Cercamia eremia ( Allen, 1987 )

Fraser, Thomas H., Bogorodsky, Sergey V., Mal, Ahmad O. & Alpermann, Tilman J., 2021, Review of the cardinalfishes of the genus Cercamia (Percomorpha: Apogonidae) of the Red Sea and Indian Ocean with descriptions of three new species, Zootaxa 5039 (3), pp. 363-394 : 373-378

Cercamia eremia ( Allen, 1987)

( Figures 6 & 17 ; Tables 2 & 3)

Glassy Cardinalfish

Apogonoides macassariensis Bleeker, 1849 , nomen oblitum— Fraser & Bogorodsky 2019: 579

Rhabdamia eremia Allen, 1987: 4–6 , fig. 2 (type locality, Western Australia, South Muiron Island ; holotype: WAM P25815– 020 ).

Cercamia eremia — Randall et al. 1997: 509 (Great Barrier Reef); Kuiter & Kozawa 1999: 116, figs. A & B; Allen et al. 2007: 102 ( Christmas Island); Yoshida et al. 2011, 122, fig. 5 ( Japan, Kagoshima Prefecture); Allen & Erdmann 2012: 375 (East Indies region); Yoshida 2014: 202, 2 figs ( Japan, Ryukyu Islands); Motomura et al. 2018: 119 ( Japan, Amami Islands); Kuiter & Kozawa 2019: 73 (Western Australia; West Papua; Flores).

Holotype. WAM P25815-020 , 37.5 mm SL, Australia, Western Australia, South Muiron Island , 21°42’S 114°20’E, 8 m, 7 Jun 1977, color photograph.

Paratypes. AMS 1.26320-001, 22.0 mm SL, same data as the holotype ; WAM P26071-013 , 26.1 mm SL, Beacon Island, Abrolhos Group , 28°29’S, 113°47’E, 3-10 m, 9 Apr 1978 ; WAM P27581-001 , 39.6 mm SL, Beacon Island ; WAM P28024-009 , 22.0 mm SL, Clerke Reef, 17°16’S, 119°22’E, Rowley Shoals , 35–40 m, 6 Aug 1983 ; WAM P27459-006 , 30.4 mm SL, Coral Sea, Australia, Queensland, Escape Reef , 15°50’S, 145°50’E, 2–8 m, 27 Oct 1981 ; WAM P26085-015 , 25.5 mm SL, Christmas Island, 10°28’S, 105°24’E, 15–20 m, 20 May 1978 ; WAM P26092-023 , 2 , 20.0–21.0 mm SL, Christmas Island, 25 May 1978 .

Other material examined. Union of Comoros: Anjouan: ROM 59133, 1 , 19 mm, SL Point Chongochahari, headland north and east of village of M’Jamaoue 20 m east of RW88-26, 12º11’08.98”S, 44º19’03E, 9 m, 21 Nov 1988 ; USNM 262520 , 43 , 23.5–31.3 mm SL, North coast of Anjouan Island, TeVega , sta 179, 21 Aug 1964 ; USNM 213330 , 16 , 24.2–29.9 mm SL, Comoro Islands, just west of Abandani, north coast of Anjouan Island, TeVega sta 151, 19 Jul 1964 . Mayotte: ROM 59341, 13 , 17.0– 39.5 mm SL, North Side of Isle Malandzamiayatsini , 12º40’22.99”S, 45º04’04.46”E, 15 Nov 1988 , RW88-15, 18 m, photograph; ROM 59340, 4 , 18.5 –32.0 mm SL, 100 m north of Isle Gombe-Doume , 12º44’35.99”S, 45º13’30”E, 11 Nov 1988 , RW88-05, 5 m; ROM 59339, 2 , 26.0–26.0 mm SL, Recife De La Prevoyante, South Side east of Red Bouy ( Precaution Reef ), 12º41’29.99”S, 44º10’00”E, 10 Oct 1988 , RW88-02, 20 m; SAIAB 35492 , 9 , 27.4 –35.0 mm SL, 1 km N of Coelacanth Hotel , 11°41’00”S, 43°14’29.99”E, PCH 86-15, 25 Oct 1986 . Moheli: ROM 59344, 2 , 31.5–32.6 mm SL, North Face of Ouenefou, slightly east of North Tip , 12º23’06.99”S, 43º42’28”E, 23 Nov 1988 , RW88-33, 27 m; ROM 59342, 9 , 24.0– 37.5 mm SL, Bay on south coast about 3 nautical miles west of Nioumachoua at southwest tip of island at Drondroni River , 12º21’14.99”S, 43º40’00”E, 27 Nov 1988 , RW88-43, 17 m; ROM 59343, 13 , 19.5 –32.0 mm SL, south west of M’bo M’bili off the south west tip of Moheli , 12º21’29.9”S, 43º39’36”E, 28 Nov 1988 , RW88-45, 23 m. South Africa. SAIAB 10181 , 4 , 21.7–35.7 mm SL, Sodwana Bay , 27°30’59.99”S, 32°41’00”E, Jun 1977 .

