Hetereleotris, Bleeker, 1874

Kovačić, Marcelo, Bogorodsky, Sergey V. & Mal, Ahmad O., 2019, Two new species of Hetereleotris (Perciformes: Gobiidae) from the Red Sea, Zootaxa 4608 (3), pp. 501-516 : 503-504

Key to Described Species of Hetereleotris (modified from Hoese & Larson 2005)

1a. An enlarged tentacle over eye (western Indian Ocean).............................................. H. tentaculata

1b. No tentacle over eye................................................................................... 2

2a. Body densely scaled or at least with scales on caudal peduncle................................................. 3

2b. Body completely scaleless............................................................................. 15

3a. Scales ctenoid, at least posteriorly on body................................................................. 4

3b. Scales entirely cycloid................................................................................. 8

4a. Body with scales restricted to caudal peduncle; no head pores.................................................. 5

4b. Body completely or partly scaled, longitudinal scale count 10–30; head pores present............................... 6

5a. Body with 4–5 rows of scales restricted to caudal peduncle; operculum with 2 spines dorsally; body dusky grey with diffuse dark bars on upper half (western Indian Ocean)....................................................... H. apora

5b. Body with squamation reduced to a few scales on caudal peduncle at caudal-fin base; operculum without spines; body yellowish orange, with five vertical brown bars (Red Sea)......................................... H. aurantiaca sp. nov. 6a. Scales restricted to posterior body, longitudinal scale count 10–13; six suborbital transverse papillae rows ( Mauritius)............................................................................................... H. georgegilli

6b. Scales entire on body, longitudinal scale count 25–30; four suborbital transverse papillae rows........................ 7

7a. Second dorsal-fin rays I,9; anal-fin rays I,8; pelvic-fin rays I,5; body scales mainly ctenoid; pelvic fins usually united to form a disc; pore β present in anterior oculoscapular head canal (lateral canal pore LC1 of Hoese 1986); belly naked (western Indian Ocean).................................................................................. H. zanzibarensis

7b. Second dorsal-fin rays I,10; anal-fin rays I,9; pelvic-fin rays usually I,4, fifth ray sometimes present as a rudiment; ctenoid scales from caudal-fin base to below middle of second dorsal fin; pelvic fins separated; pore β absent in anterior oculoscapular head canal; belly scaled (western Indian Ocean)...................................................... H. vinsoni

8a. Black spot subequal to pupil diameter above rear edge of opercle............................................... 9

8a. No black spot above rear edge of opercle................................................................. 10

9a. Second dorsal-fin rays I,12–13; anal-fin rays I,11–12; pectoral-fin rays 15; a black spot dorsally at posterior end of caudal peduncle sometimes present; body scales small, longitudinal scale count 40–52; body slender, depth at anal-fin origin 6.7–7.1 in SL (north-western Indian Ocean)............................................................. H. bipunctata

9b. Second dorsal-fin rays I,11; anal-fin rays I,10; pectoral-fin rays 17; no black spot dorsally at end of caudal peduncle; body scales large, longitudinal scale count 28–30; body more robust, depth at anal-fin origin 5.3–6.3 in SL (western Indian Ocean)........................................................................................ H. margaretae

10a. Scales restricted to caudal peduncle, longitudinal scale count 7–9; body covered with small dark spots (western Indian Ocean)...................................................................................... H. nebulofasciata

10b. Body variably scaled but not restricted to caudal peduncle, longitudinal scale count 14–48; body without spots.......... 11

11a. Body with obvious brown bar below first dorsal fin; head with brown band across interorbital area, continuing diagonally from eye to corner of opercle............................................................................... 12

11b. Body without bar below first dorsal fin; no band on head..................................................... 14

12a. Second dorsal-fin rays I,11; head pores absent; scale pattern a long triangle tapering to nearly pectoral-fin base, longitudinal scale count 29; moderately broad brown bar on caudal-fin base (Red Sea).................... H. semisquamata sp. nov.

12b. Second dorsal-fin rays I,12–13; head pores present; scale pattern not tapering, covering most of body, longitudinal scale count 32–48; no bar on caudal-fin base........................................................................ 13

13a. Scales moderately large, longitudinal scale count 32–33; head with brown stripe from eye to middle of upper jaw (western Indian Ocean)................................................................................. H. kenyae

13b. Scales small, longitudinal scale count 35–48; no stripe between eye and upper jaw (western to central Indian Ocean)................................................................................................... H. zonata

14a. Second dorsal-fin rays usually I,9–11; anal-fin rays usually I,8–9; longitudinal scale count 32–25; head pores present (western Indian Ocean to Japan).......................................................................... H. poecila

14b. Second dorsal-fin rays usually I,12; anal-fin rays usually I,11; scales restricted to posterior body, longitudinal scale count 14–15; head pores absent ( Japan)................................................................... H. exilis

15a. Head pores present................................................................................... 16

15b. Head pores absent.................................................................................... 17

16a. Posterior nasal tube elongate, about twice length of anterior nasal tube; second dorsal-fin rays usually I,12; pectoral-fin rays usually 17–18; posterior opercular margin with dark bar (western Indian Ocean).......................... H. caminata

16b. Posterior nasal tube subequal to anterior tube; second dorsal-fin rays usually I,11; pectoral-fin rays usually 15–16; posterior opercular margin with light edge (western to central Indian Ocean)...................................... H. vulgaris

17a. Posterior nasal tube slightly shorter than anterior nasal tube; transverse dark band below first dorsal fin (Red Sea).................................................................................................. H. diademata

17b. Posterior nasal tube 1/10-1/2 of length of anterior nasal tube; no transverse dark band below first dorsal fin............. 18

18a. Dorsal fins with longitudinal dark submarginal band; second dorsal-fin rays I,12; anal-fin rays I,11 (Red Sea)..................................................................................................... H. dorsovittata

18b. No longitudinal dark submarginal band on dorsal fins; second dorsal-fin rays I,10; anal-fin rays I,9 (Red Sea).................................................................................................... H. psammophila