Sillago sihama, Golani & Fricke & Tikochinski, 2013

Golani, Daniel, Fricke, Ronald & Tikochinski, Yaron, 2013, Sillago suezensis, a new whiting from the northern Red Sea, and status of Sillago erythraea Cuvier (Teleostei: Sillaginidae), Journal of Natural History (J. Nat. Hist.) 48 (7 - 8), pp. 413-428 : 425-426

Sillago sihama (Forsskål in Niebuhr, 1775)

( Figures 1C, Dll , 3B, 4B, 5)

Atherina sihama Forsskål in Niebuhr, 1775: Forsskål in Niebuhr 1775: XIII, 70 (Lohajae / Al-Luhayya, Yemen). Bonnaterre 1788; Gmelin 1789; Lacepède 1803, p. 371, 373.

Sillago sihama: Rüppell 1828, p. 9 –11, pl. 3, fig 1 (part, Red Sea).

Sillago erythraea Cuvier in Cuvier and Valenciennes, 1829: Cuvier in Cuvier and Valenciennes 1829, p. 409 –411 (part, Massawa, Eritrea, lectotype: MNHN A-3137; Red Sea [Rüppell material]).

Type material

ZMUC P.45164 (dry skin), holotype of A. sihama Forsskål in Niebuhr, 1775, “Lohajae” (Al-Luhayya / Yemen), P.S. Forsskål, December 1762 – January 1763. MNHN A-3137 (138 mm SL), lectotype of S. erythraea Cuvier in Cuvier and Valenciennes, 1829 (designated by McKay, 1985, p. 7), Massawa, Eritrea, Red Sea, W. Hemprich & C. Ehrenberg, c. November 1824 – May 1825 (data see Klausewitz 2002, p. 10). SMF 324 (four paralectotypes of S. erythraea ), Red Sea, E. Rüppell, ca. 1826–1827 (data see Klausewitz 2002, p. 10).

Additional material

HUJF 18150 (1 specimen, 163 mm SL), Zula Bay , Dahlak Archipelago, Eritrea, A. Ben-Tuvia, 23 Mar. 1962 ; HUJF 19716 (four specimens, 173–184 mm SL), Eritrea, D. Golani, February 2005 .

Description

First dorsal fin XI (XI); second dorsal fin I, c.21 (I, 20–21) [second dorsal fin of holotype damaged, count uncertain]. Anal fin II, 22 (II, 21–23). Pectoral fin c.15 (14–15) [pectoral fin of holotype damaged, count uncertain]. Lateral line scales c.71 (70–74) [lateral line scales of holotype partially missing, count based on scale pockets]. Vertebrae 14 [abdominal] + 2–8 [modified] + 12–18 [caudal], total 34. Gill rakers 4 + 9. Upper jaw with a series of large teeth that are slightly recurved. Anterior teeth slightly larger, posterior teeth gradually smaller. The teeth are similar in the lower jaw, however, there is a gap at the symphysis. Vomer covered with small, similar teeth. Both preopercle and opercle completely covered with scales. Nostrils situated at the level of the upper quarter of the orbit, often closer to the upper margin of the orbit or even above (exact position not discernible in the holotype); first nostril with a small flap, second nostril (which is situated close to the first) nearly round. Swimbladder ( Figure 4B ) with two posterior extensions, two anterior extensions extending forward and diverging to terminate on each side of the basioccipital above the auditory capsule; two posterior subextensions of the anterolateral extension commence anteriorly, extending along the abdominal wall below the peritoneum to just posterior of a ductlike process, but without anterolateral blind tubules; two posterior tapering extensions of the swimbladder projecting into the caudal region, both equal in length; posterior subextensions of the anterolateral extension not convoluted, smooth, without blind tubules.

Colouration: Fresh colouration according to Rüppell (1828: pl. 3, fig. 1): Body dorsally silvery yellow-brown, silvery white below; eye dorsally reddish brown; a midlateral, reddish brown, longitudinal stripe present, bordered by silver lines; first dorsal fin yellowish olive green, second dorsal and anal fins brown; caudal fin terminally dusky; no dark blotch at the base of the pectoral fin; other fins hyaline, the pelvic fins whitish. Preserved colouration similar to S. suezensis sp. nov.

Distribution

Southern Red Sea ( Eritrea; Yemen).

Remarks

Sillago sihama was restricted by Golani et al. (2011, p. 467) to the southern Red Sea. Populations from other regions which were previously assigned to this species differ in several characters, including the shape of the swimbladder (see Figure 4C ) and the operculum (see Figure 6 ), probably belong to different species.

Golani et al. (2011, p. 470) designated the specimen MNHN A-3127, which belongs to this new species, as the lectotype of S. erythraea Cuvier in Cuvier and Valenciennes, 1829. However, due to a previously overlooked lectotype designation of the specimen MNHN A-3137 by McKay (1985, p. 7), which overrules the more recent lectotype designation, S. erythraea is no longer considered a valid species, but fixed as a junior synonym of S. sihama .

Figures

Figure 1. (A) Sillago suezensis sp. nov., Suez, Gulf of Suez, Red Sea (specimen not preserved; photograph taken by Sergey Bogorodsky); (B) Sillago suezensis sp. nov., HUJF 7134, holotype of Sillago suezensis sp. nov., 137 mm SL, Abu Zanima, Egypt, Gulf of Suez, Red Sea; (C) Sillago sihama, Eritrea, southern Red Sea (HUJF 19716, specimen 1, 184 mm SL); (Dl) Sillago suezensis sp. nov., paralectotype of Sillago erythraea (MNHN A-3127, 163 mm SL); (Dll) Sillago sihama, lectotype of Sillago erythraea (MNHN A-3137, 138 mm SL).

Figure 4. (A) Sillago suezensis new species, Mediterranean Sea, swimbladder, dorsal view; (B) Sillago sihama, Eritrea, swimbladder, dorsal view; (C) Sillago sp. (aff. sihama), Hong Kong, China, swimbladder, dorsal view.

Figure 6. Sillago sp. cf. sihama, Hong Kong, China (HUJF 19497), operculum.