Entomacrodus vomerinus (Valenciennes, 1836)

Rangel, Carlos A. & Mendes, Liana F., 2009, Review of blenniid fishes from Fernando de Noronha Archipelago, Brazil, with description of a new species of Scartella (Teleostei: Blenniidae), Zootaxa 2006, pp. 51-61 : 59

Entomacrodus vomerinus (Valenciennes, 1836)

( Figure 7 ).

Synonyms. Salarias vomerinus Valenciennes, 1836 (original description; Bahia, Brasil) Entomacrodus vomerinus: Springer, 1972 ; Mendes, 2000: 49, Arquipélago de Fernando de Noronha, Pernambuco, Brasil.

Material examined: UFPB 6089 (1 lot; 10 specimens: 44.9 – 73.3 mm SL), Brazil, Pernambuco, Fernando de Noronha Archipelago, Praia do Boldró, collector L.F. Mendes, August 1998.

Diagnosis. A species of Entomacrodus distinguished from its congeners by the following combination of characters: modally 16 segmented dorsal-fin rays (vs. 15 in E. nigricans , E. cadenati , and E. textilis ), modally 17 segmented anal-fin rays (vs. 16 in E. nigricans , E. cadenati , and E. textilis ). Counts for other species are those of Springer (1967).

Description. Dorsal-fin rays XII, 14 – 16 (16), anal-fin rays II, 16 or 17, segmented caudal-fin rays 8; pectoral-fin rays 14; pelvic-fin: I, 4. Variable coloration on head, generally darkish with one or two dark stripes passing by the superior lips until eyes, continuing to the dorso-posterior region.

Color pattern in life. Body light-brown with six or seven dark-brown pairs of vertical bars (see Fig. 7 ). Light lips with seven dark-brown stripes crossing vertically, with the central stripe aligned to the superior lip from the inferior.

Geographic range, habitat and natural history. Entomacrodus vomerinus is endemic to Brazilian waters occurring from the north coast of Brazil to the Bahia state coast (about 18ºS of latitude) also present at all Brazilian oceanic islands. Almost exclusively a tide pool inhabitant; some specimens were observed two meters above the line water, remaining up to 20 minutes out of water. At Fernando de Noronha during the reproductive season (March/April) adult males are very dark with two green lines on head, passing through the eyes and ending on the anteroventral region of head ( Mendes, 2000, 2006).

Remarks. Individuals of E. vomerinus collected from the Brazilian coast and oceanic islands all have similar counts and color patterns. The exception is Trindade island, an oceanic island about 1000 km off the east coast of Brazil; specimens of Entomacrodus collected there have distinct coloration and a fewer numbers of dorsal- and anal-fin rays (Gasparini, Rangel & Guimarães, in prep.). The occurrence of Entomacrodus nigricans Gill, 1859 in the Brazilian coast and oceanic islands, listed by Menezes & Figueiredo (1985) and Haimovici & Klippel (1999), were not confirmed and is probably a misidentification.

Figures

FIGURE 7. Entomacrodus vomerinus, at Fernando de Noronha Archipelago, Brazil. (Photo: Liana F. Mendes)