Hetereleotris aurantiaca Kovačić & Bogorodsky, 2019

Kovačić, Marcelo, Bogorodsky, Sergey V. & Mal, Ahmad O., 2019, Two new species of Hetereleotris (Perciformes: Gobiidae) from the Red Sea, Zootaxa 4608 (3), pp. 501-516 : 504-508

Hetereleotris aurantiaca Kovačić & Bogorodsky sp. nov.

Orange Goggle goby

( Figures 1 & 2 )

Holotype. SMF 35966 (field number KAU13-37), female, 14.51 + 3.40 mm, Red Sea , Saudi Arabia, Jeddah, Obhur creek (Sharm Obhur), 21°42’31.00” N, 39°05’45.00”E, 14 m, coll. T.J. Alpermann & S.V. Bogorodsky, 01 July 2013.

Diagnosis. Dorsal-fin rays VI + I,10; anal-fin rays I,9; pectoral-fin rays 14, all rays branched; pelvic-fin rays I,5, the fin separated and without frenum, fifth ray unbranched; snout short, its length 0.7 of eye diameter; anterior nostril with a long nasal tube without process from the rim, posterior nostril pore with slightly erected rim; no tentacle above eye; posterior angle of jaws extending posteriorly to below posterior edge of pupil; no opercular spine; no mental frenum; pelvic fins ending at anus, longer than pectoral fin; squamation reduced to a few ctenoid scales on caudal peduncle at caudal-fin base; no head canals; suborbital rows of papillae with four transverse rows; three distinct preorbital rows s present from posterior nostril to above upper lip; suborbital row 3 short, extending from eye ending distantly from row d; suborbital row 4 long, curving at ventroposterior edge of eye and extending obliquely below of level of row d; suborbital row b anteriorly not reaching to below posterior edge of eye; anterior dorsal rows o and m present; head of alive and fresh fish orange, body yellowish orange with five faint, vertical, brown bands ( Fig. 1A ).

Description. Body moderately deep, its depth at pelvic-fin origin 5.1 in SL, at anal-fin origin 5.6 in SL, laterally compressed posteriorly, caudal-peduncle depth 0.7 of body depth at anal-fin origin, with caudal peduncle moderately deep, caudal peduncle depth 0.6 of caudal peduncle length ( Fig. 1 ). Head large, its length 3.1 in SL, width 4.1 in SL, depth 5.1 in SL, and depressed, its depth 0.8 of width. Snout steep in profile from lateral view, and short, its length 0.7 of eye diameter, 5.0 in head length. Anterior nostril with a long nasal tube without process from the rim, posterior nostril pore with erected rim, height of rim less than 1/10 of anterior nasal tube length. Eyes dorsolateral, moderately large, eye diameter 3.7 in head length, orbit projecting above dorsal profile. Interorbital narrow, 6.0 in eye diameter. No tentacle above eye. Mouth terminal, oblique, jaws ending about equal anteriorly. Mouth moderately large, posterior angle of jaws extending to below posterior edge of pupil. Cheek narrow. Upper jaw with single row of recurved pointed teeth. Lower jaw with a single row of recurved pointed teeth anteriorly of similar size as in upper jaw, followed laterally by smaller, pointed, and irregularly spaced teeth among which one or two enlarged recurved canines are present. Tongue short, with rounded tip. No mental frenum. Branchiostegal membranes fused to isthmus, gill openings restricted to pectoral-fin base. Lower limb of first gill arch joined to gill cover by membrane. No spines on preopercle.

Fins. First dorsal fin VI, second dorsal fin I,10; anal fin I,9; branched caudal-fin rays 14, segmented 17. Pectoral-fin rays 14, all rays branched, upper rays not free at tips. Pectoral girdle without flaps on anterior edge. Pelvic fins I,5 + 5,I, left and right fin completely separated and without frenum, fifth ray unbranched, other rays branched, fourth ray the longest. Spines of first dorsal fin not elongate or filamentous, second to fourth spine of first dorsal fin longest, third and fourth only slightly longer than the second spine, sixth spine short; spines of first dorsal fin not reaching to origin of second dorsal fin when folded down. Origin of first dorsal fin behind vertical at pectoral-fin base. Fin membrane from last spine of first dorsal fin connected with second dorsal-spine base, no gap present. Origin of anal fin below vertical of first segmented ray of second dorsal fin. Pectoral fins not extending posteriorly to below origin of second dorsal fin. Pelvic fins ending at anus, about equal to distance between origin of fins and anus, longer than pectoral fins, 1.1 of pectoral-fin length. Caudal fin rounded, shorter than head, 1.4 in head length.

Squamation. Squamation reduced to three ctenoid scales on caudal peduncle at caudal-fin base: one scale at midline, two scales on upper and on the lower lateral side slightly more backwards, forming midlateral triangle ( Fig. 1C ).

