Cypho zaps Gill, 2004

Yoshida, Tomohiro, Koeda, Keita & Motomura, Hiroyuki, 2016, First Japanese Specimen-based Records of Cypho zaps (Perciformes: Pseudochromidae) from Yonaguni-jima Island, the Yaeyama Islands, Species Diversity 21, pp. 171-175 : 171-175

Cypho zaps Gill, 2004

[New Japanese generic name: Donan-megisu-zoku] [New standard Japanese name: Donan-megisu] ( Figs 1–2 ; Tables 1–2)

Cypho zaps Gill, 2004: 23 , figs 8–10 (type locality: Batan Island, Philippines); Senou et al. 2007: 52, fig. 6 (Shimojijima island, Miyako Islands, Japan); Ho and Shao 2011: 42 (Green and Orchid islands and Kenting, Taiwan); Allen and Erdmann 2012: 323, lower figs (Halmahera and Raja Ampat Islands, Indonesia); Yang et al. 2013: 79, lower left side fig. (Orchid Island, Taiwan).

Material examined. All from Yonaguni-jima island, Yaeyama Islands, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan: KAUM –I . 78334, 35.6 mm SL, Rakuda Rock , 24°26′27″N, 122°57′02″E, 20 m depth, 17 September 2015, K . Koeda ; KAUM –I . 78364, 38.2 mm SL, off Kubura Hinan Port , 24°26′35″N, 122°56′22″E, 26 m depth, 18 September 2015, K . Koeda ; KAUM –I . 78543, 31.6 mm SL, off Umabana , 24°28′21″N, 122°57′49″E, 26 m depth, 22 September 2015, K . Koeda .

Description. Body oblong, moderately deep and compressed, deepest at anus. Dorsal profile of head and body in side view convex from snout tip to caudal-fin base. Ventral profile of head and body in side view convex from lower-jaw tip to end of anal-fin base, straight at caudal peduncle. Head pointed, large, 3.7–3.8 in SL. Anterior lateral line ending below base of 18th dorsal-fin soft ray. Posterior lateral line beginning below base of 18th dorsal-fin soft ray. Eye round- ed, large, 3.0– 3.1 in HL. Pupil tear-drop shaped. Mouth small, slightly oblique, forming angle of ca. 30° to horizontal axis of body. Posterior margin of maxilla extending slightly beyond vertical drawn through center of pupil; upper-jaw length less than half head length.

Two pairs of enlarged canine teeth on anterior part of each jaw; villiform teeth in 4–6 rows at symphysis, diminishing to 1 or 2 rows on sides of jaw in upper jaw. Villiform teeth in 1 or 2 rows in lower jaw. Two to 4 rows of tiny teeth on vomer and ectopterygoids.

Anterior nostril with short tube, uppermost margin level with ventral margin of pupil. Posterior nostril oval, opening vertically, uppermost margin below level of middle of pupil. Opercular and preopercular margins smooth. Gill rakers slender, moderately long but shorter than gill filaments. Head nearly full-scaled, only region around nostrils and pores on snout unscaled; small scales on base of dorsal, anal, and caudal fins.

Origin of dorsal fin anterior to vertical drawn through pectoral- and pelvic-fin origins; third spine of dorsal fin longest; 20th or 21st soft ray of dorsal fin longest. Origin of anal fin below base of eighth soft ray of dorsal fin; third spine of anal fin longest; 13th soft ray of anal fin longest. Origin of pelvic fin below central part of pectoral-fin base. Pectoral fin rounded, posterior tip reaching vertical drawn through base of seventh soft ray of dorsal fin. Posterior tip of depressed pelvic fin reaching vertical drawn through base of eighth soft ray of dorsal fin. Caudal fin rounded.

Coloration when fresh —Strength and intensity of color varying between specimens. Head bright orange-red to yellow, body bright orange-red to orange, with orange to yellow abdomen. Posterior and ventral margin of orbit dark-blue to blue. Scales of head and body, except abdomen, each with dark-blue to blue oblique bar in middle. Bars wider posteriorly on body. Bluish-grey stripe along dorsal margin of upper jaw curving posterodorsally and ending behind margin of eye. Pupil black; iris bright orange to yellow with two diagonal and parallel dark-blue to blue bars, respectively located above and below pupil. Dorsal and anal fins bright orange-red to orange, lighter distally. One or two faint bluish-grey mid-lateral stripes on dorsal and anal fins. Outer margin of both fins bluish-grey. Pectoral fin semi-transparent without distinct markings. Pelvic fins semi-transparent yellow to orange with pale-blue anterior margin. Caudal fin bright orange-red to lighter orange distally, with faint bluish-grey mid-caudal stripe and bluish-grey outer margin.

Coloration in life —Based on underwater photographs taken at Yonaguni-jima island ( Fig. 2 ): similar to coloration of fresh specimens, but whole body generally pale.

