From the Coral Sea
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Memoirs of the Queensland Museum | Nature 55(1) © The State of Queensland (Queensland Museum) 2010 PO Box 3300, South Brisbane 4101, Australia Phone 06 7 3840 7555 Fax 06 7 3846 1226 Email [email protected] Website www.qm.qld.gov.au National Library of Australia card number ISSN 0079-8835 NOTE Papers published in this volume and in all previous volumes of the Memoirs of the Queensland Museum may be reproduced for scientific research, individual study or other educational purposes. Properly acknowledged quotations may be made but queries regarding the republication of any papers should be addressed to the Editor in Chief. Copies of the journal can be purchased from the Queensland Museum Shop. A Guide to Authors is displayed at the Queensland Museum web site http://www.qm.qld.gov.au/About+Us/Publications/Memoirs+of+the+Queensland+Museum A Queensland Government Project Typeset at the Queensland Museum Rabaulichthys squirei, a new species of Sailfin Anthias (Serranidae: Anthiinae) from the Coral Sea John E. RANDALL Bishop Museum, 1525 Bernice St, Honolulu, HI 96817 USA. Email: [email protected] Fenton WALSH Northern Barrier Reef Marine Life, Miles St, Cairns, Qld 4870 Australia. Citation: Randall, J.E. & F. Walsh 2010 03 15 Rabaulichthys squirei, a new species of Sailfin Anthias (Serranidae: Anthiinae) from the Coral Sea. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum — Nature 55(1): 205-211. Brisbane. ISSN 0079-8835. Accepted: 23 September 2009. ABSTRACT Rabaulichthys squirei is described as a new species of the serranid subfamily Anthiinae from 12 specimens collected at Flinders Reef and Flora Reef in the Coral Sea from 6 to 54 m. A huge population was also observed at Holmes Reef in 55 m. The species is distinct from three others of the genus by the combination of a high count of 23 or 24 lower-limb gill rakers, relatively long snout, a very high spinous portion of the dorsal fin of the male, and subtle differences in colouration. It forms small elusive aggregations that feed on zooplankton, mainly over open substrata of coral rubble. Coral Sea, Serranidae, Anthiinae, Rabaulichthys, new species. The Sailfin Anthias, Rabaulichthys altipinnis, Sri Lanka was confirmed by a photograph of an was described as a new genus and species of adult male sent by Rohan Pethiyagoda. serranid fish of the subfamily Anthiinae by A third species, Rabaulichthys suzukii, was Allen (1984) from specimens collected near described by Masuda & Randall (2001) from three Rabaul, New Britain. Six specimens, 34.8–45.5 specimens taken in 5–15 m at Izu Peninsula, mm SL, were collected from small aggregations Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. about a meter above a sloping coral-rubble bottom in 30–40 m. This species typically forms As mentioned by Randall & Pyle (1989) and aggregations of about three to eight individuals. Masuda & Randall (2001), the Bishop Museum in Honolulu has 40 specimens of a small species The new genus was characterised by a slender of Rabaulichthys that were collected by dredging body, the dorsal fin of 10 weak flexible spines, in 1972 by the US National Marine Fisheries and 15 or 16 rays, the spinous part greatly Service at Condor Reef in the Caroline Islands elevated in the male, 19–21 pectoral rays, over from a depth range of 37–46 m. This species is 50 lateral-line scales, no teeth on the vomer and distinct in its very slender body and having palatines, and fleshy papillae on the edge of the a filament on the tip of each caudal-fin lobe. posterior half of the orbit. Because of the poor condition of the specimens A second species of the genus, R. stigmaticus, and no information on life color, this species was described by Randall & Pyle (1989) from four has not been described. specimens collected in 35 m over a rubble bottom Two specimens of a fifth species of the genus at Ari Atoll, Maldive Islands. Its occurrence in were collected in October, 2007 by aquarium fish Memoirs of the Queensland Museum | Nature 2010 55(1) www.qm.qld.gov.au 205 Randall & Walsh collector Tim Bennett from 54 m at Flinders Reef tips of the longest and shortest rays; pectoral-fin in the Coral Sea, 220 km east of Townsville, length is the length of the longest ray; pelvic-fin Queensland. One fish is a male with the length is measured from the origin of the pelvic expected very high spinous portion of the spine to the tip of the longest soft ray. Pectoral- dorsal fin, and the other a