Gobius ateriformis, Brito & Miller, 2001

Brito, A. & Miller, P. J., 2001, Gobiid ® shes from the Cape Verde Islands, including two new species of Gobius (Teleostei: Gobioidei), Journal of Natural History 35 (2), pp. 253-277 : 260-266

Gobius ateriformis sp. nov.

( Figures 1C , 2B )

Material. HOLOTYPE:, l55.5 1 12 mm ( BMNH) Ilha de SaÄo Tiago , Cape Verdes, 1993, coll. U. Schliewen. PARATYPES: 1, l37.0 1 9 mm ( BMNH) and 2 juveniles, 17 1 4.5 and 30 1 7.5 mm ( TFMC), from Ilha de SaÄo Tiago and Ilheu de Sal Rei, Ilha da Boa Vista, respectively .

Associated material. Gobius ater Bellotti : 2 ll, 54.0 1 12.0 and 57.0 1 14.0 mm, syntypes (MCSNG CE 12607 ), Nice , France; 3 ll, 51.0 1 11.5 to 54.0 1 13.0 mm ( NMW 28551±2), Nice; 1, l58.0 1 d mm and 2 mm, 48.0 1 9.0 and 57.5 1 d mm, Montpellier, France, 2 February 1984, C. Bourchard; 1, l63.0 1 d mm ( BMNH) ,

Villefranche, Totton; several, Mar Menor , Spain, 1993, E. Barcala; 1 m, 47.0 1 10.0 mm, Palaea Epidavros , Pelopponese , Greece, 22 July 1970, H. Bath; 1 m, 43.5 1 10.0 mm, Elounda, N. Haghios, Nikolaos , Crete, 10 August 1971, H. Bath. Gobius paganellus : Senegal: 38 ( RMNH) , 25.0 1 5.5 to 65.0 1 14.0 mm, Schiereiland, between YoOE and N’ Gor , Cape Verde peninsula, 29 June and 3 July 1982, F. C. Rost; 8 ( RMNH) , 28.0 1 6.5 to 69.0 1 15.0 mm, Plage du Virage, Cape Verde peninsula, 3 July ± 3 December 1982, F. C. Roest. Other material listed by Miller (1984). Gobius rubropunctatus Delais : 1, l67 1 20.5 and 1 juvenile, 31 1 8.3 mm ( BMNH

1977.3.21.180±1, Vernon Bank , Pram-pram, Ghana, 4 April 1996; 1, 48 1 12 mm

(BMNH 1977.3.21.179), 5 miles o OE Tema, Ghana, 5 April 1976; 9, 30 1 7 to 39 1 10 mm ( AMNH 41517 ), September 1915. Gobius senegambiensis Metzelaar :

HOLOTYPE ,, l49 1 10 (d) ( ZMA 110.991 ), and 6 PARATYPES, 34 1 d to 45 1 8 mm ( ZMA 104.124 ), Cansado Bay , Baie d l’Ouest, Mauritania, April / August 1906 ; 2 ll, 43 1 8.5 and 61.5 1 14 mm ( MRAC 126841 ), Luanda , 1 February 1949 .

Generic identi W cation. The new species clearly belongs in Gobius L. (type species Gobius niger L., 1758) as de®ned by Miller and El Tawil (1974) and Miller (1986) in the possession of (i) anterior and posterior oculoscapular and preopercular head canals, with pores S, l, K, v, a, B, R; R 1, R 2, and x, d, E, respectively; (ii) six transverse infraorbital rows (1±6), with four before hyomandibular row b but only two above, and with inferior sections of ®ve and six well developed below row b (iii) anterior dorsal row o well separated from fellow in dorsal midline and row g ending behind row o; (iv) row r divisible into two sections, not extending opposite rows s; (v) uppermost rays of pectoral ®n branched and more or less free from ®n membrane; (vi) anterior nostril rim with dermal process; and (vii) predorsal area and nape scaled.

Speci W c identi W cation. The genus Gobius is represented by about 17 species described from the eastern Atlantic and ancillary basins ( Miller, 1986, 1990). The majority are warm temperate in distribution although G niger extends southwards to somewhat beyond Cape Blanco and G. paganellus to at least Senegal ( Miller, 1990). Two, G. senegambiensis and G. rubropunctatus , are known only from the

tropical eastern Atlantic ( Miller, 1990).

The present new species resembles the Mediterranean±Atlantic Gobius paganellus and the Mediterranean G. ater (5 G. balearicus Lozano y Rey ) in the possession of (i) short side extension of anterior oculoscapular canal below rear edge of eye, (ii) divided row d, (iii) complete pelvic disc, (iv) nasal tentacle multi®d, and (v) well developed upper free pectoral rays ( Miller, 1973a, 1986).

The new goby, with merely 33±36 scales in lateral series, appears closer to G. ater (LL 35±42; see below) in possessing fewer scales than G. paganellus (LL 48±58), but more detailed inspection has revealed di OEerences from G. ater which warrant its recognition as a separate species. In contrast to G. ater , G. ateriformis has (i) higher number of pectoral ®n rays (22 v. 18±19), (ii) fewer anal branched rays (10 v. 11), (iii) a lower mode for second dorsal branched rays (12 v. 12±14 [12:5, 13:4, 14:1]), and (iv) modally fewer scales in lateral series (33±36 v. 35±42 [35:1, 36:1, 37:3, 38:5; 39:2, 40:3, 41:2, 42: 1]). Di OEerences between G. ateriformis and G. ater would seem

to be greater than what would be expected as possible geographical variation within a single widely distributed species extending from the Mediterranean to West Africa. In the related G. paganellus , which occurs from the British Isles to the Gulf of Guinea ( Miller, 1990), meristics for Senegal material from the Cape Verde peninsula show signi®cant increases in mean values, rather than a trend for decrease, over those for the western English Channel and western Mediterranean (table 4; see also Miller, 1984). The two known tropical species, G. senegambiensis and G. rubropunctatus , diOEer greatly from G. ateriformis in having (i) a complete row d, (ii) simple anterior nasal tentacle, (iii) higher number of LL scales ( G. rubropunctatus 49±55, G. senegambiensis 41±51), and (iv) fewer free pectoral ®n rays ( PJM, personal

observation).

