Pinnichthys aimoriensis Van Tassell & Tornabene, 2016

Fuentes, Katlyn M., Baldwin, Carole C., Robertson, D. Ross, Lardizabal, Claudia C. & Tornabene, Luke, 2023, Two new species of Varicus from Caribbean deep reefs, with comments on the related genus Pinnichthys (Teleostei, Gobiidae, Gobiosomatini, Nes subgroup), ZooKeys 1180, pp. 159-180 : 159

Pinnichthys aimoriensis Van Tassell & Tornabene, 2016

Figs 7 , 8 Thiony’s Goby

New material examined.

Sint Eustatius • 1 male 19.5 mm SL; eastern Caribbean, SW side of island, Kay Bay , South and Southeast of R/ V Chapman Mooring, sta. CURASUB17-17; 17.4600°N, 62.9816°W; 96.3 m depth; 15 April 2017; C. Baldwin, L. Tornabene, B. Brandt, and J. Casey; quinaldine dispersed from Curasub submersible; USNM 442696, DNA sample EUS17043 . BONAIRE • 1 female 28.6 mm SL; southern Caribbean , Belnem, South of Punt Vierkant, sta. CURASUB17-08; 12.095°N, 68.2966°W; 162-164 m depth; 17 January 2017; C. Baldwin, L. Tornabene, B. Brandt, T. Devine; quinaldine dispersed from Curasub; USNM 442071, DNA sample BON17071 .

Data from the two additional specimens examined expand upon the known morphological variation within Pinnichthys aimoriensis (Table 2 ). We provide an updated diagnosis for the species and a description of fresh coloration of the two new specimens (new information in bold).

Diagnosis.

Side of body with 40-47 scale rows extending anteriorly to pectoral base; modified basicaudal scales present; first dorsal fin VII, without notably elongate spines, second dorsal I,10-11; anal fin I,10, rays fork only once near tips; pelvic fins well separated, no anterior frenum and no membrane connecting base of innermost rays; fifth pelvic-fin ray one half to three quarters the length of the fourth and unbranched; pelvic-fin rays 1-4 branched, without fleshy tips; papillae rows 5s and 5i separate, lacking a papilla that would result in their forming a single continuous transverse row; interorbital papillae row pb’, pc’, and pe’ present; head and preopercle canals and pores absent; two anal-fin pterygiophores inserted anterior to haemal arch.

Color before preservation (Figs 7 , 8 ): Background color of body, head and fins pale to translucent; eye with five to six yellow spots spaced evenly around iris, iris silvery white with slight iridescent green tint; side of head and nape with numerous distinct small yellow spots; paired yellow spots on upper side of nape continue posteriorly along each side of the dorsal midline and extend ventrally onto upper portion of trunk in approximately two irregularly rows of yellow spots ending on upper portion of caudal peduncle; body with four round to slightly horizontally elongate yellow to yellowish-brown blotches along lateral midline, anteriormost botch largest, approximately equal to eye diameter, located beneath first dorsal fin; three smaller yellow to yellowish-brown spots on lateral midline, each located between larger blotches; both dorsal fins and caudal fins speckled with minute iridiophores; base of first dorsal fin pale, middle portion of fin bright yellow, distal margin of fin white; second dorsal fin with numerous yellow spots on rays; caudal fin sometimes with narrow yellow stripe on dorsal and ventral margins, rest of fin with numerous yellow spots, loosely arranged into three to four vertical rows, yellow spots on head and body sometimes with dark centers or margins of melanophores; base of anal fin pale to yellow, outer half of fin heavily covered with melanophores giving a uniformly dusky to black appearance; pectoral-fin base and rays pale with one or two small yellow blotches on dorsal half of pectoral-fin base and origin of dorsal-most rays; pelvic fins pale to faintly yellow.

Habitat.

The type series off Espírito Santo, Brazil was collected near the Peroá natural gas platform at 70 m depth on a substrate of rhodoliths and other calcareous substrate. The Bonaire specimen was collected at 164 m on a moderately steep slope with short rock ledges, small caves and crevices - all of which were covered with fine sand. It was collected alongside two specimens of Varicus decorum . The St. Eustatius specimen was collected on a sand and Halimeda rubble substrate in close proximity to an Ircinia sp. sponge and several ~1 m diameter boulders covered with encrusting algae and sponges.

Distribution.

Known from the margin of the continental shelf of Brazil off Espírito Santo, in the eastern Caribbean off Sint Eustatius, and in the southern Caribbean off Bonaire (Fig. 9 ).

Remarks.

The data presented here for the two Caribbean specimens of Pinnichthys aimoriensis increase the range of several morphological characters, including the number of elements in the second dorsal fin (was I,10, now I,10-11). Pinnichthys aimoriensis can be distinguished from P. bilix (Hastings & Findley, 2013) and P. prolata (Hastings & Findley, 2015) in having more lateral scale rows (40-47 vs 30-37). Pinnichthys aimoriensis lacks the elongate dorsal spines that are present in P. bilix , and lacks the elongate fifth pelvic ray present in P. prolata (fifth pelvic ray falling well short of anus when adpressed, versus reaching anus or beyond in P. prolata ). Pinnichthys aimoriensis can be futher distinguished from P. saurimimica Gilmore, Van Tassell & Tornabene, 2016, in having fewer lateral scale rows (40-47 vs. 47-53) and fewer pectoral-fin rays (18-19 vs 20), and in live coloration (Figs 7 , 8 , 10 ). Pinnichthys saurimimica lacks the smaller spots on the body located between the larger blotches along the lateral midline (Fig. 10 ), which are present in P. aimoriensis (Figs 7 , 8 ). While P. aimoriensis has many very small spots along the nape and dorsal midline arranged into roughly two irregular rows continuing down each side of the dorsal surface of the trunk (Fig. 7 ), the pattern in P. saurimimica is that of ~10 narrow short saddles or evenly-spaced vertically elongate spots along the nape and dorsal midline (Fig. 10 ).

Remark on Pinnichthys atrimela .

Tornabene et al. (2016b, pg. 14) erected the genus Pinnichthys for five species, including the eastern Pacific species P. atrimela (Bussing, 1997) (formerly Chriolepis atrimelum ). However, in their table 2, they incorrectly listed the new classification of this species as Chriolepis atrimela , forgetting to change the genus from Chriolepis to Pinnichthys . Table 1 here now correctly lists all members of Pinnichthys , including P. atrimela .

Figures

Figure 7. Pinnichthys aimoriensis live or fresh coloration on dark backgrounds A CIUFES 2414, holotype, Brazil B USNM 442071, Bonaire C USNM 442696, St. Eustatius D USNM 442696, live, St. Eustatius. Photos by C. Baldwin (A-C) and B. Brown (D).

Figure 8. Pinnichthys aimoriensis fresh coloration on light background A USNM 442071, Bonaire B USNM 442696, St. Eustatius. Photos by C. Baldwin.

Figure 9. Distribution of Pinnichthys based on all known specimens.

Figure 10. Live or fresh coloration of Pinnichthys saurimimica A illustration by R. G. Gilmore B photograph by R. G. Gilmore from the Johnson Sea Link II submersible.