Amblyeleotris, Bleeker, 1852

Chen, I-Shiung, Shao, Kwang-Tsao & Chen, Jeng-Ping, 2006, Two new species of shrimp gobiid, Amblyeleotris (Teleostei: Gobiidae), from the West Pacific, Journal of Natural History 40 (44 - 46), pp. 2555-2567 : 2563-2566

Key to nominal species of Amblyeleotris in the Indo-Pacific

1. Body with three lateral, vertical bands or fewer, even without band, posterior part of body scattered with large orange spots............ 2

– Body with four or five lateral, vertical bands or oblique bars, posterior part of body without such orange spots................ 3

2. Body without vertical bands, abdomen with black marks A. guttata ( Fowler, 1938)

– Body with three vertical bands, abdomen without such black mark................ A. rhyax Polunin and Lubbock, 1979

3. First dorsal fin with one large black ocellus which larger than eye.................. A. randalli Hoese and Steene, 1978

– First dorsal fin without such large dark ocellus.......... 4

4. Dorsal half of body with yellow marks............. 5

– Lateral body without such yellow marks............ 7

5. Several golden vertical bands on abdomen, longitudinal scales series about 50................. A. delicatulus Smith, 1958

– No golden vertical bands on abdomen, longitudinal scales series more than 69. 6

6. Three golden vertical bands on head, longitudinal scales series 69–75, pelvic frenum present........ A. callopareia Polunin and Lubbock, 1979

– One oblique yellow line on nape, longitudinal scales series 81–86, pelvic frenum absent......... A. harrisorum Mohlmann and Randall, 2002

7. Outline of coloured bands on body indistinct.. A. periophthalma ( Bleeker, 1853)

– Outline of coloured bands on body well distinct.......... 8

8. Head entirely greyish-black. A. melanocephala Aonuma, Iwata and Yoshino, 2000

– Head without deep pigmentation on background.......... 9 9. Caudal fin with orange or red candle flame-shaped marking..... 10

– Caudal fin without such marking............. 11

10. Longitudinal scales series 64–82, a large red spot between dorsal soft rays 12 and 13, three ocellus spots above central flame-shape marking on caudal fin.............. A. aurora Mohlmann and Munday, 1999

– Longitudinal scales series 95–103, no red spots on dorsal soft rays 12 and 13, one band along upper margin of caudal fin.. A. yanoi Aonuma and Yoshino, 1996

11. Lateral bands broader than light interspace.......... 12

– Lateral bands about equal to or narrower than light interspace..... 14

12. Longitudinal scales series 50–57........ A. fasciata ( Herre, 1953)

– Longitudinal scales series more than 80........... 13

13. Frenum absent, upper half of white interspace each with a reddish brown bar........... A. marquesas Mohlmann and Randall, 2002

– Frenum present, upper half of interspace without bar A. latifasciata Polunin and Lubbock, 1979

14. Dark backward-slanting oblique line behind eye..................... A. diagonalis Polunin and Lubbock, 1979

– No dark backward-slanting oblique line behind eye........ 15

15. White interspaces with irregular dark lines, sometime formed reticulations. 16

– White interspaces with straight dark lines or without lines...... 19

16. Longitudinal scales series 62–63; first dorsal fin triangular, second and third dorsal spines longest; frenum absent........ A. bleekeri new species

– Longitudinal scales series more than 90; first dorsal fin rectangular, second to fifth dorsal spines longest; frenum present............ 17

17. Longitudinal scales series 92–97; transverse scale series 25–28; no dark bar below eye, a pair of spots on chin..... A. masuii Aonuma and Yoshino, 1996

– Longitudinal scales series more than 96; transverse scale series more than 32; a dark bar below eye, no spots on chin............ 18

18. Anal fin rays I/14–15; a dark spot on first dorsal fin base; first dorsal fin ray lacking prolonged rays in male......... A. triguttata Randall, 1994