Name. The new species is named for its super®cial resemblance to the Mediterranean G. ater .

General description. See features noted under Generic and Speci W c identi W cation. Body proportions as table 5. Anterior nostril with long multi®d tentacle, posterior D2 12 13 14 15 n xÅ SD SE

C ± 18 71 1 90 13.8 0.42 0.04

M 1 26 35 ± 62 13.6 0.53 0.07

V ± ± 29 1 30 14.0 0.18 0.03

A 10 11 12 13 n xÅ SD SE

C ± 26 63 ± 89 11.7 0.46 0.05

M 1 19 41 ± 61 11.7 0.51 0.07

V ± 8 15 ± 23 11.7 0.48 0.10

P 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 n xÅ SD SE

C 2 30 41 49 16 ± ± ± 138 20.3 0.99 0.08

M ± ± 2 29 52 19 ± ± 102 21.9 0.73 0.07

V ± ± ± ± 12 27 8 1 48 23.0 0.71 0.10

LL 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 n xÅ SD SE C 1 4 4 6 19 26 37 12 8 4 ± 121 53.3 1.77 0.16 M 1 2 8 11 22 22 36 18 9 1 1 131 53.2 1.79 0.16 V ± 2 ± 1 5 4 9 10 9 7 2 49 54.6 2.05 0.29 nostril pore-like (®gure 4B). Angle of jaws below anterior edge of pupil; upper lip width equal to that of preorbital width. Teeth caniniform, in three or four rows medially.

Fins. D1 VI (6:4); D2 I /12 (12: 4); A I /10 (10: 3); C 17 articulated; P 22 (22: 7); V I/5 1 I/5. Fin-bases or lengths as table 2; tips of D1 V and Vi to D2 I when depressed; interdorsal space about ®ve-sixths membranous; D2 rear tip to opposite upper origin of C, A rear tip almost to lower origin of C; P with uppermost six rays free from membrane and multi®d, tips reaching beyond base of D1 (®gure 4A); V disc with well developed anterior membrane, with lateral lobes, and rear edge slightly emarginate, ®fth ray slightly shorter than fourth (®gure 4C); C rear edge rounded.

Scales. Body with ctenoid scales; in lateral series 33±36 (33:2, 35:4, 36:1), in transverse series 11±13; predorsal scales in median line about 20. Head, predorsal area (forward of line from upper origin of P to D1 origin) and nape scaled to rear margin of eyes; opercle with scales in upper anterior corner; cheek naked; breast scaled completely, about seven or eight in median line.

Coloration (®gures 1C, 2B). Body more or less uniform brown with numerous small black marks along lateral midline on most scales. Breast and underside of body brown, with three pairs of abdominal spots. Nape brown with dark blotch behind eye in oculoscapular groove. Lateral preorbital with dark bar to upper jaw but cheek lacking conspicuous bars or spots. Chin and branchiostegal membrane dark. Median ®ns and P dark, D1 with upper pale band and somewhat fainter more proximal band across darker area of ®n; other median ®ns dark, A with narrow pale edge but no basal dark dots. P with dark blotch on bases of free rays. V dark. Lateral-line system (®gure 3A, B). Head canals and pores as Generic identi W cation. Rows and number of free neuromast organs (sensory papillae) from holotype (SL 55.0 mm), left /right: Anterior lateral-line innervation: (i) supraorbital: dorsal n (8,7), o (±/3); rostral s 1 (6,6), s 2 (7,8); (ii) infraorbital transverse 1 (22,21), 2 (13,15), 3 (17,12), 5s 1 5i (17,17), 6s 1 6i (19,19); caudal fork s 3 (7,7), r 1 and r 2 (6,6); rostral fork c 1 and c (29,31), c (12,11), c 2 (12,12); (iii) hyomandibular longitudinal z 2 1

(7,7), i (56,55); median mandibular b (20,20) and d (37,35); ventral mandibular e (74,73); rostral mandibular f (12,13); ventral opercular ot (38,36) and oi (9,11); dorsal opercular os (17,16). Posterior lateral-line innervation: accessory x 1 (18,16), x 2 (8,11), g (5,7), m (6,9); (ii) posterior lateral primary la 1 (5,3), ltm (transverse rows, each of several papillae, along lateral midline to C origin, not proliferated), and trunk h (16,12), as 1 (16,12), as 2 (11,14), as 3 (24,18) and lc (three rows along C rays).

Biology. Distribution. Recorded to date only from the Cape Verde archipelago (see above material and also Quebra Cankele, Ilha de SaÄo Tiago). Habitat. Found from tidepool to 11 m, on sand, stones and rock substrata. Otherwise biology not investigated.

Figures

FIG. 1. Didogobius kochi, dark phase; (B) D. kochi, paler phase retaining prominent anterior vertical dark band; (C) Gobius ateriformis sp. nov.; (D) Gobius tetrophthalmus sp. nov. All from Ilheu do Sal Rei, Boa Vista.

FIG. 2. (A) Gnatholepis thompsoni, male, 43.01 13.0mm, SaÄo Vicente; (B) Gobius ateriformis sp. nov., holotype, male, 55.0 1 12.0mm (BMNH), SaÄo Tiago; (C) Mauligobius nigri, female, 70.0 1 16.0mm, SaÄo Tiago.