Enneapterygius obscurus Clark, 1980

Holleman, Wouter & Bogorodsky, Sergey V., 2012, A review of the blennioid fish family Tripterygiidae (Perciformes) in the Red Sea, with description of Enneapterygius qirmiz, and reinstatement of Enneapterygius altipinnis Clark, 1980, Zootaxa 3152, pp. 36-60 : 48

Enneapterygius obscurus Clark, 1980

Figs. 2 E, 8A; table 1

Enneapterygius obscurus Clark, 1980: 105 , Figs. 4 d & 15 (Gulf of Aqaba & Eritrea, Red Sea). Fricke & Randall, 1992: 6, Fig. 3 ( Maldives); Holleman, 2005: 15 –16, Fig. 13, Pl. 2A (not of E. obscurus ); Golani & Bogorodsky, 2010: 44.

Diagnosis. Dorsal fins III + XII–XIV + 9–10; anal fin I, 16–18; pectoral fin 14–15, some rays branched; LL 10–12 pored scales and 21–22 notched scales; dentary pores usually 2 + 2 + 2 ( Fig. 2 E). Body elongate, depth 6.0– 6.5 in SL, head 3.2–4.0 [3.6] in SL; eyes large, 2.3–2.6 [2.5] in head length. Nape scaled; abdomen naked; supratemporal sensory canal crescent-shaped; supraorbital cirrus an elongate flap, about equal to pupil diameter; first dorsal fin usually equal in height to second fin, in males the first spine slightly longer than first of second dorsal fin; longest pectoral-fin ray to junction between second and third dorsal fins; pelvic-fin rays not united by membrane.

Fresh colour. Males: body transparent with a few scattered black speckles, scale edges crimson, with small, intense black spot on upper caudal peduncle; pectoral-fin base and opercle with crimson blotch; head with crimson markings dorsally, white ventrally, with brownish yellow stripe on side of snout and with small cluster of red spots below eye and between eye and upper lip, lips yellowish with small brown spots; eye red with two spots dorsally and white ring around pupil; first dorsal fin cream suffused with brownish red on first membrane and with alternating broad dark and narrow white bands on leading edge, spines 1 and 2 red-brown and white; second and third dorsal fins pinkish with clusters of melanophores and with area of white spots posteriorly; caudal fin pinkish red with dark red line near base of rays; anal fin red with white spots along part of some rays; lower pectoral-fin base with brown spots, lower rays pink; ventral fins without colour.

Females: body translucent with irregular white marks above and below midline, and brown spots below midline, spine alternating white and yellow, viscera visible and yellow, chest with large white patch; head mostly translucent with white on opercle and cluster of brown spots below eye and on pectoral-fin base. First dorsal fin greywhite, but membrane between spine 3 and dorsum transparent, spines alternating black and white; second dorsal fin transparent with rows of white marks and golden yellow on spines in middle; third dorsal fin transparent with rows of white marks; caudal fin with a white dumbbell mark at its base and a row of white marks on rays from top distal edge to mid-lower edge; anal fin transparent with alternating subcutaneous white and brown marks at base and on rays; pectoral fins with three rows of white marks.

Colour underwater. Males more pink than red, and eye more obviously red and white; females almost transparent with white first dorsal fin, white chest and white and brownish marks on body and fins.

Key features. Translucent red in life with small, intense black spot on upper caudal peduncle; first dorsal fin brownish anteriorly and with white spots posteriorly.

Distribution. Known from the Red Sea (type locality, El Himeira, Gulf of Aqaba); also reported from the Maldives, but not confirmed; rare.

Remarks: Occurs in the vertical walls of seaward coral and rocky reefs of bays, lagoons from depths of 2– 22 m. Attains 25 mm SL.

Material examined. Additional to that listed in Holleman, 2005: SAIAB 88715 (4: 17.8–19.4 mm SL), 5 km south of Hamata, southern Egypt (24.13°N, 34.25°E), collected S. Bogorodsky, 21 & 23 November 2008; SAIAB 88716 (16.1 & 16.4 mm SL), Shaab Suadi, Sudan (20.12°N, 37.22°E), collected S. Bogorodsky, 12 October 2009; SMF 33612 (19.2 mm SL), Farasan Islands (16°54.933' N, 41° 50.761 E), collected S. Bogorodsky, 0 2 April 2011.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Dentary pore patterns of Red Sea species of Enneapterygius: (A) E. abeli; (B) E. altipinnis; (C) E. clarkae; (D) E. destai; (E) E. obscurus; (F) E. pallidus (diagrammatic - J. T. Williams); (G) E. pusillus; (H) E. qirmiz; (I) E. ventermaculus.

FIGURE 3. Enneapterygius altipinnis, M (A) grey form; (B) green form. Photos by S. V. Bogorodsky.

FIGURE 4. (A, B) Enneapterygius altipinnis, M, Rabigh, Saudi Arabia; (B) Enneaterygius altipinnis, F, Marsa Alam; (C, D) Enneapterygius cf tutuilae, Comoros. Photos by S. Bogorodsky (A, B); R. Winterbottom (C, D).