Bull. Natl. Mus. Nat. Sci., Ser. A, Suppl. 4, pp. 67–87, March 29, 2010 Ancistrogobius, a New Cheek-spine Goby Genus from the West Pacific and Red Sea, with Descriptions of Four New Species (Perciformes: Gobiidae: Gobiinae) Koichi Shibukawa1, Tetsuo Yoshino2 and Gerald R. Allen3 1 Nagao Natural Environment Foundation, 3–10–10 Shitaya, Taito-ku, Tokyo 110–0004, Japan E-mail:
[email protected] 2 Department of Marine Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of the Ryukyus, Senbaru, Nishihara, Okinawa 903–0213, Japan E-mail:
[email protected] 3 Department of Aquatic Zoology, Western Australian Museum, Locked Bag 49, Welshpool DC, Perth, Western Australia 6986, Australia E-mail:
[email protected] Abstract A new gobiid fish genus, Ancistrogobius, is described based on 4 new species (A. dipus, A. squamiceps, A. yanoi, and A. yoshigoui) from the western Pacific and Red Sea. Ancistro- gobius is unique within the gobiid subfamily Gobiinae in having a short, ventrally directed bony spine-like projection at the posterior margin of the preopercle. Within the genus, A. dipus n. sp. (8 type specimens, 31.6–42.4 mm SL) is unique in having a separated pelvic fin with a rudimentary connecting membrane between the innermost rays and no frenum (vs. pelvic fins united medially with a well-developed connecting membrane and frenum in the other species). Ancistrogobius squamiceps n. sp. (2 type specimens, 29.8–50.5 mm SL) differs from congeners in having scales on most of the nape and 12 predorsal scales (vs. nape almost naked, typically without scales on pre- dorsal midline) and a scale patch on the dorsal part of the operculum (vs.