female with a dorsal fin ray and lateral-line scale counts were made fin of near-uniform height. The male has a lateral- on both sides. Gill-raker counts were made on line scale count of 57 on one side and 59 on the the first gill arch of the right side and include other, whereas the female has counts of 51 and rudiments; the raker at the angle is contained 52 lateral-line scales. This is more variation than in the count of the lower-limb. expected for a single species of anthiine fish, so In the description of the new species, data in we waited for additional material. Ten months parentheses refer to paratypes. Measurements later, 10 specimens were collected by Cadel Squire in Table 1 and the diagnosis are given as percent at Flora Reef in 6–9 m. Their lateral-line scale of the standard length, those in the description counts of both sides filled the gap between 52 as proportions of the standard length or head and 57, with seven counts of 54 scales and five length, rounded to the nearest .05. of 55 scales. Specimens for this study have been deposited We present here the description of the new in the fish collections of the Bernice P. Bishop species of Rabaulichthys from the Coral Sea, the Museum, Honolulu (BPBM); the Queensland first of the genus for Australian waters. Museum, Brisbane (QM), the National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C. (USNM); METHODS AND MATERIALS and the Western Australian Museum, Perth (WAM). Lengths of specimens are given as standard length (SL), measured from the front of the KEY TO THE SPECIES OF RABAULICHTHYS upper lip to the base of the caudal fin (posterior end of the hypural plate); head length (HL) is 1. Snout short, 5.5–6.4% SL; lower-limb gill rakers 21–22; length of longest dorsal spine measured from the same anterior point to the of mature male 25.3–26.2% SL; body depth posterior end of the opercular flap; body depth 26.6–29.7% SL (New Britain). altipinnis is taken vertically from the base of first dorsal spine; body width is the maximum width just — Snout not short, 6.8–7.4% SL; lower-limb gill rakers 23–24; length of longest dorsal posterior to the gill opening; orbit diameter is spine of mature male 28.7–39.0% SL; body the greatest fleshy diameter, and interorbital depth 23.8–27.7% SL. .2 width the least fleshy width; upper-jaw length is taken from the front of the upper lip to the mid- 2. A narrow, elliptical, black band parallel to back near middle of soft portion of dorsal posterior end of the maxilla; caudal-peduncle fin; a large, pale-edged, nearly square, dark depth is the least depth, and caudal-peduncle reddish blotch on body below soft portion length the horizontal distance between verticals of dorsal fin (Maldive Islands and Sri Lanka; at the rear base of the anal fin and the caudal- only males available) . stigmaticus fin base; lengths of fin spines and rays of the — No black band in soft portion of dorsal fin; dorsal and anal fins are measured to their no large, nearly square, pale-edged, dark extreme base; caudal-fin length is the horizontal reddish bar on body below soft portion of distance from the base of the fin to a vertical at dorsal fin. .3 the tip of the longest ray; caudal concavity is the horizontal distance between verticals at the 3. Body depth 23.8–25.3% SL; caudal-fin length 206 Memoirs of the Queensland Museum | Nature 2010 55(1) Rabaulichthys squirei, a new species of Sailfin Anthias of males 31.8–35.8% SL (Coral Sea) 148°25’3”E, 54 m, barrier net, T. Bennett, 1/10/2007. squirei, sp. nov. PARATYPES. QM I.38441, 53.0 mm, same data as holotype; QM I.38420, 4: 36.2–47.6 mm SL, Coral Sea, — Body depth 26.0–27.7% SL; caudal-fin length Flora Reef, 16°45’S, 147°46’E, 6–9 m, 8/2008; BPBM of males 25.5–31.2% SL (only males available, 40978, 2: 35.0–46.6 mm; USNM 395918, 2: 37.2–43.1 Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan). .suzukii mm; and WAM P.33113-001, 2: 37.8-42.5 mm, all with same data as QM I.38420. Rabaulichthys squirei Randall & Walsh sp. nov. Diagnosis. Dorsal rays X,16; anal rays III,7; (Figs. 1A-D) pectoral rays 19--21 (rarely 21); lateral-line scales Etymology. We are pleased to name this species for 51–59; gill rakers 9 + 23–24; body depth 23.8–25.3% Cadel Squire who collected most of the type specimens. SL; head length 28.5–30.6% HL; snout length 6.8– Material. HOLOTYPE: QM I.38237, 62.2 mm 7.4% SL; longest dorsal spine of mature males SL, Coral Sea, Flinders Reef, north end, 17°24’1”S, 28.7–31.3% SL; caudal fin of mature males 31.8– TABLE 1.