Cephalic sensory systems ( Fig. 2 ). No head canals. Rows of head sensory papillae were counted on the both side and presented (left, right). Only left side papillae presented, two papillae on the place of the missing preopercular canal visible only on the right side were transferred on the drawing on the left side (marked pc on Fig. 2 ). Rows of head sensory papillae reduced and additional individual larger papillae present on the position of absent head canals. Preorbital rows: snout with four median preorbital series, upper row r (2, 3) middorsally between eyes above posterior nostrils, s 1 (1, 1) at posterior nostril, row s 2 (1, 1) below s 1 and posterior nostril, and vertical row s 3 (2, 2) above upper lip. Lateral series c in four parts: superior c 2 (1, 2) between posterior nostril and anterior nasal tube, middle c 1 (3, 3) just below base of anterior nasal tube, inferior rows: upper horizontal c 2 (3, 3) above upper lip and lower horizontal c 1 (1, 1) between upper lip and row 1. Suborbital rows: no row a. Row b (3, 2) longitudinal, short, anteriorly beginning close to transverse row 4 and slightly behind vertical of posterior edge of eye. Four transverse suborbital rows (1-4) of sensory papillae, row 1 longer, below anterior edge of pupil reaching upper lip, row 2 short and distant from eye, ending ventrally close to row d, row 3 short, extending from eye ending distantly from row d, row 4 long, curving at ventroposterior edge of eye and then extending obliquely below of level of row d (1: 5, 5, 2: 3, 3, 3: 4, 4, 4: 14, 15). Row d (11, 11) continuous above upper lip and on cheek, ending backwards below posterior part of eye and near transverse suborbital row 4. Preoperculo-mandibular rows: external row e (10 + 10, 10 + 11) longitudinal and uniserial, divided into anterior and posterior sections; internal row i uniserial, divided into anterior and posterior sections (8 + 6, 8 + 6); mental row f longitudinal (4, 5). Oculoscapular rows: three larger papillae longitudinally arranged on position of missing anterior oculoscapular canal behind eye; two larger papillae longitudinally arranged on position of missing posterior oculoscapular canal above opercle (marked aoc and poc on Fig. 2 , respectively); longitudinal row x 1 (4, 6) short; posterior longitudinal row x 2 (3, 4) above two papillae on position of missing posterior oculoscapular canal; anterior lower transverse row z (5, 5) between row x 1 and opercular transverse row ot; row q (1, 1) below and behind posterior end of row x 1; row trp (3, 1) between row q and papillae on the position of missing posterior oculoscapular canal; row y absent. Axillary transverse rows as 1 (4, 3), as 2 (2, 3), as 3 (3, 0) present; row la 1 and row la 2 absent. Opercular rows: two larger papillae in the position of missing preopercular canal visible only on the right side; transverse row ot (10, 9); superior longitudinal row os (4, 4); and inferior longitudinal row oi (3, 4). Anterior dorsal rows: single papilla behind eye on position of the missing pore ω of the anterior oculoscapular canal (marked aoc on Fig. 2 ), transverse row n (4, 6) behind it, row o (1, 1) slightly in front and middorsally to row g, row g (4, 4) longitudinal; row m (1, 1) in the level of row g behind it, row h longitudinal (6, 6) in front of the first dorsal fin. Interorbital rows: two pairs of larger papillae present in interorbital, one anteriorly on the position of the missing pore λ and one posteriorly on the position of the missing pore κ (marked aoc on Fig. 2 ).

Color of female immediately after death ( Fig. 1A ). Head orange with scattered small yellowish grey to pale brown markings; eyes with brown-orange iris and black pupil; anterior nasal tube dark brown. Body yellowish orange, with five faint, vertical, brown bands, extending from dorsal to ventral body side, first two bands below first dorsal fin, remaining three bands below second dorsal fin, first band below second to fifth spines of first dorsal fin, is the most intensive. All bands dotted with brown. Small irregular brown-orange spot at base of second to fourth and of fifth to seventh ray of second dorsal fin. Caudal-fin base with narrow, diffuse, orange-brown bar. All fins similar in color, membranes of median fins with many tiny melanophores; first and second spine of the first dorsal fin and spine of second dorsal fin with alternating white and orange bands, third to sixth spines orange, dark brown streak basally on second membrane of first dorsal fin; rays of second dorsal, anal, and caudal fins orange with small white spots; pectoral fins with semi-translucent membranes and irregular dark orange bar at base, rays orange with white spots; pelvic fins pale brownish orange.

Color of preserved female ( Fig. 1B ). Body opaque white, lost orange and brownish coloration, no visible pigments on head and body. Eyes dark, including pupil. Dorsal and anal fins transparent, the rare dark pigmented dots visible on dorsal fins. Caudal, pectoral and pelvic fins transparent without any pigmentation.

Etymology. The specific epithet is from the Latin aurantiaca , orange, and refers to the prevalence of orange color in head, body and fin-rays.

Habitat. Known only on the basis of the holotype collected at 14–16 m depth, at Sharm Obhur, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Habitat of the new species is steep coral-reef sloping down to about 30 m depth, upper half of the slope characterized by short steps covered with hard and soft corals, the specimen was collected at the entrance of small cave.

