Albula glossodonta ( Forsskål, 1775 )

Matsunuma, Mizuki, Nagaya, Nene, Hidaka, Koichi & Kai, Yoshiaki, 2022, Taxonomic Reassessment of Albula (Albuliformes: Albulidae) from Japan and Adjacent Waters with Reliable Records of Albula argentea, A. koreana and A. oligolepis from Japan, Species Diversity 27 (2), pp. 259-277 : 267-269

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.12782/specdiv.27.259
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7171732
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/482787B3-FFF0-FF9F-767A-F8890C88FA79
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Albula glossodonta ( Forsskål, 1775 )
status

Treatment

Albula glossodonta ( Forsskål, 1775) View in CoL

[Standard Japanese name: Marukuchi-sotoiwashi] ( Figs 1D View Fig , 3B View Fig , 4D View Fig ; Table 6)

Albula glossodonta: Hidaka et al. 2004: 62 View in CoL , figs 1A, 2A (description; Iriomote-jima Island , Okinawa, Japan; specimen: IORD 76-1074 View Materials ); Takagi et al. 2010: 177, unnumbered fig. (atlas; Ainan, Ehime, Japan; specimen not retained) .

Material examined. JAPAN: NSMT-P 102552 (formerly IORD 76-1074 View Materials ), 273.5 mm SL, Iriomote-jima Island, Ryukyu Islands , Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, H . Kishimoto, gill net, 14 October 1976.

Diagnosis. A species of Albula distinguished from Indo-Pacific congeners by having a rounded lower jaw tip.

Description. Meristics and morphometrics taken from examined specimen are given in Table 6. Characters applicable to both A. glossodonta and A. argentea are not repeated here, except for the following significant features: anterior portion of parasphenoid tooth patch rounded without an anterior extension, its anterior tip not exceeding level of anterior tips of mesopterygoid tooth patches. Lower jaw tip relatively rounded ( Fig. 4D View Fig ). Single row of 8 embedded scales along ventral edge of preopercle, just posterior to maxilla. Posterior tip of depressed pelvic fin not reaching anus. 8 horizontal scale rows between mid-dorsal-fin base and lateral line; 9th scale row short, restricted to around dorsal fin origin.

Color of fresh specimen: Cheek without a yellow stripe ( Fig. 1D View Fig ). Iris reddish yellow, without a stripe crossing black pupil. Dorsal fin rays gray, blackish dorsally; membranes semitranslucent, with dense melanophores. Anal fin white, with dense melanophores. Pectoral fin outer surface whitish, inner axis coloration not apparent on specimen photograph. Pelvic fin whitish entirely (basal portion not yellowish), anterior portion with dense melanophores. Caudal fin gray with narrow black margin.

Color of preserved specimen: Head, body and fins becoming entirely yellowish-brown ( Fig. 3B View Fig ); black arched band on snout tip retained, no blotch under band; no dark marking around nostril; longitudinal lines on body retained as pale brown lines.

Distribution. Albula glossodonta is widely distributed in the Indo-Pacific region, including the Red Sea (see Pickett et al. 2020). In Japan, only two examples of large adults from the southern Ryukyu Islands and Ehime Prefecture (Shikoku Island) have been recorded ( Hidaka et al. 2004; Takagi et al. 2010; Fig. 7 View Fig ). Lee et al. (2021) reported a leptocephalus specimen of the species from southern Korea (north of Jeju Island). Leptocephalus larvae of the species may be regularly transported by the Kuroshio Current from southern regions, but the settlement of such appears to be unsuccessful, since juvenile and subadult specimens have at no time been reported from Japanese waters. The adult Japanese examples suggest occasional migration of large adults along the Kuroshio Current.

Remarks. Hidaka et al. (2004) first reported the species from Japan on the basis of a single specimen (NSMTP 102552, formerly IORD 76-1074) from Iriomote-jima Island, southern Ryukyu Islands. That specimen was also examined here. Hidaka et al. (2004) also proposed the standard Japanese name “Marukuchi-sotoiwashi” for the species.