays III,24–25 (III,24), last 8–25 segmented rays branched (all rays or all but first branched in specimens larger than about 40 mm SL; all branched in holotype); anal-fin rays III, 14, all or all but first 1–2 (all) segmented rays branched; pectoral-fin rays 17–18 (18/18); upper procurrent caudal-fin rays 6–8 (7); lower procurrent caudal-fin rays 6–8 (7); total caudal-fin rays 29–33 (31); scales in lateral series 39–43 (43/39); anterior lateral-line scales 28–34 (30/29); anterior lateral line terminating beneath segmented dorsal-fin ray 15–19 (15/16); posterior lateral-line scales 5–14 + 0–2 (11 + 1/10 + 1); scales between lateral lines 4; horizontal scale rows above anal-fin origin 14–16 + 1 + 2–4 = 18–20 (15 + 1 + 3/14 + 1 + 3); circumpeduncular scales 20–21 (20); predorsal scales 15–22 (21); scales behind eye 2–3 (3); scales to preopercular angle 5–7 (6); gill rakers 5–8 + 12–14 = 18–22 (6 + 13); pseudobranch filaments 9–14 (12); circumorbital pores 24–32 (30/28); preopercular pores 11–17 (14/12); dentary pores 4; posterior interorbital pores 1–2 (2).

Lower lip incomplete; dorsal and anal fins without scale sheaths, although sometimes with intermittent scales overlapping fin bases; predorsal scales extending anteriorly to point ranging from posterior AIO pores to anterior AIO pores; opercle with 4–5 moderately developed to large, distinct serrations; teeth of outer ceratobranchial-1 gill rakers in two rows running most of length of rakers, becoming restricted to tips on lower rakers; anterior dorsal-fin pterygiophore formula S/S/S + 3/1 + 1/1/1/1/1/1 + 1*/1 (S/S/S + 3/1 + 1/1/1/1/1/1/1 + 1); dorsal-fin spines stout and pungent; anterior anal-fin pterygiophore formula 3/1 + 1/1/1/1 + 1/1/1 + 1; anal-fin spines stout and pungent, second spine stouter than third; pelvic-fin spine stout and pungent; second segmented pelvic-fin ray longest; caudal fin emarginated to strongly emarginate; vertebrae 10 + 16; epineurals 13–15 (13); epurals 3.

Upper jaw with 2–4 pairs of curved, enlarged caniniform teeth, and about 3–4 (at symphysis) to 2–3 (on sides of jaw) inner rows of small conical teeth, outermost of rows of conical teeth much larger and more curved than inner rows; lower jaw with 1–4 pairs of curved, enlarged caniniform teeth, and about 3–4 (at symphysis) to 1 (on sides of jaw) inner rows of small conical teeth, teeth on middle of jaw larger and curved; vomer with 1–2 rows of small conical teeth, forming chevron; palatine with 1–2 irregular rows of small conical teeth arranged in elongate patch, anterior tip of patch directed medially behind posterolateral arm of vomerine tooth patch; ectopterygoid edentate; tongue moderately pointed and edentate.

As percentage of SL (based on 15 specimens, 36.4–70.7 mm): head length 23.2–28.1 (25.3); orbit diameter 6.8–10.7 (8.7); snout length 6.1–7.6 (7.2); fleshy interorbital width 5.0–5.9 (5.5); bony interorbital width 3.4–3.9 (3.7); body width 10.1–12.7 (11.6); snout tip to posterior tip of retroarticular bone 13.8–17.7 (14.4); predorsal length 31.0–35.3 (32.7); prepelvic length 29.2–36.1 (29.7); posterior tip of retroarticular bone to pelvic-fin origin 15.3–20.5 (16.4); dorsal-fin origin to pelvic-fin origin 24.2–28.8 (26.8); dorsal-fin origin to middle dorsal-fin ray 31.3–36.3 (32.7); dorsal-fin origin to anal-fin origin 38.3–42.2 (40.1); pelvic-fin origin to anal-fin origin 27.5–32.0 (32.0); middle dorsal-fin ray to dorsal-fin termination 22.5–27.5 (26.7); middle dorsal-fin ray to anal-fin origin 23.0–26.2 (23.3); anal-fin origin to dorsal-fin termination 31.3–36.1 (33.1); anal-fin base length 24.1–28.2 (25.5); dorsal-fin termination to anal-fin termination 14.1–16.9 (16.3); dorsal-fin termination to caudal peduncle dorsal edge 10.7–12.4 (11.6); dorsal-fin termination to caudal peduncle ventral edge 18.2–20.4 (20.0); anal-fin termination to caudal peduncle dorsal edge 20.0–22.1 (20.8); anal-fin termination to caudal peduncle ventral edge 12.6– 15.3 (13.4); first dorsal-fin spine 1.7–3.0 (1.7); second dorsal-fin spine 3.8–6.2 (4.9); third dorsal-fin spine 6.9–9.4 (7.6); first segmented dorsal-fin ray 10.4–12.6 (11.2); fourth last segmented dorsal-fin ray 14.7–18.8 (17.3); first anal-fin spine 1.4–2.8 (1.8); second anal-fin spine 4.4–6.6 (4.5); third anal-fin spine 5.7–8.1 (6.2); first segmented anal-fin ray 10.1–12.2 (10.6); fourth last segmented anal-fin ray 13.6–17.0 (15.8); third pectoral-fin ray 13.6–16.1 (13.6); pelvic-fin spine 7.9–10.6 (8.1); second segmented pelvic-fin ray 16.8–21.0 (18.3); caudal-fin length 23.3– 26.2 (24.8).

