Archamia bilineata 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 : 590-591

Archamia bilineata Gon and Randall 1995

Figure 1 c–e

Description. D VI+I,9; A II,12–13 (rarely 14); P 12–13; total number of gill rakers 4–6 + 13–17 = 18–23 (usually 19–22); developed gill rakers 3–4 + 13–17 (total usually 17–20); gill rakers on ceratobranchial 10–11. Body depth 2.9–3.5 and head length 2.35–2.7 in SL; body width 1.9–2.2 in body depth; caudal peduncle depth 1.4–1.8 in caudal peduncle length and the length 4.3–5.0 in SL; distances from tip of snout to first dorsal-fin origin 2.3–2.5, to second dorsal-fin origin 1.7–1.8, to anal-fin origin 1.6–1.8 and to pelvic-fin insertion 2.55–2.8, all in SL; snout length 4.5–6.2, eye diameter 2.3–3.15, interorbital width 4.1–4.8, upper jaw length 2.0–2.3 and lower jaw length 1.7–1.9, all in head length; maxilla width 4.05–5.05 in upper jaw length. Pectoral-fin length 3.8–4.2 and pelvic-fin length 5.5–6.3 in SL; pelvic-fin spine 1.4–1.6 in pelvic-fin length; length of first dorsal-fin spine 1.15–1.5 in second dorsal-fin spine; length of second dorsal spine 2.9–3.7 and length of spine of second dorsal fin 2.7–3.3 in head length, respectively; length of first anal-fin spine 3.3–4.6 in second anal-fin spine; length of second anal-fin spine 3.7–4.3 and longest anal-fin ray 1.6–2.0 in head length. Preopercle edge with 8–14 serrations around angle.

Colour in life: Body translucent greyish white, sometimes tinged with greenish yellow on head and caudal peduncle, and with three dark brown to blackish stripes ( Fig. 1 c); upper stripe blackish from interorbital area to posterior end of head, continuing on body above lateral line as line of faint small dark brown dots usually ending below second dorsal-fin base; mid-body stripe blackish from of snout through to posterior edge of eye, continuing as dark brown, somewhat narrower stripe across opercle and body, tapering out on caudal peduncle, or reaching lower edge of black caudal spot; lower stripe starts with several small, blackish spots from lower edge of eye to posterior edge of opercle below pectoral-fin base; it continues subcutaneously and ventrolaterally across abdomen and along anal-fin base, ending as series of dark dots on ventral surface of caudal peduncle.

Colour in alcohol: Similar to the description in Gon & Randall (1995). Dark stripe from occiput to dorsal-fin origin continues along each side of dorsal fins to end of second dorsal-fin base; latter portion of this stripe may be indistinct, appearing as series of dark dots along one or both dorsal-fin bases; series of small dark dots, sometimes partially joined into dark line from ventral edge of eye to lower pectoral-fin base, continuing posteriorly as fairly wide subcutaneous, dusky stripe slightly above ventral edge of body to end of anal-fin base ( Fig. 1 e; see also Discussion below).

Material examined. Red Sea: Yemen, Uqban, Karaman Island, SAIAB 69178, 2: 24.9–26.2 mm; SAIAB 69268, 14: 24.05–26.1 mm; SAIAB 69280, 10: 25.1–27.1 mm; SAIAB 69289, 20: 24.85–27.15 mm; SAIAB 69326, 5: 25.2–26.6 mm. Sudan, Marsa Fijab, BMNH 1960.3.15.284–285, 2: 23.5–24.4 mm. Egypt, Gulf of Aqaba, BPBM 21514, holotype, 31.0 mm, coral knoll, 12 m; BPBM 36452, paratypes, 2: 28.9–37.45 mm; SAIAB 46950, paratype, 31.85 mm; MNHN 1977–826, 3: 29.7–30.6 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).