Archamia pallida Gon and Randall 1995

Gon, Ofer, Gouws, Gavin, Mwaluma, James & Mwale, Monica, 2013, Re-description of two species of the cardinalfish genus Archamia (Teleostei: Apogonidae) from the Red Sea and Western Indian Ocean, Zootaxa 3608 (7), pp. 587-594 : 590

Archamia pallida Gon and Randall 1995

Figure 1 a, b

Description. D VI + I,9; A II,13-14 (rarely 12 or 15); P 14 (rarely 13 or 15); total number of gill-rakers 4–6 + 12–15 = 17–20; developed gill rakers 2–3 + 12–15; gill rakers on ceratobranchial 9–10. Body depth 2.6–3.4 and head length 2.4–2.6 in SL; body width 2.1–2.4 in body depth; caudal peduncle least depth 1.4–1.8 in caudal peduncle length and the length 4.1–5.0 in SL; distances from tip of snout to first dorsal–fin origin 2.4–2.8, to second dorsal-fin origin 1.7–1.9, to anal-fin origin 1.7–1.95 and to pelvic-fin insertion 2.6–3.2, all in SL; snout length 4.2–5.9, eye diameter 2.95–3.6, interorbital width 3.8–4.5, upper jaw length 2.1–2.4 and lower jaw length 1.9–2.05, all in head length; maxilla width 4.4–5.9 in upper jaw length. Pectoral-fin length 3.7–4.1 and pelvic-fin length 4.8–5.2 in SL; pelvic-fin spine 1.3–1.6 in pelvic-fin length; length of first dorsal-fin spine 1.4–2.5 in second dorsal-fin spine; length of second dorsal-fin spine 2.5–3.2 and length of spine of second dorsal fin 2.2–3.05 in head length, respectively; length of first anal-fin spine 2.7–4.2 in second anal-fin spine; length of second anal-fin spine 2.7–4.0 and longest anal-fin ray 1.6–1.9 in head length. Preopercle edge with 4–16 (usually 6–11) serrations around angle. Tongue with 1–5 (usually 2–3) small teeth posteriorly on midline.

Colour of adult after death: body pale brown tinged with yellow and peppered with small dark dots, except abdominal area from level of upper pectoral-fin base ventrally ( Fig. 1 a); head with dark dots, denser on tips of snout and jaws, but with few on cheek and none on throat; upper half of iris blackish; scales above lateral line with dark edge; leading edge of dorsal fins dusky; dark spot at caudal-fin base, ending posteriorly at edge of hypural plate; caudal fin peppered with dark dots becoming smaller posteriorly, its rays reddish distally with dusky tips; other fins transparent with reddish hue.

Colour of adult in alcohol: similar to colour after death; dark spot at caudal-fin base 3.5–7.8 (measured vertically) in caudal peduncle least depth; peritoneum with dark dots of various sizes; stomach and intestine with dense minute dark dots.

Colour of juveniles after death (15.8–26.5 mm): in smallest fish ( Fig. 1 b) body and tip of snout translucent white with purplish hue; gill cover and cheek purplish, top of head dusky; iris silvery, slightly darker on dorsal half; dark spots internally along vertebral column and along dorsal edge of peritoneum; small, dark brown, oval caudal spot posteriorly at middle of caudal peduncle; line of small orange dots along base of second dorsal, anal and caudal fins; narrow reddish line at mid-body level, immediately below dark vertebral spots, from above anal-fin origin fading out on caudal peduncle usually before reaching dark caudal spot; caudal fin reddish; other fins transparent. With growth body becomes more opaque, slowly concealing internal melanophores; tip of snout and upper half of iris grow darker; cheek and lower part of opercle become more silvery than purple; small orange dots appear on body giving it yellowish hue; vertical line of orange spots across caudal-fin base becomes overlaid with small dark brown spots as is reddish mid-body line; small dark dots appear along ventral edge of caudal peduncle; leading edge of dorsal fins and tips of caudal-fin rays become dusky.

Material examined. Kenya: Diani Beach, SAIAB 96159, 4: 16.6–17.65 mm, beach with sea grass fringe, beach seine, 0–1 m, G. Gouws et al., 13 November 2009; SAIAB 96212, 26: 16.4–24.9 mm, sea grass, beach seine, 0–1m, O. Gon et al., 15 November 2009; SAIAB 96247, 57.2 mm, sea grass, beach seine, 0–1 m, O. Gon et al., 17 November 2009; SAIAB 96234, 27.45 mm, sea grass, hand-net while snorkeling at night, 0.5–1.0 m, O. Gon and G. Gouws, 16 November 2009. Watamu, SAIAB 96309, 11: 24.9–29.6 mm, sea grass, beach seine, 0–1.2 m, M. Morallana et al., 20 November 2009. Oman: Masirah Island, BPBP 36158, holotype, 34.3 mm, rock and sand bottom, 12 m; BPBM 36453, paratypes, 2: 31.35–34.5 mm; SAIAB 46949, paratype, 33.15 mm, all collected with the holotype. Data for the remaining paratypes were taken from Gon and Randall (1995).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Photographs of three Western Indian Ocean species of Archamia: (a) A. pallida SAIAB 96247, 57.2 mm, adult female, Diani Beach, Kenya (G. Gouws). (b) A. pallida SAIAB 96212, 15.8 – 26.5 mm, juveniles, Diani Beach, Kenya (G. Gouws). (c) A. bilineata El Quseir, Egypt (S. V. Bogorodsky). (d) A. bilineata BPBM 21514, holotype, 31.0 mm, Gulf of Aqaba, Egypt (J. E. Randall). (e) A. bilineata SAIAB 69268, 25.9 mm, Karaman Island, Yemen (O. Gon). (f) A. mozambiquensis SAIAB 187776, 79.1 mm, Durban, South Africa (G. Gouws). (g) A. mozambiquensis SAIAB 98566, 71.6 mm, Mahanoro Beach, Anosy, Madagascar (O. Gon).