SMITHIANA Special Publication 2 October 2003 A new flatfish of the Indo-Pacific genus Asterorhombus (Pleuronectiformes:Bothidae) Dannie A. Hensley and John E. Randall Publications in Aquatic Biodiversity by the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity Margaret Mary Smith (1916 - 1987), James Leonard Brierley Smith (1897 - 1968) with their dog, Marlin The publication series (Monographs, Bulletins & Special Publications) of the SAIAB (formerly the JLB Smith Insitute of Ichthyology), in its new format honors James Leonard Brierley Smith and Margaret Mary Smith with the name Smithiana, in recognition of their many years of devoted service to African aquatic biology. Their life’s work, a team effort, established modern ichthyology in southern Africa and laid the groundwork for the expansion of aquatic biology throughout the region. © 2003, The South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity, Grahamstown, South Africa Front cover photograph: Scales of a preserved coelacanth specimen by James Stapley. © James Stapley, 2002 A new flatfish of the Indo-Pacific genus Asterorhombus (Pleuronectiformes: Bothidae) Dannie A. Hensley1 and John E. Randall2 ABSTRACT Five species of Asterorhombus are currently recognized, A. bleekeri, A. osculus, A. annulatus, A. intermedius, and A. fijiensis. A new species, Asterorhombus filifer, is described from 19 specimens. It is easily separated from A. bleekeri, A. osculus, and A. annulatus by its palmate gill-rakers and its detached and longer first dorsal-fin ray. It is distinguished from A. fijiensis by less body depth, longer first dorsal-fin ray on the average, simpler membrane on this ray, narrower interorbital width, and both eyes usually with one tentacle (vs. 1-9 tentacles on upper eye only). Asterorhombus fijiensis and A. filifer are the only species of the genus with males having a wider interorbital than females. Asterorhombus filifer most closely resembles A. intermedius, which differs in having a longer first dorsal ray, smooth edge on the membrane of this ray, usually more lateral-line scales, and males with greater interorbital width. Asterorhombus filifer is the most wide-ranging species of the genus, extending from the western Indian Ocean to the Hawaiian and Society islands, and is the only species of Asterorhombus occurring on the Pacific Plate. 1) Department of Marine Sciences, University of Puerto Rico, Box 9013, Mayagüez, PR 00681-9013, USA. 2) Bishop Museum, 1525 Bernice St., Honolulu, HI 96817-2704, USA. A new flatfish of the Indo-Pacific genus Asterorhombus (Pleuronectiformes: Bothidae) D. A. Hensley and J. E. Randall INTRODUCTION planned by the first author. Tanaka (1915) described Asterorhombus stellifer in METHODS Japanese as a new genus and species of bothid fish from a single specimen 110 mm in SL obtained from the Methods for making counts and measurements on whole Nagasaki Market. Norman (1934: 60) acknowledged specimens followed those of Hubbs and Lagler (1949) Tanaka’s help in translating the diagnosis to English with the following changes: because all dorsal- and anal- but noted that the diagnosis was very brief; he was unable fin rays are unbranched, all ray elements were counted to treat the genus and species with certainty. as individual rays; lengths of pelvic-fin bases were Amaoka (1969) recognized Asterorhombus as a valid measured from the base of the first ray to the base of the genus and synonymized A. stellifer with Platophrys last ray. Unless otherwise stated, measurements on whole (Arnoglossus) intermedius Bleeker (1865). Thus, A. stellifer specimens refer to those made on the ocular side. Tanaka (1915) [= A. intermedius (Bleeker, 1865)] is the type Standard length (SL) was used throughout. These species of the genus, fide Amaoka, 1969. Norman (1934) measurements were made with dial calipers or an ocular considered A. intermedius a species of Arnoglossus. micrometer to the nearest 0.1 mm. For regression analysis Chabanaud (1948) put the species into the genus and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), all variates were Asterorhombus without comments. Amaoka provided a transformed to natural logarithms (ln) in all analyses. In detailed description of Asterorhombus in which he all analyses SL was treated as the independent variable classified only the single species A. intermedius. An (X). Differences were considered significant at the P < important character used by Amaoka to define this genus 0.05 level. Regressions used in tests for sexual was the presence of palmate gill-rakers, i.e. short, broad, dimorphism were compared by ANCOVA according to with strong spines (see Amaoka, 1969: Fig. 112C or procedures of Snedecor and Cochran (1967). Tests for Amaoka et al., 1994: Fig. 2A). allometry were performed with the geometric-mean- Norman (1931) described Engyprosopon fijiensis from functional-regression model of Ricker (1973). In this a specimen 83 mm in