Diagnosis. A species of Cercamia with anal-fin spines and rays II,11–13 (usually 12); second dorsal-fin spine and rays I,9-10 (usually 9); developed gill rakers on upper limb 1–2, developed gill rakers on lower limb 11– 13 (usually 12); translucent reddish, body with reddish dots and crosshatching; cheek behind orbit with stellate melanophores ( Fig. 6 ).

Additional Description. Color photographs ( Figure 5A and 5C ) of the holotype and another specimen from the western Indian Ocean reveal these details: the body is cross-hatched with reddish lines and small spots; the lower jaw is almost completely red and the cheek behind orbit has stellate melanophores; all fins are reddish. The Bishop Museum has five online photographs taken by J.E. Randall as C. eremia which are misidentified as paratypes.

http://pbs.bishopmuseum.org/images/JER/images.asp?nm= Cercamia &loc=&size=i&cols=10.

Specimens from Japan, provisionally assigned to C. eremia , have similar color pattern to Indian Ocean specimens but possibly represent an undescribed species ( Fig. 7A & B ). Yoshida et al. (2011, Fig. 7 ) published a fine image of Japanese specimen identified as C. eremia , here reproduced with permission as Figure 7B & C , to show scales on the body and the well-developed free neuromasts on the caudal fin. Free neuromast pattern on the head in Cercamia is relatively simple ( Fig. 8 ). Part of the head, much of the pectoral area and all of the abdomen did not show these delicate structures. Although Figure 9A appears to show large neuromasts on the caudal fin, closer inspection ( Fig. 9B ) reveals groupings of individual neuromasts on the membranes between each caudal-fin ray. Hayashi (1991, figs. 12d & 13a) described some of the free neuromasts on the body and head as well as lateral view of cephalic pores. Sato’s et al. (2019, fig. 3) dorsal view of the free neuromasts appear consistent with Figure 7 .

Distribution. Cercamia eremia is the most widespread species of the genus. It is reported from the Western Indian Ocean and Western Australia, but the distribution in the western and central Pacific is uncertain and requires additional study. Allen & Erdmann (2012) reported the species throughout most East Indies ( Indonesia except west of Borneo and Java, and the Philippines). Specimens identified as C. eremia were collected together with C. cladara from Wallis Islands ( Williams et al. 2006) and were included in the molecular phylogenetic analysis where they were shown to belong to C. cladara ( Fig. 5 ). Fricke et al. (2014) listed C. eremia from Papua New Guinea, Madang (lot WAM P.30626.020), but this material should be compared with C. melanogaster . Aizawa & Senou (1991) suggested that their Japanese material of Cercamia was a new species with a differing fresh coloration (sexually dichromic), intermediate gill raker counts (1 + 13) and melanophores on the gill cover. Cercamia eremia has been reported from Japan (e.g. Hayshi 1991; Yoshida 2014; Motomura et al. 2018). Our material from the Ryukyu Islands forms a separate phylogenetic lineage and may represent an undescribed species ( Fig. 5 ). Cercamia eremia from the islands of Japan is reported to mouth-brood eggs ( Aizawa & Senou 1991). This mouth-brooding observation is supported by other underwater photographs from Japan and Guam. Also, specimens identified as C. eremia were collected from the Solomon Islands, Palau and Samoa Islands ( Randall et al. 1997). However, their comparison with the type series is currently being studied by the first author.