Remarks. The new species is unique among the species of the genus Hetereleotris , except for H. apora and H. exilis , in the combination of absence of head canals and squamation reduced to caudal peduncle. From H. apora it differs by series of characters among which the most useful are: body with squamation reduced to a few scales on caudal peduncle at caudal-fin base (vs. 4–5 rows of scales restricted to caudal peduncle); anterior nostril with a long nasal tube without projection from rim, posterior nostril just pore with erected rim, height of rim less than 1/10 of anterior nasal tube length (vs. anterior and posterior nostril tubes, anterior nostril slightly longer than posterior nostril); operculum without spines (vs. operculum with 2 spines dorsally); dorsal-fin rays VI + I,10 and anal-fin rays I,9 (vs. dorsal-fin rays VI + I,11 and anal-fin rays I,10); pectoral-fin rays 14 (vs. pectoral-fin rays 15–16), pelvic fins I,5 + 5,I (vs. pelvic fins I,4 + 4,I); body yellowish orange, with five vertical brown bars (vs. body dusky grey with diffuse dark bars on upper half). From H. exilis it differs by series of characters among which the most useful are: body with squamation reduced to a few ctenoid scales on caudal peduncle at caudal-fin base (vs. 14–15 rows of cycloid scales on caudal peduncle); posterior angle of jaws extending posteriorly to below posterior edge of pupil (vs. posterior angle of jaws extending posteriorly to below middle or anterior edge of pupil); anterior nostril with a long nasal tube without projection from rim, posterior nostril just pore with erected rim, height of rim less than 1/10 of anterior nasal tube length (vs. anterior and posterior nostril with nasal tubes); dorsal-fin rays VI + I,10 and anal-fin rays I,9 (vs. dorsal-fin rays VI + I,12 and anal-fin rays I,11); pectoral-fin rays 14 (vs. pectoral-fin rays 16); pelvic fins ending at anus (vs. pelvic fins not reaching posteriorly anus).

The new species could be easily appeared as scaleless. The three species, among 19 currently known species of the genus, have the combination of absence of head canals and scales: H. diademata , H. dorsovittata and H. psammophila . Hetereleotris aurantiaca differs from these three species, in addition to presence of peduncular scales, in having anterior nostril with a long nasal tube without projection from rim, posterior nostril just pore with erected rim, height of rim less than 1/10 of anterior nasal tube length vs. anterior and posterior nasal tubes, anterior nasal tube slightly longer than posterior nasal tube in H. diademata , anterior and posterior nasal tubes, posterior tube onehalf of anterior tube in H. dorsovittata , anterior and posterior nasal tubes, posterior tube 1/3 of anterior tube in H. psammophila ; larger mouth with posterior angle of jaws extending posteriorly to below posterior edge of pupil vs. posterior angle of jaws extending posteriorly to below anterior edge of orbit in H. diademata , posterior angle of jaws extending posteriorly to below anterior edge of pupil in H. dorsovittata and H. psammophila ; alive coloration with head orange, body yellowish orange, with five vertical brown bands on body side vs. head and body whitish, mottled sandy brown and with transverse dark band below first dorsal fin, dark diagonal bar extending from eye, diffused line from eye to lip, and 7–9 more or less defined vertical brown bars starting at bases of dorsal fins in H. diademata , head and body yellowish white with irregular brown mottling above midlateral and dorsal fins with longitudinal dark submarginal band in H. dorsovittata , head and body transparent whitish with rare dark brown markings on head and along back and with blackish bar at caudal-fin base in H. psammophila .

The presence of three scales observed on the holotype was included in the description. However, we have taken precaution using the phrase of a few scales in the key and in the diagnosis since the species count, when more material would be collected, could extend the present holotype count. The fin meristic characters in diagnosis has to be taken also with cautions since they are based on a single specimen. However, for the most Hetereleotris species with the data known from numerous specimens the second dorsal-fin count and the anal-fin count remain restricted to a single value ( Hoese 1986). The pectoral-fin count is more variable within the species ( Hoese 1986). Anyway, even with the overlapping of fin meristics, the new species diagnosis would remain firm based on the large set of other differential characters in comparison with other known Hetereleotris species.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Hetereleotris aurantiaca sp. nov. SMF 35966, holotype, female, 14.51+3.40 mm, Red Sea, Saudi Arabia, Jeddah, Obhur creek (Sharm Obhur). A: freshly collected specimen; B: preserved specimen; C: three peduncular scales marked with arrows. Photos by S.V. Bogorodsky (A), M. Kovačić (B, C).

FIGURE 2. Hetereleotris aurantiaca sp. nov. Cephalic sensory papillae: SMF 35966, holotype, female, 14.51+3.40 mm, Red Sea, Saudi Arabia, Jeddah, Obhur creek (Sharm Obhur). Terminology in text. Drawing by M. Kovačić.