Syncomistes, , Vari, 1978

Shelley, James J., Delaval, Aurélien & Le, Matthew C., 2017, A revision of the grunter genus Syncomistes (Teleostei, Terapontidae, Syncomistes) with descriptions of seven new species from the Kimberley region, northwestern Australia, Zootaxa 4367 (1), pp. 1-103 : 23-24

GENUS: SYNCOMISTES

Syncomistes, Vari 1978: 311

Type species. Syncomistes butleri, Vari 1978 , by original designation.

Etymology. The generic name, Syncomistes is a masculine Greek noun meaning gatherer. It refers to the unique manner in which members of the genus harvest algae when feeding.

Diagnosis (modified from Vari 1978). A highly distinctive genus of the family Terapontidae , distinguished by the following characters: medium sized (150–280 mm SL); body stout, slightly laterally compressed; covered with ctenoid scales; postorbital region and opercle scaled; inter-orbital smooth, with bony ridge above each orbit; two distinct opercular spines present, lower opercular spine the longer and more robust; preopercular spines serrate, longest and most robust on apex of preopercle, reduced in size dorsally and anteriorly; first and second dorsal fins joined; origin of first dorsal spine slightly anterior to vertical drawn through pelvic fin base; 11–13 dorsal spines (usually 12), 10–14 segmented rays; two proximal dorsal pterygiophores inserted between successive neural spines; pectoral fins asymmetrically pointed, 14–17 segmented rays; pelvic fins pointed, 1 spine, 5 segmented rays; anal fin with 3 spines, 7–11 segmented rays; caudal fin emarginated, 15–16 branched (usually 15) and 17–26 unbranched rays; vertebrae 25–26 (usually 25); gill rakers on lower arch 15–22, upper arch 6–13, short and stout to long and slender.

Lower jaw flattened; dentary rolled outwards so pointing laterally; teeth flattened in most species (more rounded in S. carcharus and S. moranensis ), tightly packed together, embedded in a jelly-like gum (gum hardened in S. carcharus and S. moranensis ); outer tooth row enlarged, proceeded by a number of narrow inner series; bottom jaw with prominent, median positioned, dorsally directed bump at the dental symphysis; top jaw with median groove between premaxillaries, with both bump and groove being edentulous. The bump and groove structures and the lack of median dentition are characters considered autapomorphic to the genus within the family. Maxillary broader and more robust than species of other genera in the family, distinctive in shape with ascending processes being triangular and medial surfaces of ascending processes diverging from each other and being distinctly separated at tips (based on analysis of S. butleri s.l., S. trigonicus s.l. and S. kimberleyensis in Vari 1978 ). Highly modified hemispherical rostral cartilage with concavity on posterior surface and loose connections to premaxillaries; anterior surface of ethmoid with rounded anterior knob at point that contacts posterior concavity on rostral cartilage (based on analysis of S. butleri s.l., S. trigonicus s.l. and S. kimberleyensis in Vari 1978 ). Complex modification to the rostral cartilage and ethmoid considered autapomorphic to the genus within the family.

Intestines particularly long for given body size; adults (undefined size) exhibit complex looping pattern with greater percentage of loops to left side of body cavity in median body plane. Fully developed intestinal pattern considered autapomorphic to Syncomistes .

Included Species. Following this revision, the genus comprises 11 freshwater species distributed in northwestern Australia: four which are redescribed ( S. butleri s.s., S. kimberleyensis , S. trigonicus s.s. and S. rastellus ), and seven previously unrecognised ( S. bonapartensis sp. nov., Syncomistes carcharus sp. nov., Syncomistes dilliensis sp. nov., Syncomistes holsworthi sp. nov., Syncomistes moranensis sp. nov., Syncomistes versicolor sp. and S. wunambal sp. nov.). As S. kimberleyensis was originally described from juvenile specimens alone, the redescription is also based on adult specimens. Formal descriptions for the seven previously unrecognised species are provided below.