Enneapterygius clarkae Holleman, 1982

Holleman, Wouter & Bogorodsky, Sergey V., 2012, A review of the blennioid fish family Tripterygiidae (Perciformes) in the Red Sea, with description of Enneapterygius qirmiz, and reinstatement of Enneapterygius altipinnis Clark, 1980, Zootaxa 3152, pp. 36-60 : 46

Enneapterygius clarkae Holleman, 1982

Figs. 2 C, 5D; table 1

Enneapterygius clarkae Holleman, 1982: 121 , Fig. 6 (Inhaca Island, Mozambique). Holleman 2006: 6, Fig. 4 , Pl.1 C. Golani & Bogorodsky, 2010: 44.

Enneapterygius n. sp. 2: Clark, 1980: 104, Figs. 4 a & 14.

Diagnosis. Dorsal fins III + XI–XII + 8–10 (usually III + XII + 9); anal fin I,16–17 (usually 16); pectoral fin 15: usually 2, 6, 7. LL 11–12 (usually 12) pored scales and 20–22 (usually 22) notched scales, notched segment starting next scale row below end of pored segment; total lateral scales 29 or 30; dentary pores 3 + 2 + 3 ( Fig. 2 C). Head length 3.3–3.9, body depth 4.4–5.2 in SL; eye 2.8–3.6 in head length. Nape scaled; belly with thin cycloid scales; single row of cycloid scales on pectoral fin base, parallel with margin of branchiostegal membrane. Supratemporal sensory canal crescent-shaped. Orbital cirrus length about half pupil diameter and either rounded or divided; upper and posterior margins of orbits with fine serrations. First dorsal fin equal in height to second in females, about 10% higher in males. Pelvic-fin rays united for less than half their length, the longest ray reaching almost to vent. Mouth slightly down-turned and reaches vertical through anterior of pupil.

Fresh colour. Males: body pale yellow with 5 or 6 clearly-defined dark brown bars, usually divided ventrally, and continue across the anal fin, anterior-most two very close together and sometimes forms single, broad bar and 1st bar paler than others, last bar across peduncle; scale pockets anteriorly outlined in black; head yellowish with brown markings between eyes, below eye and on opercle; first dorsal fin dusky; second with two dark red bands as extension of body bars; third with faint black on rays, as extension of body bars; anal fin with 6 or 7 brown to black bands (extensions of body bars), with subcutaneous black pots at base; pectoral fins hyaline with black banding, colour on rays only; pelvic fins cream.

Females: paler versions of males and with little red on the dorsal fin.

Colour underwater. Body semi-iridescent yellowish-green with 5 or 6 brown bars; top of head dark brown, opercle brown, head below eye white with two brown bars, sides of snout brown, interorbital green, extending in a stripe to the tip of the mouth, orbital and nasal cirri green, eye mottled green with thin yellow and red ring around the pupil. First dorsal fin spine banded brown and white; second and third dorsal and caudal-fin rays reddish, membranes largely transparent; anal fin with 7 or 8 brown bars; pectoral fins with red and green on rays, and green blotches with melanophores on the base.

Key features. Diagonal brown bars across body with reddish dorsal and caudal fins.

Distribution. Red Sea, east coast of Africa, to northern KwaZulu-Natal.

Remarks. E. clarkae may be confused with E. destai as preserved specimens. E. destai , however, lacks scales on the belly and pectoral-fin base, has much darker anal fin bars and is a smaller species, with a maximum recorded length of 21 mm SL, whereas E. clarkae attains 27 mm SL. Both these species live in close association with hard corals with many nooks and crannies in sheltered lagoons and both are very secretive.

Material examined. Additional to that listed in Holleman, 2005: SAIAB 88712 (17.1 mm SL), Mangrove Bay, El Quseir, Egypt (25.52°N, 34.24°E), collected S. Bogorodsky, 10 June 2008.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Dentary pore patterns of Red Sea species of Enneapterygius: (A) E. abeli; (B) E. altipinnis; (C) E. clarkae; (D) E. destai; (E) E. obscurus; (F) E. pallidus (diagrammatic - J. T. Williams); (G) E. pusillus; (H) E. qirmiz; (I) E. ventermaculus.

FIGURE 4. (A, B) Enneapterygius altipinnis, M, Rabigh, Saudi Arabia; (B) Enneaterygius altipinnis, F, Marsa Alam; (C, D) Enneapterygius cf tutuilae, Comoros. Photos by S. Bogorodsky (A, B); R. Winterbottom (C, D).

FIGURE 6. Enneapterygius qirmiz sp. nov., M, Angarosh Reef. Photo by S. V. Bogorodsky.