Kyonemichthys rumengani Gomon, 2007

Bogorodsky, Sergey V., Randall, John E. & Golani, Daniel, 2011, Four new records of shore fishes for the Red Sea, with notes on Parupeneus heptacanthus and Diodon liturosus, Zootaxa 3057, pp. 49-60 : 51-52

Kyonemichthys rumengani Gomon, 2007

Figure 2

Kyonemichthys rumengani Gomon, 2007: 27 , figs. 1–3 (Lembeh Strait, Sulawesi, Indonesia). Kyonemichthys sp. Kuiter, 2009: 146 (from first author’s underwater photograph).

Material examined. NMV A 24906 -001, 25 mm, November 2008, near Wadi Lahmy hotel, 5 km south off Hamata, southern Egypt, 24°15’ 08” N, 38°24’30”E, semi-enclosed lagoon, near entrance of small cave on margin of lagoon reef, 3 m, hand net, S. V. Bogorodsky, 23 November 2008.

Diagnosis. Dorsal-fin rays 15; anal-fin rays 3; pectoral-fin rays 12; trunk rings 9; tail rings 42; no caudal fin; head angled about 30° to axis of trunk; head length about 9 in total length; occiput bulbous with a low, crest-like, median ridge and a slender tentacle, its length about 1.5 in orbit diameter; snout short, about 3 in head length, with a very low median ridge and two small tubercles, the posterior larger; orbit about equal to snout length; edge of orbit with a prominent ridge bearing tubercles, the dorsal rim continuing as a ridge laterally on occiput; superior trunk and tail ridges continuous; inferior trunk ridge ending at anal ring; lateral trunk ridge confluent with inferior tail ridge; a slender tentacle equal to snout length dorsally between eighth and ninth trunk rings; a much thicker tentacle, as long as head, dorsally between fourth and fifth tail rings; origin of dorsal fin on ninth tail ring; trunk greatly swollen ventrally between third and last rings, with a constriction at about the sixth and seventh trunk rings; ridges of anterior tail rings flared laterally, with a retrorse spinule from each posterior angle; color when fresh pale yellowish, faintly mottled and dotted with light yellowish brown; tubercular bumps on ridges nearly white; dorsalfin rays and the two slender tentacles pink, the long stouter tentacle yellowish green.

Distribution. The few records suggest a broad range from the tropical and subtropical western Pacific to the Red Sea.

Remarks. The first author detected this tiny pipehorse at a depth of 3 m in the Red Sea as it was slowly swimming in an oblique position at the entrance to a small cave near branches of a hydroid (probably a species of Dynamena ). The specimen was sent for deposit to the Museum of Victoria, Melbourne, where Martin F. Gomon confirmed the identification. The original description of this unusual syngnathid by Gomon (2007) is based on a single specimen 26.8 mm in total length collected from Sulawesi. Senou et al. (2007: 50, fig. 3) illustrated it from an underwater photograph and listed five lots of specimens as “ Syngnathidae , indeterminate genus and species”, now recognized as Kyonemichthys rumengani (H. Senou, pers. comm.). Kuiter (2009) published several underwater photographs identified as K. rumengani , stating that it appears to be widespread in the tropical western Pacific.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Kyonemichthys rumengani, freshly collected specimen, 25 mm TL, Hamata, Egypt (S. V. Bogorodsky).