Parupeneus louise Randall, 2004

Uiblein, Franz, 2021, Taxonomic review of the “ posteli-species group ” of goatfishes (genus Parupeneus, Mullidae), with description of a new species from the northern Red Sea, Cybium 45 (1), pp. 63-77 : 69-72

Parupeneus louise Randall, 2004

Louise Goatfish

( Figs 1 , 2C ; Tab. I )

Material examined

Holotype. – BPBM 31692 , HT, 222 mm SL, Central Pacific , French Polynesia, Tuamotu Archipelago, Kaukura Atoll, F / V Vaivai, 200 m depth.

Unvouchered photograph ( Fig. 2C ): French Polynesia, Austral Islands, Rurutu, most probably large-sized fish, 250 m depth.

Diagnosis

Morphological characters

Pectoral fins 16; lateral-line scales 27; gill rakers 8-9 + 31-32 = 39-41; measurements in % SL (only one large-sized fish available): body depth at first dorsal-fin origin 30; body depth at anus 23; caudal-peduncle depth 9.8; maximum head depth 28; head depth through eye 26; interorbital length 8.1; head length 36; snout length 20; postorbital length 11; orbit length 6.6; upper jaw length 15; barbel length 37; caudal-peduncle length 24; caudal-fin length 30; height of second anal-fin ray 13; pelvic-fin length 25; pectoral-fin length 27; height of second dorsal-fin spine 17; height of third dorsal-fin spine 20; height of second dorsal-fin ray 12 and height of ninth dorsal-fin ray 14; posterior maxilla margin dorsally flattened.

Colour

Fresh fish shortly after death with head and body ventrally white and with a broad red band along dorsal head and body margin of about orbit diameter in width; a thin whitish stripe of about half of pupil diameter extends from below and behind eye to caudal-fin base and follows the lateral line; head and body below lateral line to about level of pectoral-fin base mostly red, interrupted by six broad white, vertically oriented bars of varying widths, the anterior-most bar thinnest, positioned along exterior opercular margin, the posterior-most bar widest, crossing anterior third of caudal peduncle, the remaining four bars of intermediate widths positioned at rather irregular red interspaces in the area from behind pectoral-fin base to below posterior part of second dorsal fin; pupil black, iris red; barbels whitish suffused with pale red at base, then entirely creamy white; dorsal fins red, the anterior three long spines mostly white; caudal fin red at base and most of lobes, the upper lobe with a pale-red stripe of half lobe width along its ventral margin, the lower lobe and caudal-fin base with a white ventral margin; pectoral, pelvic and anal fins mostly white or pale red; preserved fish pale brown, head somewhat darker.

Distribution and size

French Polynesia, Austral Islands and Tuamotu Archipelago; 200-250 m depth; attains at least 22 cm SL.

Remarks

Only the preserved HT and one unvouchered fresh photograph are currently known.

Figures

Figure 1. – Relationships among eight morphometric characters including SL and total number of gill rakers in the five posteli-group species and three populations of Parupeneus posteli.

Figure 2. – A: Parupeneus chrysonemus BPBM 34775, 129 mm SL, Midway Atoll, Hawaiian Islands (J.E. Randall); B: P. chrysonemus BPBM 39141, 140 mm SL, Oahu, Hawaiian Islands (J.E. Randall); C: P. louise, large-sized fish (SL unknown), Rurutu, Austral Islands, French Polynesia (A. Stein); D: P. moffiti, HT, 230 mm SL, Guam, Mariana Islands (R.F. Myers). Scale bars = 20 mm.