Remarks. Hayashi (1991) described the caudal skeleton of Cercamia eremia . His figure 2 shows a welldeveloped parhypural suggesting fusion with the lower hypural plate ph+h2+1. This figure also suggests fusion of the hypural plates with the terminal centrum but not the parhypural. We treat the parhypural as not being fused in specimens we examined. Randall & Smith (1988) observed that hypurals 1–4 form a fused plate in C. cladara and C. eremia as part of a brief diagnosis and description of the new genus. Their generic description listed three epurals and did not note that all three appeared unossified with the cartilage stain. It is not clear that they examined a cleared and stained C. eremia . Hayashi (1991) observed two epurals for his cleared and stained (bone only) specimen of C. eremia . Baldwin & Johnson (1999) observed two ossified epurals and a small third unossified epural for a specimen listed as C. eremia (re-identified as C. cladara ) USNM 334713 (correct number USNM 334714), Tonga, C&S and three ossified epurals for a specimen listed as C. cladara USMN 341821, Tonga, C&S (both conspecific). Allen et al. (2015) did not provide any specific information about osteological features of C. melanogaster . The few scales present on the Japanese specimens (USNM 352627) were cycloid with few circuli and well-developed ridges ( Fig. 10A ).

None of the sequence vouchers represented in the phylogenetic analysis of the barcoding portion of the mitochondrial COI gene could be identified as C. eremia and several previous misidentifications of specimens as C. eremia have been resolved herein (see Table 1). This species might, however, be represented by one of the four clades that we could not assign to any of the described species (i.e. Cercamia sp. 1 to sp. 4). All four unnamed/ unidentified species, though, were not collected from within the confirmed distribution range of C. eremia from Western Australia and the Indian Ocean (see above). Hence, identification of one of the aforementioned clades as C. eremia would also mean an extension of the distribution range of the species as confirmed herein.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Maximum likelihood phylogeny of partial mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI) gene of members of the genus Cercamia (see Table 1) with Lachneratus phasmaticus as outgroup.Values on branches represent bootstrap proportions from 1000 replicates; scale bar shows average number of nucleotide substitutions. Sequence of holotype of Cercamia spio n. sp. in bold. Origin of sequences is as follows: (P) = present study; (I) = Isari et al. (2017); (B) = BOLD; (M) = Mabuchi et al. (2014); (TR) = Thacker & Roje (2009); (A) = Allen et al. (2015).

FIGURE 6. Cercamia eremia, WAM P25815.020, holotype, 37.5 mm SL, South Muiron Island, Western Australia. A: postmortem, by Barry Hutchins, edited by T. Fraser; B: preserved in ethanol, by Sue Morrison. C: ROM 59341, postmortem, 37.5 mm SL, North Side of Isle Malandzamiayatsini, Mayotte, Comoros, by R. Winterbottom.

FIGURE 7. A: Cercamia cf. eremia, KAUM I.57525, 36.6 mm SL, Amami Islands, Japan. Cercamia cf. eremia, CMNH-ZF 13908, 25.1 mm SL, B: Original photograph; C: Enhanced to show the free neuromasts on the head, body and caudal fin. Also visible in both views are some orangish body scales. Photos by “The Kagoshima University Museum” (A), M. Aizawa (B & C).

FIGURE 8. Cercamia cf. eremia, YCM 23854, 46.1 mm SL, Japan, free neuromasts on the head as small dots and nares present, head slightly twisted.

FIGURE 9. Cercamia cf. eremia. A: a composite of free neuromasts from several Japanese specimens (black dots) using faded CMNH-ZF 13908, 25.1 mm SL, as the model. Caudal neuromasts as individual groupings of 4 to 5 appear about twice as large as neuromasts on the head and body; B: YCM 25554, 46.1 mm SL, Japan, a small portion of the caudal fin-rays seven and eight, membrane in gray and free neuromasts as black dots. All membranes with free neuromasts between the principal caudal rays.

FIGURE 10. A: Cercamia cf. eremia, USNM 352627, 26.3 mm SL, Ishigaki-Shima, Japan, high on body near position if a lateral line scale were present, drawn attached, right side of body, shaded area is epidermis, inner circulus? Shown. Cercamia mascarene n. sp. (B & C), B: SAIAB 207277, 33.4 mm SL, paratype, Rodrigues Island, Mauritius, left side cycloid body scales removed and stained with alizarin. near midline of body with 9 partial circuli; C: high on body near position if a lateral line scale were present, a nearly circular scale with 14 complete circuli (inner circulus? only shown).

FIGURE 17. Collection and photographic sites for Cercamia spio n. sp. (white circles, star = holotype, Red Sea only), Cercamia mascarene n. sp. (yellow star = holotype), Cercamia laamu n. sp. (blue star = holotype & blue circles = paratypes), Cercamia eremia (red circles, star = holotype).