Boleophthalmus, Valenciennes, 1837

Polgar, Gianluca, Jaafar, Zeehan & Konstantinidis, Peter, 2013, A New Species Of Mudskipper, Boleophthalmus Poti (Teleostei: Gobiidae: Oxudercinae) From The Gulf Of Papua, Papua New Guinea, And A Key To The Genus, Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 61 (1), pp. 311-321 : 319

KEY TO THE GENUS BOLEOPHTHALMUS

This key is adapted from Murdy (1989). Colouration patterns and size of D1 refer to larger specimens.

1. Flattened, horizontal dentary teeth lacking notches...............2

– Flattened, horizontal dentary teeth notched............................4

2. Length of D1 base is equal or less than 13% SL; tip of adpressed pectoral fin reaching a vertical point slightly posterior to terminus of D1; D1 membrane proximally black and distally blue in vivo, without spots, completely black in preserved material; D2 with a black, broad medial band, bordered by a narrow whitish basal band and a broad yellowish to whitish marginal band, hyaline on preservation (northern Australia) ................................................... B. birdsongi Murdy

– Length of D1 base is equal or more than 13% SL; tip of adpressed pectoral fin reaching a vertical point anterior to terminus of D1; D1 membrane with spots or speckles, not black in preserved material; D2 membrane without black medial bands, and with no marginal bands........................................3

3. Pelvic-fin length is equal to, or greater than, 16% SL; lateral scale rows more than 125; D1, D2 with no distinct marginal band; D1, D2 and caudal fin with series of sky-blue spots, becoming whitish or semi-transparent on preservation, along the whole length of rays; sky-blue skin fold below eyes, not visible upon preservation (northern Australia and Gulf of Papua) .................. B. caeruleomaculatus McCulloch & Waite

– Pelvic-fin length is equal to, or less than, 12% SL; lateral scale rows less than 120; D1 membrane with numerous tiny yellowish speckles (whitish on preservation) and a distinct whitish to sky-blue marginal band (whitish on preservation); D2 with few whitish spots in the proximal portion; caudal fin with no spots or speckles (Gulf of Papua)............................... .................................................................. B. poti , new species

4. Longitudinal scales fewer than 80; dorsal margin of pectoral fin black, retained after preservation; in vivo, D1 bright yellow in smaller specimens; dark saddle-like bars often extending below the midline in the posterior third of the body, visible in preserved material (eastern and western coasts of India, Sunda Shelf, eastward to Sulawesi and the Moluccas)....................... ................................................................... B. boddarti (Pallas)

– Longitudinal scales more than 80; pectoral fin with no dark margin; D1 never yellow in vivo; dark saddle-like bars or blotches on flanks never extending below midline, except on the hypural plate......................................................................5

5. Length of caudal fin equal to, or greater than 22% SL; dark brown spots on D1, body and head (darker than background), visible in preservation (Arabian Sea and Persian Gulf) .......... ...................................................... B. dussumieri Valenciénnes

– Length of caudal fin equal to or less than 22% SL; in vivo, scattered sky-blue spots on D1, body and head (paler than background), often not visible in preservation; black elongate blotches may be present in the distal portion of D1, visible in preservation (Sunda Shelf eastward and northward to southern Japan)............................................ B. pectinirostris (Linnaeus)