Coloration of preserved specimens —Head and body pale tan; dark markings persistent on head and body scales. Dorsal, anal, and caudal fins with blackish distal margins and mid-lateral stripes.

Distribution. Cypho zap s has been recorded from the western Pacific Ocean at the following localities: Kawa Island, Raja Ampat Islands, Indonesia ( Gill 2004); Batan, Mavulis, and Sabtang islands, Batan Islands, and Luzon, Philippines ( Gill 2004); Green and Orchid islands and Kenting, Taiwan ( Gill 2004; Ho and Shao 2011); and Yonaguni-jima island, Yaeyama Islands, Japan (this study). Underwater photographs of C. zaps have been taken at West Papua and Sulawesi, Indonesia ( Allen and Erdmann 2012); Orchid Island, Taiwan ( Yang et al. 2013); Yonaguni-jima island, Japan ( Gill 2004 –used for color description, but unpublished; this study); Nakanougan-jima island (KPM-NR 22932), Hateru- ma-jima island (KPM-NR 13185, 26770), and Iriomote-jima island (KPM-NR 17116) (all Yaeyama Islands, Japan); Shimoji-jima island, Miyako Islands, Japan ( Senou et al. 2007); and Kume-jima island, Okinawa Islands, Japan (KPM-NR 38916, 38917). The collection data for the preserved specimens indicates capture depths of 0–26 m, and the underwater photographs were taken at depths of 5– 35 m.

Remarks. The present specimens from Yonaguni-jima island were identified as a species of the genus Cypho , being clearly distinguished from other genera by the following combination of characters: dorsal-fin rays III, 22–24; analfin rays III, 13–15; circumpeduncular scales 14–17; vertebrae 10+16 ( Gill 2004). They were subsequently identified as C. zaps on the basis of having a vertical dark line centrally on each body scale, but with these lines being separated from each other and not forming continuous bars. This is a diagnostic character of the species according to Gill (2004). Most meristic and morphometric values for the present specimens lie within the ranges of those of the holotype and paratypes of C. zaps given by Gill (2004) ( Tables 1–2). However, the Yonaguni-jima island specimens differed slightly in morphometric measurements from the type series of C. zaps as follows: head length 26.4–27.3% SL [vs. 23.1–27.0% SL in the latter]; snout length 6.0–6.5% SL (vs. 4.8–6.3%); fleshy interorbital width 4.1–5.2% SL (vs. 4.5–5.6%); pre-pelvic-fin length 32.0–34.3% SL (vs. 29.6–33.4%); distance from posterior tip of retroarticular bone to pelvic-fin origin 17.7– 21.5% SL (vs. 17.3–20.5%); distance from pelvic-fin to analfin origin 21.5–25.9% SL (vs. 25.3–30.6%); distance from middle dorsal-fin ray base to anal-fin origin 27.5–29.8% SL (vs. 26.0–27.9%); second dorsal-fin spine length 3.4–4.4% SL (vs. 4.1–5.7%); length of fourth to last segmented dorsalfin ray 16.4% SL (vs. 17.7–21.8%); and length of fourth to last segmented anal-fin ray 16.2–18.7% SL (vs. 17.1–20.8%) ( Table 2). Since the SL range of the specimens examined in this study was within that of the specimens described by Gill (2004), these minor morphometric differences are regarded as intraspecific variation of C. zaps .

Gill (2004) provided color descriptions of both fresh and preserved mature male and preserved female specimens of C. zaps , but did not mention the fresh female coloration. Allen and Erdmann (2012: 323) later presented underwater photographs of mature male and female individuals, and indicated sexual coloration differences. All specimens collect- ed from Yonaguni-jima island and those photographed underwater there and elsewhere in Japanese waters were males, the coloration of which agreed well with that of males described by Gill (2004) and illustrated by Allen and Erdmann (2012).

Although C. zaps has been recorded previously from the Ryukyu Islands on the basis of underwater photographs (see distribution), the northernmost record of the species based on collected specimens has been considered to be Green Island, Taiwan (ASIZT P. 57275; BMNH 1999.12.30.1). Therefore, the present three specimens collected from Yonaguni-jima island represent the first records of C . zaps from Japan supported by voucher specimens, and the northernmost record of the species.

New Japanese names, “Donan-megisu-zoku” and “Donanmegisu”, are herein proposed for the genus and species, respectively, on the basis of one specimen (KAUM–I. 78334). The proposed species name is a combination of “donan”, from the local name for Yonaguni-jima island, and “megisu”, the common Japanese name for members of the family Pseudochromidae .

Figures

Fig. 1. Fresh specimens of Cypho zaps collected from Yonaguni-jima island, Japan. A, KAUM–I. 78334, 35.6mm standard length (SL), Rakuda Rock; B, KAUM–I. 78364, 38.2mm SL, off Hinan Port; C, KAUM–I.78543, 31.6mm SL, off Umabana.

Fig. 2. Underwater photograph of Cypho zaps, off Yonaguni-jima island, 16 January 2012, taken by T. Uchiyama.