Synodontidae

Fricke, Ronald, Allen, Gerald R., Andréfouët, Serge, Chen, Wei-Jen, Hamel, Mélanie A., Laboute, Pierre, Mana, Ralph, Hui, Tan Heok & Uyeno, Daisuke, 2014, Checklist of the marine and estuarine fishes of Madang District, Papua New Guinea, western Pacific Ocean, with 820 new records, Zootaxa 3832 (1), pp. 1-247 : 26-28

Synodontidae

REMARKS. A species reported as Synodus japonicus (Houttuyn, 1782) by Herre (1933: 12) has been considered as unidentifiable in Synodus by Waples & Randall (1989: 204).

Saurida gracilis (Quoy & Gaimard, 1824) —Graceful lizardfish, gracile lizardfish

STATUS AT MADANG. First record from Madang by Parenti & Allen (1991: 317). Specimens photographed at St. CTR 23; a specimen collected by W.-J. Chen, St. PR 221. AMS, CAS and NTUM material.

DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT. Red Sea, East and South Africa east to Hawaiian Islands and Pitcairn Group, north to Ryukyu and Ogasawara islands, south to Western Australia and New Caledonia. Found in sand and silty coral and rocky reefs; in shallow lagoons, reef flats, and sheltered seaward reefs, 0– 135 m. Transitional water and marine.

Saurida nebulosa Valenciennes in Cuvier & Valenciennes, 1850 —Clouded lizardfish, nebulous lizardfish ( Fig. 4 )

STATUS AT MADANG. New record from Madang, based on specimens photographed at St. CTR 0 5, CTR 14. DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT. Aldabra, western Mascarenes and Maldives east to Hawaiian and Society islands, north to Ogasawara Islands, south to New Caledonia and Tonga. Benthic on sand, mud, rock and in eelgrass habitats, primarily inshore, also near streams and river mouths, 0– 60 m. Transitional water and marine.

Saurida tumbil (Bloch, 1795) —Greater lizardfish

STATUS AT MADANG. New record from Madang, based on AMS material (AMS I.16749-017, I.16758-002). DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT. Red Sea, East Africa and Madagascar east to Philippines and New Guinea. Found on mud bottoms, 10– 60 m. Marine.

Synodus binotatus Schultz in Schultz, Herald, Lachner, Welander & Woods, 1953 —Twospot lizardfish STATUS AT MADANG. New record from Madang, based on specimens observed and photographed at St. CTR 0 3, CTR 0 9, CTR 15, CTR 35. WAM material (WAM P.30632-002).

DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT. East Africa and Mascarenes east to Hawaiian and Line islands, north to Ogasawara Islands, south to Western Australia and New Caledonia. Found in coral reefs and adjacent lagoons, 1– 88 m. Marine.

Synodus dermatogenys Fowler, 1912 —Banded lizardfish, sand lizardfish, clearfin lizardfish STATUS AT MADANG. New record from Madang, based on specimens observed and photographed at St. CTR 0 5, CTR 10, CTR 11, CTR 35.

DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT. Red Sea, East Africa and Mascarenes east to Hawaiian Islands and Pitcairn Group, south to Western Australia and New Caledonia. Found on sand or sand-rubble areas of lagoon and seaward coral reefs, 1– 97 m. Transitional water and marine.

Synodus jaculum Randall & Cressey, 1979 —Javelinfish

STATUS AT MADANG. New record from Madang, based on CAS, USNM and WAM material (CAS 65416; USNM 217634, 217638; WAM P.31213-025).

DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT. East Africa east to Line, Marquesas and Society islands, north to southern Japan, south to northern Australia and New Caledonia. Found on sand or sand-rubble areas of lagoon and seaward coral reefs, 2– 100 m. Marine.

Synodus variegatus (Lacepède [ex Commerson ], 1803) —Variegated lizardfish, reef lizardfish STATUS AT MADANG. New record from Madang, based on specimens observed and photographed at St. CTR 0 4, CTR 0 5, CTR 0 8, CTR 13, CTR 25, CTR 32; specimens collected by W.-J. Chen in Madang Bay. NTUM and WAM material (NTUM 10216; WAM P.29624-037).

DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT. Red Sea, East Africa and Mascarenes east to Hawaiian Islands and Pitcairn Group, north to Ryukyu Islands, south to Lord Howe, Kermadec and Rapa islands, straying to New Zealand. Found in deep lagoon and seaward coral reefs, sometimes on sandy bottoms concealing itself in the sand, 2– 121 m. Marine.

Trachinocephalus myops (Forster in Bloch & Schneider, 1801) —Snakefish STATUS AT MADANG. New record from Madang, based on AMS and WAM material (AMS I.19694-012, I.19695-008, I.19702-037, I.19710-006, I.19726-013, I.19727-020, I.19728-015, I.19729-024; WAM P.30358- 006).

DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT. Circumtropical exept eastern Pacific Ocean. Found on soft bottoms in coastal waters, 3– 400 m. Marine.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Saurida nebulosa (Synodontidae), Madang Lagoon, St. CTR 14, M. Hamel, 29 Oct. 2012.