– Anal fin rays I/13; no dark spot on first dorsal fin base; third to fifth dorsal rays of first dorsal fin as short filament in male. A. neumanni Randall and Earle, 2006

19. A dark horizontal line behind the rear margin of eye........ 20

– No dark horizontal line behind the rear margin of eye....... 21

20. Second dorsal fin rays I/12–13; anal fin rays I/18; 4th dorsal spine longest and prolonged......... A. macronema Polunin and Lubbock, 1979

– Second dorsal fin rays I/17–19; anal fin rays I/18–19; 3rd dorsal spine longest and not prolonged........... A. gymnocephala ( Bleeker, 1853)

21. Frenum absent................... 22

– Frenum present.................. 29

22. Anal fin rays I/12; longitudinal scales series less than 72, transverse scale series less than 25..................... 22

– Anal fin rays I/13; longitudinal scales series more than 72, transverse scale series more than 25................... 23

23. Second dorsal fin rays I/13; longitudinal scales series 70; vertical coloured bands on body narrow, less than 1/3 of white interspaces; a dark red spot just over the rear of the maxillary.......... A. katherine Randall, 2004

– Second dorsal fin rays I/12; longitudinal scales series 64; vertical coloured bands on body wide, more than 1/3 of white interspaces; no such red spot over the rear of the maxillary........... A. steinitzi ( Klausewitz, 1974)

24. A series of semi-paired dark dots in white interspaces along dorsal body.. 24

– No such dots in white interspaces along dorsal body........ 26

25. Longitudinal scales series 103–111; first dorsal with blackish-orange arced marking......... A. arcupinna Mohlmann and Munday, 1999

– Longitudinal scales series 73–76; first dorsal without blackish-orange arced marking..................... 25

26. Predorsal scales 21; bars on body oblique; gill opening not extending forward below posterior margin of orbit...... A. stenotaeniata Randall, 2004

– No predorsal scale; bars on body vertical; gill opening extending forward below posterior margin of orbit......... A. taipinensis new species

27. Second dorsal fin rays I/13; longitudinal scales series more than 80... 27

– Second dorsal fin rays I/14; longitudinal scales series 73...................... A. novaecaledoniae Goren, 1981

28. Gill opening narrow, only extending to vertical of rear margin of preopercle; caudal fin brownish-red, except upper and lowest few rays...................... A. bellicauda Randall, 2004

– Gill opening rather wide, extending forward beyond the rear margin of preopercle; caudal fin white with coloured marks............ 28

29. Caudal fin has a large elliptical mark; no spot on the upper part of opercle and middle of first dorsal-fin base........ A. ellipse Randall, 2004

– Caudal fin has not elliptical mark; a spot on the upper part of opercle and middle of first dorsal-fin base........ A. ogasawarensis Yanagisawa, 1978

30. Red margin on the dorsal fin and the black spot behind the eye.............. A. rubrimarginata Mohlmann and Randall, 2002

– No red margin on the dorsal fin and the black spot behind the eye... 30

31. Second dorsal fin rays I/16; longitudinal scales series 116–129..................... A. downingi Randall, 1994

– Second dorsal fin rays I/13–15; longitudinal scales series less than 113.. 31

32. Second dorsal fin rays I/14–15; anal fin rays I/15–17. A. fontanesii ( Bleeker, 1852)

– Second dorsal fin rays I/13–14, anal fin rays I/13–14........ 33

33. Anal fin rays I/14; longitudinal scales series 69–78......................... A. japonica Takagi, 1957

– Anal fin rays I/13; longitudinal scales series 102–108........ 34

34. Dark blue spot on the dorsal fin; a pair of large black spots on chin; fifth dorsal ray of first dorsal fin longest......... A. biguttata Randall, 2004

– No dark spot on margin of the dorsal fin; no such black spot on chin; third or fourth dorsal ray of first dorsal fin longest... A. sungami ( Klausewitz, 1969)