Pempheris ufuagari

Koeda, Keita, Yoshino, Tetsuo & Tachihara, Katsunori, 2013, Pempheris ufuagari sp. nov., a new species in the genus Pempheris (Perciformes, Pempheridae) from the oceanic islands of Japan, Zootaxa 3609 (2), pp. 231-238 : 232-237

Pempheris ufuagari sp nov.

(New Japanese name: Daito hatampo) ( Fig. 1 a, Table 1 )

Holotype. NSMT-P 108633, 168.7 mm SL, 25°48'45''N, 131°13'59''E, Kameike port, Minami Daito Island, Daito Islands, 2 m depth, nighttime angling, 22 January 2012.

Paratypes. URM-P 46322, 153.4 mm SL, Kameike port, Minami Daito Island, Daito Islands, collected with holotype. NSMT-P 108634, 162.2 mm SL, offshore of western coast of Minami Daito Island, Daito Islands; URM- P 46315–46318 (4), 162.2–175.0 mm SL, offshore of western coast of Minami Daito Island, Daito Islands; BPBM- 35182, 35286 (2), 143.9, 196.8 mm SL, Chichi-jima Island, Ogasawara Islands; NSMT-P 35498, 171.2 mm SL, Ototo-jima Island, Ogasawara Islands.

Diagnosis. Scale rows above lateral line 6 1/2–7 1/2 (usually 7 1/2); pored lateral-line scales 62–71; scales weakly ctenoid, thin, semicircular in shape, far wider than long, and deciduous ( Fig. 2 a); snout outline convex in anterior part of orbit; tip of dorsal fin broadly black, the rest bright yellow; base of anal fin blackish; distinct blackish band on outer margin; posterior margin of caudal fin blackish, the rest bright yellow; distinct blackish spot on pectoral-fin base; no villiform tooth band extending outside lips on the upper and lower jaws.

Description. Count and measurement of the type specimens are given in Table 1 . Characters stated in the diagnosis are not repeated. Body compressed, width 6.9–8.6 in SL; body deep, deepest at dorsal fin origin, depth 2.3–2.5 in SL; head large and deep, length 3.4–3.6 in SL, depth 3.0– 3.3 in SL; snout very short, length 3.7–4.4 in HL; eye large 2.4–2.7 in HL; interorbital very narrow 3.0– 3.6 in HL; dorsal outline convex to dorsal-fin base, extending somewhat linearly to caudal peduncle; ventral outline convex to anal-fin base, extending somewhat linearly to caudal peduncle; chest not keeled; dorsal fin origin vertically above pelvic fin origin; anal fin origin vertically below dorsal fin origin; first dorsal fin spine minute, and last longest; dorsal fin base clearly shorter than longest dorsal fin soft ray; first anal fin spine minute; first or second anal fin soft ray longest of anal fin; posterior tip of paired fins reaching vertical line from anus; caudal fin deeply forked; uppermost and lowermost branched ray longest of caudal fin.

Mouth large and strongly oblique, upper jaw length 1.9–2.1 in HL; maxilla extending to middle of pupil; maxilla broadly expanded posteriorly, its surface level; lower jaw projecting beyond upper jaw; narrow band of villiform teeth in jaws.

Concealed small scales under surface scales, but not abundant; scales of ventral area larger than those of dorsal area; almost all parts of head scaled, except for just anterior to orbit; about one-third of basal part of anal fin covered with small scales; pored lateral-line scales adherent, running parallel to dorsal outline to middle of caudal fin.

Coloration when fresh. Body scales reddish brown with golden reflection in the day, but silver at night; paired fins pink.

Coloration when fixed. Body scales light or dark brown; areas missing scales light tan to pale brown with irregular vertical dark brown lines marking scale pockets; black pigmentation on dorsal, anal, and caudal fins usually persistent; yellow coloration of dorsal and caudal fins disappear; paired fins hyaline.

Habitat and distribution. Pempheris ufuagari is known only from Daito and Ogasawara Islands, the oceanic islands of Japan. The specimens reported herein were collected in 2–15 m of depth. This species seemed to reside in underwater caves or crevasses in coral reef areas during the day, but was in open water at night.

As % of standard length

Head length 28.6 27.7–29.6 (28.8) Head depth 33.1 30.4–33.2 (32.4) Snout length 7.1 6.4–7.5 (7.1) Eye diameter 11.0 10.8–12.3 (11.6) Interorbital width 8.4 8.2–9.6 (8.9) Upper jaw length 14.3 13.9–15.8 (14.7) Predorsal length 38.3 38.2–40.1 (38.8) Prepelvic length 37.7 37.4–41.0 (38.5) Preanal length 51.3 48.0–53.8 (51.8) Body depth 43.5 40.5–44.4 (42.4) Dorsal-fin length 25.1 21.1–25.7 (23.6) Anal-fin length 14.4 12.3–15.3 (14.0) Pectoral-fin length 23.4 23.7–25.7 (24.6) Pelvic-fin length 14.3 12.8–14.6 (13.9) Dorsal-fin base 16.9 15.3–18.1 (16.8) Anal-fin base 51.3 47.8–54.2 (50.8) Caudal-peduncle length 9.1 8.4–9.9 (9.2) Caudal-peduncle depth 9.1 8.7–9.6 (9.0) Dorsal-fin origin to pelvic-fin origin 42.9 39.9–43.1 (41.5) Dorsal-fin origin to anal-fin insertion 60.4 58.6–61.8 (60.2) Pelvic-fin origin to anal-fin origin 15.6 13.2–17.4 (15.3) Body width 14.3 11.7–14.5 (13.6)

