Tribe Veruluxini new name Fraser & Mabuchi

Type genus Verulux Fraser 1972

Diagnosis. Members of the Apogoninae: dorsal fin VI–I,9; anal fin II,9; head and body with weakly ctenoid or cycloid scales; pored lateral-line scales 24; preopercle ridge smooth, edges smooth; one supraneural; supramaxilla absent; basisphenoid present; uroneurals absent; two epurals; fused hypurals 1+2+3+4, fused to terminal centrum; no autogenous haemal spines; one supernumerary dorsal spine; bioluminescent organ under cleithrum; caudal fin forked.

Other characteristics. first segmented fin-ray in second dorsal-fin branched, first anal fin-ray branched and segmented; 9+8 segmented principal caudal rays, 15 branched, upper and lower unbranched; developed gill rakers 12–15; unbranched procurrent rays, longest segmented; pectoral fin-rays 14–16; 10+14 vertebrae; 8 ribs; 5–6 epipleurals; teeth in one row on premaxilla, dentary, vomer, palatine, all villiform, or absent on palatine; six infraorbitals, bony shelf absent on third infraorbital; stomach and intestine black with silvery peritoneum; low crest on PU2.

Distribution. The single described species is known from East Africa, Red Sea, islands in the Indian Ocean, throughout the West Pacific to Japan, onto the Pacific Plate to Marshall Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia and Australia.

Remarks. This tribe contains only one species, Verulux cypselurus, corresponding to the clade V in the molecular trees (Figs. 2–6, Table 4). Representatives of Verulux (two individuals from Ryukyu Islands and Seychelles) were monophyletic separated by a moderate genetic distance, which may indicate presence of cryptic species. This lineage was recovered far from Rhabdamia (tribe Rhabdamiini), although their monophyly (genus Rhabdamia sensu Fraser 1972) was not rejected by AU test (H05 in Table 6). The single described species has a bioluminescent organ under cleithrum unlike Rhabdamia .