Live coloration (based on underwater photographs of individuals from Halmahera, the Raja Ampat Islands and the Birds Head Peninsula of West Irian): striped form (specimens smaller than about 65.0 mm SL; Figure 1 ): dorsal contour of body and head, including snout and usually lips, bluish grey; dark grey to black stripe extending from behind middle of eye to midanterior part of caudal peduncle, stripe diffuse on head; remainder of head below dark stripes pale pinkish grey to white; short dark blue to grey bar behind midposterior edge of eye, this edged posteriorly with longer, anteroventrally curved pale to bright blue bar; additional pale blue to bright blue bars and spots sometimes present on cheek and upper part of operculum; iris reddish brown to dark grey, with bright blue suboval ring around pupil; scales of nape, bluish grey area on body, dark stripe and area surrounding dark stripe each with mauve to blue basal spot; dark stripe on body sometimes becoming bright yellow posteriorly on caudal peduncle and extending on to mid-upper caudal-fin base; dorsal part of caudal peduncle above stripe yellowish grey to bright yellow or orange; bright yellow stripe extending from beneath pectoral-fin base to lower part of caudal-fin base; area between stripes on body pale pink to white; dorsal fin bluish or orangish grey basally, bluish (anteriorly) to yellowish or orangish (posteriorly) hyaline distally, with indistinct bluish grey to pale blue oblique stripes on distal part of fin and pale blue distal margin; anal fin hyaline to pinkish or yellowish hyaline, with two or three bluish grey to blue oblique stripes and blue distal margin; caudal fin yellowish hyaline, with bright yellow to black stripe on caudal-fin base extending to fin-ray tips; lower yellow stripe from body also extending on to fin-ray tips; caudal fin between stripes white basally, becoming yellowish hyaline posteriorly; upper and lower margins of caudal fin pale blue to white; pectoral and pelvic fins pinkish to yellowish hyaline. Weakly striped or non-striped forms (about 55 mm SL or larger; Figures 2–3 ): Similar to striped form, except dark stripe on body diffuse and yellowish grey to grey, or absent; yellow stripe on ventral part of body either more intense and extending on to ventral part of head, or pale grey and barely differentiated from coloration between stripes; cheeks pale yellow to orange, with blue markings more distinct; dorsal part of body above upper stripe position varying from dark bluish grey to bright yellow; ground coloration of anal fin and posterior part of dorsal fin varying from bluish to yellowish hyaline; stripes on caudal fin varying from yellowish grey to bright yellow, lower or both stripes sometimes absent.

Preserved coloration: pattern similar to live coloration, the dark stripe (when present) remaining; snout and dorsal part of head brown, the remainder of head pale yellowish brown; short dark blue to dark grey bar behind eye becomes dark grey to black; nape and dorsal part of body above dark stripe becomes yellowish brown; body below dark stripe becomes pale yellowish brown, the lower stripe no longer distinguishable; mauve to blue spots and markings on head, nape and body varying from absent to distinct and brown; dorsal fin pale yellowish brown anteriorly, the remainder of fin becoming greyish hyaline basally and hyaline proximally; anal fin similar to dorsal fin, but without greyish hyaline coloration along base; blue stripes on dorsal and anal fins remain, becoming greyish brown; caudal fin pale yellow to pale yellowish brown, with upper body stripe barely extending on to fin base; pectoral and pelvic fins pale yellow to hyaline.

Habitat and distribution. Based on the second and third authors' extensive surveys and collections in eastern Indonesia in general and Halmahera and the Papuan Bird's Head Peninsula in particular, we feel confident in our assessment that Pseudochromis ammeri is essentially endemic to the Raja Ampat Islands, where it is the most common dottyback encountered. Although we did collect and photograph several individuals from the Kokas and Ogar Island group just to the southeast of Raja Ampat, and a single individual was photographed by R.M. Pyle on the eastern side of Halmahera (approximately 160 km west of Raja Ampat), exhaustive surveys around Halmahera, Cendrawasih Bay and FakFak and Kaimana (the regions immediately to the west, east and south of Raja Ampat, respectively) have shown conclusively that this species does not penetrate significantly outside of Raja Ampat. Figure 4 shows the distribution records for P. ammeri . Within Raja Ampat, it is generally found around isolated, small coral and rock outcrops in both silty and clear water reef environments, usually in about 10–45 m depth (but occasionally seen as deep as 60m). It occurs solitarily or in small loose groups, and is relatively curious and easy to photograph, though it invariably retreats into crevices or under coral heads when approached too closely.