......continued on the next page Comparisons. Pempheris ufuagari mostly resembles P. adusta Bleeker 1877 , P. oualensis , and P. otaitensis . These four species have weak ctenoid, deciduous, and semicircular scales ( Fig. 2 a), and can be easily distinguished from six Pacific species that have strongly ctenoid, adherent, and divided into basal and distal halves scales ( Fig. 2 b), P. adspersa Griffin 1927 , P. analis Waite 1910 , P. compressa White 1790 , P. japonica , P. klunzingeri McCulloch 1911 , P. ypsilychna Mooi and Jubb 1996 . The four species can be distinguish from all other Indo- Pacific Pempheris ( P. affinis McCulloch 1911 , P. m o lu cc a Cuvier 1829, P. multiradiata Klunzinger 1879 , P. nyctereutes , P. nesogallica Cuvier in Cuvier & Valenciennes 1831, P. mangula Cuvier 1829 , P. o r n a t a Mooi & Jubb 1996, P. r a p a Mooi 1998, P. sasakii , P. schwenkii , P. vanicolensis , and P. xanthoptera ) by having a blackish spot on the pectoral-fin base.

Selected characters of the four species are compared in Table 2 . The spot on P. adusta was not as distinct as in the other three species. Moreover, P. adusta can be distinguished by its lower scale counts. Pempheris ufuagari differs from P. oualensis in coloration ( Fig. 1 ). Additionally, P. oualensis has a villiform tooth band extending outside the lips on the upper and lower jaws, but P. ufuagari does not. Pempheris otaitensis , which has been collected only from French Polynesia and Samoa, has similar coloration to P. ufuagari . However, P. otaitensis have a black band on the anterior margin of the dorsal fin, but P. ufuagari usually has the blackish part only on the tip of the dorsal fin. Additionally, the latter has lower scale counts than the former. The snout outline of P. otaitensis is not convex as P. ufuagari .

Blackish part on dorsal fin Tip Tip Tip and Tip and

anterior margin anterior margin a Data shown only from Pacific Ocean specimens

Remarks: Pempheris ufuagari is the largest species in the genus Pempheris . The largest specimen (BPBM 35286) measured 196.8 mm SL, which is larger than any other Pempheris specimens observed by us (2,703 specimens representing 32 species).

The specimens collected from Ogasawara Islands as P. otaitensis by Randall et al. (1997) are identified here as P. ufuagari . Hatooka (2000) reported P. oualensis from Ogasawara Islands, providing an underwater color photograph. However, the photograph seemed to be P. ufuagari as it had yellow dorsal and caudal fins and a blackish band on the outer margin of the anal fin.

Pempheris ufuagari has been collected only from Daito and Ogasawara Islands the two oceanic islands in Japan. This species was always collected with P. oualensis , and the first author observed they schooled together. However, P. oualensis has been commonly collected from other oceanic islands. Tropical species of Pempheris usually have wider distributions than that of P. ufuagari . However, P. otaitensis and P. rapa , also have restricted distributions.

Oceanic islands are very rare in Japan, and Daito and Ogasawara Islands are particularly far from the continental shelf. Chaetodon daedalma Jordan and Fowler 1902 and Acanthurus achilles Shaw 1803 have been reported from these islands, and known as oceanic species. However, C. daedalma has been recorded from Izu Islands and Kochi, and A. achilles from Okinawa Island. Pempheris ufuagari might be common in Daito and Ogasawara Islands, but has not been recorded from another region, such as Ryukyu Archipelago (except Minami Daito Island), Izu Island, and the Mariana Islands.

Pempheris woodlarkensis Thiollière in Montrouzier 1857 was described from Woodlark Island, Papua New Guinea, with no type specimens, and no useful information was given in the original description. We will treat the validity of these species in a review of Pacific Pempheris , in the near future.

Etymology. The name ufuagari means ''eastern end'' in the traditional Okinawan dialect. The type locality Minami Daito Island was called ''Ufuagari-jima (jima means island)'' by the Okinawan people before 1885 when the Meiji government of Japan first landed.

