Liopropoma aragai Randall & Taylor 1988

Figures 1, 2, 3A, B; Tables 2, 3

Liopropoma aragai Randall & Taylor 1988:20, pl. 4, fig. D (type locality: Okinawa Island, Japan); Shen et al. 1993:295, pl. 76- fig. 1 (in part, Keelung); Chen 2003:73 (Penghu); Senou 2013:800; Chiang et al. 2014:94, top fig. (eastern Taiwan).

Material examined. Japan: FAKU 205237 (ex. SMBL 73181), holotype, 132.6 mm SL, off Okinawa Island, ca. 100 m depth, hook and line, August 1973 (purchased at Naha Fish Market, coll. T. Yoshino); KPM-NI 27671, 161.9 mm SL, male, probably from Ryukyu Archipelago (purchased at Naha Fish Market, coll. Y. Sakurai), 13 December 2010; KPM-NI 40886, 151.7 mm SL, KPM-NI 40887, 133.3 mm SL, female, probably from Ryukyu Archipelago (purchased at Naha Fish Market, coll. Y. Sakurai), 21 June 2016 ; Taiwan: ASIZP 56826, 164.7 mm SL, purchased at Keelung fish market, 1 May 1989, coll. S.-C. Lee; NMMB-P 9717, 116.7 mm SL, southern Taiwan (purchased at Houbihu fishing port), 6 Sept. 2008, coll. C.-W. Chang.

Description. Counts and measurements given in Tables 2, 3.

Body moderately elongate, compressed; caudal peduncle depth half that of body. Head pointed, dorsal profile nearly straight; snout length 3.6–3.8 in HL; orbit diameter 4.6–5.0 in HL; interorbital space slightly convex, least bony width 5.1–5.7 in HL. Posterior margin of preopercle with slight irregular curve, not obviously serrate.Anterior nostril a thin membranous tube set directly in front of eye on edge of groove separating front of snout from upper lip; posterior nostril with a low fleshy rim, above center of eye. Mouth large, slightly oblique; lower jaw slightly projecting; posterior margin of maxilla not reaching vertical through posterior margin of orbit; upper jaw length 2.3 in HL. Villiform teeth bands on both jaws (up to 16 irregular rows anteriorly on upper jaw), vomer (ca. 6 rows in a broad V-shaped patch) and palatines (long narrow band, 4 or 5 rows wide at broadest point). Tongue slender, end broadly rounded; lips smooth.

Lateral line highly arched over pectoral fin from middle to tip; highest point below base of fifth dorsal-fin spine. Head fully scaled, except around nostrils and large pores on snout; 12 diagonal rows of scales on cheek between orbit and corner of preopercle; small scales on basal one-third of second dorsal, anal and caudal fins.

Origin of dorsal fin above seventh pored lateral-line scale; first dorsal-fin spine slender, its base close to base of second spine; third spine of dorsal fin longest, its length 3.2–3.6 in HL; seventh spine clearly visible above middle of distinct scaly ridge between first and second dorsal fins; fifth soft ray of dorsal fin longest, its length 1.9 in HL. Origin of anal fin below base of third soft ray of dorsal fin; first spine of anal fin shorter than second and third spines, its length 3.7–3.8 in HL; second soft ray of anal fin longest, its length 1.9–2.3 in HL. Pectoral fins pointed, fifth ray longest, reaching vertical through base of first soft ray in dorsal fin; pectoral fin length 1.4 in HL. Origin of pelvic fin slightly anterior to upper base of pectoral fin; pelvic fin length 1.9–2.0 in HL. Caudal fin emarginate, lobes pointed.

Color when fresh. Coloration of male (KPM-NI 27671, Fig. 1A) and female (KPM-NI 40887, Fig. 1B) specimens similar in general appearance. Body bright red dorsally, pink ventrally. A yellow stripe from front of upper lip through eye, across upper operculum, continuing broadly and becoming diffuse on center of body. A broad diffuse yellow area extending anteriorly from lower caudal peduncle to above posterior end of anal-fin base. Faint yellowish freckles on abdomen, not forming a stripe. Posterodorsal edge of maxilla yellow; a patchy yellow stripe narrower than main body stripe running from cheek to anterior of pectoral-fin base. Dorsal fin red, a broad yellow basal band on spinous portion and anteriorly on soft-rayed portion. Anal fin pink, a broad yellow submarginal band anteriorly. Caudal fin light red becoming pink distally on central portion; upper and lower lobes broadly yellow (yellow of lower lobe continuous with yellow zone of lower part of caudal peduncle); pectoral fins light red; pelvic fins pink. Iris purple with yellow band laterally thorough pupil.

Color when preserved. Body and fins generally pale without dark stripes (Figs. 2, 3A, B); upper half of body a little darker due to slightly dusky edges of scales.

Distribution. Liopropoma aragai has been recorded in Japanese waters from Smith Island (Izu Islands) and Okinawa Island (Ryukyu Archipelago) (Randall & Taylor 1988; Senou 2013), its range extending southward to southern Taiwan in the South China Sea (present study).

Remarks. Most morphological and color characters of the newly-examined specimens from Japan and Taiwan closely resembled those of the holotype of L. aragai (Fig. 2; Tables 2, 3): dorsal fin continuous, all spines and rays connected above their bases by membranes, eighth dorsal-fin spine longer than sixth and seventh, 12 soft rays; anal- fin soft rays 8; pectoral-fin rays 15; lateral-line scales 48; gill rakers 6–7 (upper) + 12–13 (lower); caudal fin deeply emarginate; head fully scaled, except around nostrils; no dark markings on head, body or fins.

Lee (1990) reported a single specimen collected from Hengchun, Taiwan (ASIZP 56030) as Liopropoma aragai . However, that specimen is re-identified here as L. lemniscatum . Shen et al. ’s (1993) subsequent report of L. aragai from Keelung, Taiwan and Hengchun, included a fresh specimen photograph, likely taken of ASIZP 56826 (collected at Keelung fish market in 1989), which is herein confirmed as L. aragai .

Many subsequent publications followed Lee (1990) and Shen et al. (1993), reported only L. aragai from various localities in Taiwan (i.e., Chen 2003; Chen et al. 2010; Shen & Wu 2011; Chiang et al. 2014). However, only the photographs shown in Chen 2003 and Chiang et al. (2014) were identified correctly, the remainder being misidentifications of L. lemniscatum . In addition, the otolith morphology, purportedly of L. aragai, described by Lin & Chang (2012) was based on a voucher specimen (NMMB-P9784) here re-identified as L. lemniscatum . First record status discussed in next section.