Comparisons. Pseudochromis ammeri resembles P. eichleri new species from the Philippine Islands, P. c o l e i Herre (1933) from Culion (Calamianes Islands) and northern tip of Palawan Island, Philippine Islands, P. erdmanni Gill and Allen (2011) from Indonesia, P. howsoni Allen (1995) from the North West Shelf of Australia, P. m oo re i Fowler (1931) from the Philippine Islands, P. perspicillatus Günther (1862) from the Philippine Islands and Indonesia, P. quinquedentatus McCulloch (1926) from northern Australia, and P. steenei Gill and Randall (1992) from Indonesia in having medially-inserted palatine tooth patches (see Gill, 2004: fig. 23A). Of these species, P. ammeri most closely resembles P. c o l e i and P. eichleri in having a dark longitudinal stripe on the upper part of the body; P.

perspicillatus also has a dark stripe extending from behind the eye, but it is oblique rather than horizontal (crossing the middle part of the anterior lateral line to join a basal dark stripe on the middle part of the dorsal fin). The following meristic characters distinguish the three species (Table 1): scales in lateral series (33–36 in P. colei , 39–43 in P. a m m e r i and 41–45 in P. eichleri ); scales between lateral lines (3 in P. c o l e i, 4 in P. a m m e r i and 4–5 in P. eichleri ); circumpeduncular scales (16 in P. c o le i, 20–21, usually 20, in P. ammeri , and 22–23 in P. eichleri ); horizontal scales below anterior lateral line (11–13 in P. c o l e i, 14–16, usually 15, in P. ammeri , and 15–18 in P. eichleri ). Pseudochromis colei possibly differs from the other two species in having the anterior segmented dorsalfin rays unbranched, though further specimens are needed to confirm this. Although ray branching is size related, all dorsal segmented rays are branched in the available specimens of P. e i c h l e r i (50.8–68.3 mm SL) and in specimens of P. ammeri larger than about 40 mm SL; in contrast, the anterior 5 and 16 rays are unbranched in the two largest specimens of P. c o l e i (59.6 and 41.0 mm SL, respectively).

The three species also differ in live coloration. Pseudochromis colei is particularly distinctive, differing from the other two species in having: a better defined dark stripe on the body and head; a dark stripe extending from the midanterior edge of the eye to the upper lip (absent in the other two species); and the lower part of the body behind the anal-fin origin pale pink to mauve, with narrow yellow to pale orange oblique stripes along each scale row. The live colorations of P. a m m e r i and P. eichleri are more similar. However, P. am m e r i differs from P. e i c h l e r i in having the lower (yellow) stripe on the body more distinct, and extending farther forward (to the pectoral-fin base versus to the posterior part of the lower abdomen), though this is less conspicuous in large individuals (e.g., Fig. 3 ). Moreover, whereas large individuals of P. ammeri lack a dark stripe on the upper body, all observed large individuals of P. eichleri were distinctly striped.

The live colorations of P. ammeri and P. eichleri closely resemble that of the striped form of P. d i x u r u s Lubbock from the Red Sea (see Gill, 2004: pl. 5J). However, the species are readily distinguished by various characters, including: palatine tooth-patch orientation (medially inserted in P. ammeri and P. e i c h l e r i versus more-or-less contiguous with posterior arms of vomerine tooth patch in P. d i x u r u s); gill-raker counts (5–8 +12–14 = 18–22 in P.

ammeri , 6–8 + 13–14 = 19–22 in P. eichleri versus 7–9 + 16–17 = 23–26 in P. d i x u r u s); and caudal-fin shape (emarginate to strongly emarginate in P. ammeri and P. eichleri versus strongly forked to lunate in P. d i x u r u s). Moreover, the two species differ from P. d i x u r u s in not having a gold-edged dark spot on the opercular flap (present in P. d i x u r u s).

Remarks. This species is named for Mr Max Ammer, the pioneer of diving in the Raja Ampat Islands and the man who invited the second author to lead the marine rapid assessment of Raja Ampat that provided the first detailed observations of this species. For the past decade Max has continued to support the second and third authors' biodiversity research in the region and has been a close friend and eager compatriot in exploring Raja Ampat and the Bird's Head region. It is a pleasure to name this beautiful dottyback species in his honour.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Pseudochromis ammeri, striped individual, 20 m, Kri Island, Raja Ampat Islands, West Papua, Indonesia. (Photo by G. R. Allen)

FIGURE 2. Pseudochromis ammeri, weakly striped individual 15 m, Waigeo Island, Raja Ampat Islands, West Papua, Indonesia. (Photo by G. R. Allen)

FIGURE 3. Pseudochromis ammeri, weakly striped individual, 12 m, Misool Island, Raja Ampat Islands, Indonesia. (Photo by G. R. Allen)

FIGURE 4. Distribution records for Pseudochromis ammeri (dots) and P. eichleri (stars).