Comparative materials examined. P. adspersa .— AIM MA74995 (holotype), 116.7 mm, Bay of Island, New Zealand; P. adusta .—RMNH 6161 (hototype), 130.3 mm, Ambon I., Indonesia; URM-P 46312, 136 mm, Minamidaitou I., Japan; P. affinis . — AMS B.7332 (holotype), 114.5 mm, Port Jackson, NSW, Australia; P. analis .—CMC F701 (lectotype), 142.9 mm, Kermadec I., New Zealand; P. compressa .—USNM-343758, Heron I., QLD, Australia; P. japonica . —BMNH-1891.5.26.7, 1891.5.26.8 (2 syntypes), 108.5–125.9 mm, Tokyo Bay, Japan; ZMH-4250 (2 syntypes), 113.7, 125.2 mm, Tokyo, Japan; URM-P 45422, 153.5 mm, Okinawa I., Japan; P. klunzingeri . —SMNS-2559 (holotype), 131.7 mm, King George’s sound, WA, Australia; P. malabarica . —MNHN A219, A417, B2511 (three syntypes), 121.1–132.5 mm SL, Kerara, India; P. mangula . —BPBM 27666, 131.2 mm, Kerara, India; P. molucca . —MNHN A220 (holotype), 111.9 mm SL, Molucca Islands, Indonesia; P.

multiradiata . —SMNS 2557, 2676 (seven syntypes), 120.1–182.1 mm SL, King George's Sound, WA, Australia; P. nesogallica . —MNHN B2514 (syntype), 130.1 mm, Mauritius; P. nyctereutes . —ZUMT 42902 (holotype), 160.5 mm SL, Taiwan; P. ornata . —AMS I.33831-001 (holotype), 70.5 mm, Rapid Bay, SA, Australia; P. otaitensis . —MNHN A927 (holotype), 131.0 mm, Tahiti, French Polynesia; P. oualensis .—MNHN A221 (holotype), 177.4 mm, Kosrae I., Micronesia, URM-P 456320, 183.0 mm, Minami Daito I., Okinawa, Japan; P. rapa .—BPBM 12889 (holotype), 126.9 mm SL, Rapa Island, French Polynesia; P. s a s a k i i. —FMNH 58751 (holotype), 95.1 mm SL, Toba, Japan; P. s c h w e n k i i.—RMNH 6160 (2 syntypes), 87.2? 89.4 mm SL, Batu Island, Indonesia; P. vanicolensis . —MNHN A224, A418, B2512, B2513 (four syntypes), 66.3–136.3 mm SL, Vanikoro Island, Solomon Islands; P. xanthoptera . —ZUMT 51967 (holotype), 116.8 mm SL, Kanagawa, Japan; P. ypsilychna .—WAM P.28059-019 (holotype), 74.1 mm, Broome, WA, Australia.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Two species of Pempheris collected from Kameike port, Minami Daito Island, Okinawa Pref., Japan. Both specimens collected by night-time angling. a: holotype of Pempheris ufuagari (NSMT-P 108633), 168.7 mm SL; b: P. oualensis (URM-P 46320), 183.0 mm SL.

FIGURE 2. Illustrations of scales of Pempheris species. a: P. ufuagari (URM-P 46323) which has weakly ctenoid, deciduous, thin, semicircular in shape, far wider than long scales; b: P. japonica (URM-P 45422) which has strongly ctenoid, adherent, divided into basal and distal halves scales. 1: scales from dorsal side; 2: scale from ventral side; 3: pored lateral-line scales. Each scale bar indicates 1 mm.

Tables

TABLE 1. Counts and measurements of Pempheris ufuagari sp. nov.

	Holotype NSMT-P 108633	Paratypes (n = 9)
Standard length (mm)	168.7	143.9–196.8
Counts
Dorsal-fin rays	VI, 9	VI, 9
Anal-fin rays	III, 42	III, 39–43
Pectoral-fin rays	I, 16	I, 16–17 usually 16
Pelvic-fin rays	I, 5	I, 5
Caudal-fin rays	9+8	9+8
Proccurent caudal rays	8+4	6–8+3–6
Left pored lateral-line scales	66	62–71
Right Pored lateral-line scales	66	62–70
Scale rows above lateral line	7 1/2	6 1/2–7 1/2 usually 7 1/2
Scale rows below lateral line	17	16–18
Cheek scale rows	8	7–8
Predorsal scales	39	37–43
Circumpeduncular scales	20	20
Gill rakers	8+21	8–9+20–21
Vertebrae	10+15	10+15

TABLE 2. Comparison of the selected characters and distribution among four species that have similar morphology to Pempheris ufuagari sp. nov.

	P. ufuagari	P. adusta a	P. oualensis	P. otaitensis
Maximum standard length	196.8 mm	158.4 mm	186.1 mm	170.3 mm
Black spot on Pectoral fin base	Distinct	Faint	Distinct	Distinct
Tooth band extending outside lips	Absent	Absent	Present	Absent
Color of dorsal and caudal fins	Yellow	Brown or pale	Brown or pale	Yellow