Bryaninops yongei (Davis & Cohen, 1969)

Suzuki, Toshiyuki, Bogorodsky, Sergey V. & Randall, John E., 2012, Gobiid fishes of the genus Bryaninops from the Red Sea, with description of two new species and two new records, Zootaxa 3170, pp. 1-17 : 15

Bryaninops yongei (Davis & Cohen, 1969)

Figures 15–17

Cottogobius yongei Davis & Cohen, 1969: 749 , figs. 1, 4–6 ( type locality, Darvel Bay, Borneo). Tenacigobius yongei Larson & Hoese, 1980: 40 , fig. 535.

Bryaninops yongei Larson, 1985: 62 , figs. 2–4.

Diagnosis. Dorsal-fin rays usually I,8 or 1,9; anal-fin rays usually I,8 or I,9; pectoral-fin rays usually 15 or 16; scales on body variable with locality, at least half scaled, but may extend to above opercle, the longitudinal scale series 26–58 (mean count, 40); mouth terminal; canine tooth present on side of lower jaw; body nearly rounded anteriorly, compressed posteriorly; body depth at origin of anal fin 12.3–18.5% SL; lower preopercular edge scalloped; gill opening short, reaching just below pectoral-fin base; caudal fin truncate, slightly heterocercal; pelvic disc cup-like and short, not reaching anus, the spines thickened and folded; dorsal two-fifths of postorbital head and body translucent bluish or greenish, crossed by seven red bars; ventral three-fifths of body dusky yellow; iris red, dark brown at outer edge, with a narrow yellow inner circle. Attains 28 mm SL.

Distribution. The most wide-ranging species of the genus, from the islands of French Polynesia ( Randall, 2005) and the Hawaiian Islands to the northern Red Sea; in the western Pacific from the Ryukyu Islands ( Masuda & Kobayashi, 1994; Senou et al., 2004) to the Great Barrier Reef.

Remarks. Lives on the antipatharian sea whip Cirrhipathes anguina at depths of 3 to at least 45 m, often on drop-offs, usually with one male-female pair per sea whip, and sometimes a few juveniles as well. Larson (1985) described the sexual difference in the dentition (similar in Bryaninops tigris ). Debelius (1998: 184, lower fig.) misidentified an underwater photograph of B. yongei from Sharm el Sheikh, Sinai Peninsula, Red Sea as B. tigris .

Material examined. BPBM 40981, 25 mm SL, Egypt, Wadi Gimal area, Shaab Sharm Reef, depth 24 m, from Cirripathes anguina about 1.5 meters long, S. V. Bogorodsky, 22 May 2008.

Figures

FIGURE 15. Bryaninops yongei, 25 mm SL, Shaab Sharm, Egypt. Photo by S. V. Bogorodsky.

FIGURE 16. Bryaninops yongei, Ras Mohammed, Sinai Peninsula, Egypt. Photo by J. E. Randall.

FIGURE 17. Subadult of Bryaninops yongei and parasitic copepod, Red Sea. Photo by J. E. Randall.