Assiculinae

Gill, Anthony C., 2013, Classification and relationships of Assiculus and Assiculoides (Teleostei: Pseudochromidae), Zootaxa 3718 (2), pp. 128-136 : 131-133

Assiculinae new subfamily

Type genus. Assiculus Richardson 1846 .

Diagnosis. The Assiculinae is cladistically diagnosed by a single autapomorphy.

5. Opercle with prominent serrations ventral to junction with subopercle: In other pseudochromids there usually are no serrations ventral to the subopercle junction, although there may be one or more serrations on the posterodorsal edge of the opercle above the subopercle junction ( Figure 5 A). An exception is within the Pseudochrominae in Pseudochromis quinquedentatus McCulloch (1926) and its near relatives (Gill 2004, Gill & Allen 2011), in which 1–3 small, indistinct serrations are sometimes present beneath the subopercle junction. Assiculus is unique among pseudochromids in having 1–5 prominent serrations on the opercle beneath the subopercle junction ( Figure 5 B, see also Gill 2004: fig. 6).

In addition, the subfamily is readily identified from other pseudochromids by the following combination of external characters: dorsal-fin rays III,22–24 (usually III,23); anal-fin rays III,12–14 (usually III,13); upper and lower procurrent caudal-fin rays 4–5 (usually 5) and 3–5 (usually 4), respectively, total caudal-fin rays 25–27 (usually 26); pelvic-fin rays I,5, all segmented rays branched; lateral line represented by an anterodorsal and a posterolateral series of tubed scales; circumpeduncular scales 17-21; dorsal and anal fins without distinct scale sheaths; and lower lip complete.

Remarks. Includes only Assiculus punctatus Richardson 1846 from northern and north-western Australia. See Gill (2004) for a detailed description and synonymy of the species.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Lateral view (reversed) of right opercle (OP) and subopercle (SOP) of: (A) Assiculoides desmonotus, WAM P. 30929 - 008, 41.3 mm, paratype (redrawn from Gill & Hutchins 1997: fig. 3 A); and (B) Assiculus punctatus, NTM S. 10016 - 0 0 9, 32.2 mm SL (redrawn from Gill & Hutchins 1997: fig. 3 B). Dashed lines indicate obscured outline of subopercle. Arrow in B indicates uppermost opercular serration beneath subopercle junction.