TL from Levuka, Fiji. Norman (1934) model, confidence limits are determined for the slope (v). wrote, “In the peculiar form of the gill-rakers, as well as If unity is outside these limits, allometry is assumed in other characters, this species resembles Arnoglossus (positive if below, negative if above); isometry is assumed intermedius (Bleeker) and should perhaps be included in if unity is within the limits. that genus.” Hensley (1984, 1986) placed E. fijiensis in The three species of Asterorhombus with palmate gill- Asterorhombus. rakers (A. intermedius, A. fijiensis, and the new species) Amaoka and Arai (1998) described a new species, also have the first dorsal-fin ray separated from the rest Asterorhombus osculus, from Western Australia, of the fin. Two important characters that differentiate redescribed Arnoglossus bleekeri Macleay (1881) from these species are the length of this ray and the morphology Queensland, Gulf of Carpentaria, and Western Australia, of the membrane on the ray. Until recently, the ray’s and classified it in Asterorhombus. Norman (1934) had membrane has gone unnoticed by those describing or placed Arnoglossus bleekeri in Engyprosopon. illustrating these species. An example of this is Norman (1934) synonymized Anticitharus annulatus Norman’s (1934:197-198, Fig. 146) account of A. Weber (1913) from Indonesia with Arnoglossus intermedius intermedius. Here he mentioned and showed the first (Bleeker). Amaoka and Mihara (2001) examined the three dorsal-fin ray as “somewhat prolonged and expanded syntypes of A. annulatus and recently collected 29 distally.” In another important description and drawing specimens from New Caledonia. They concluded that A. of the same species, Amaoka (1969:111-113, Fig. 66) annulatus is a valid species of Asterorhombus, thus described the first-dorsal fin ray as “prolonged,” but made bringing the total species of the genus to five. no mention of the membrane of this ray or showed a Asterorhombus osculus, A. bleekeri, and A. annulatus do membrane in his drawing. Recently the morphology of not have palmate gill-rakers (Amaoka and Arai, 1998; this membrane has been described and illustrated for both Amaoka and Mihara, 2001) as was used in the generic A. intermedius and A. fijiensis (Amaoka et al, 1994; Senou definition given by Amaoka (1969) and Amaoka et al. et al., 1994; Lin et al., 1995; Hensley and Amaoka, 2001). (1994). It is important to note that the membrane of this ray is In the present paper we describe a new species of very fragile, tends to fold and curl easily, and in A. Asterorhombus with palmate gill-rakers. It is the most wide- intermedius and the new species, where it runs nearly the ranging of the genus, occurring from the Comoro Islands entire length of the ray, it is very often completely furled to the Hawaiian Islands. It is the only species known to around the ray. This is often true of freshy caught occur on the Pacific Plate. A revision of the genus specimens and very frequent in preserved material. Fig. Asterorhombus, which will include a key to the species, is 2 shows a paratype of the new species where the 1 membrane is furled around the ray except for near the undetermined, Bikini Atoll, Arji Id, lagoon, 91 m offshore, tip. In the holotype (Fig. 1) the membrane is not furled 6-12 m, rotenone, E.S. Herald and V.E. Brock, 7 August around the ray, although it became furled once fixed and 1946. Hawaiian Ids; BPBM 10028, 35 mm, sex preserved. Thus, it is very important to gently pull the undetermined, Oahu, off rocky islet at SW end of Waimea membrane away from the ray with a probe when trying Bay, cave entrance, 10.7 m, Chemfish, J.E. Randall, L.A. to examine it. Randall, and P.M. Allen, 27 July 1970. BPBM 22623, 60.8 Sex was determined by inspection of gonads through mm, male, Oahu, Kaneohe Bay, W.J. Baldwin. MNHN a small incision made in the right side of the abdominal 2001-1130, 79.2 mm, female, collected with holotype; cavity. Institutional abbreviations are as listed by Leviton NSMT-P 60932, 104.5 mm, female, Oahu, Kahe Pt., sand et al. (1985). near edge of reef, 14 m, hand net, R. Holcom, early March 1997. Society Ids; ROM 61627, 31.0 mm, sex Asterorhombus filifer, sp. nov. undetermined, Moorea, 300 m west of pass out of Cook Figs. 1, 2, 3A Bay, 17°28’37" S, 149°49’45" W, dead coral, rock, coarse sand in broad (15 m wide) gully with gently sloping sides, Arnoglossus intermedius [non Bleeker, 1865]: Woods, 1966: 21-26 m, rotenone, R. Winterbottom, 13 December 1989. 65-66, Pl.124, fig. C (Marshall Ids, Bikini Atoll). DIAGNOSIS: A species of Asterorhombus having the HOLOTYPE: BPBM 34871, 98.3 mm SL, male, NW following combination of characters: palmate gill-rakers; Hawaiian Ids, Midway Atoll, wreckage at shore between uniserial dentition in both jaws; first dorsal-fin ray cargo pier and launching ramp, depth 3-5 m, rotenone, separated from remainder of fin, elongate, 0.8-1.7 in head J.E.