Hetereleotris sticta, Douglass F. Hoese & Helen K. Larson, 2005

Douglass F. Hoese & Helen K. Larson, 2005, Description of two new species of Hetereleotris (Gobiidae) from the south Pacific, with a revised key to species and synonymization of the genus Pascua with Hetereleotris., Zootaxa 1096, pp. 1-16 : 8-11

Hetereleotris sticta , sp. nov.

(Fig. 4, Tables 1-3)

Holotype. USNM 379786, 30.1 mm SL male, just south of Isle Tauna at mouth of Haurei Bay, Rapa Is., J. Williams and S. Planes, 2-11 m, J. Williams and S. Planes.

Paratypes. AMS I.43612-001, 2(21-26.5), taken with holotype ; BPBM 17213, 4(17.8- 28.2), west side of Angairo Bay, Rapa, 0-2 m, D.B. Cannoy, 30 January 1971 , BPBM 17185, 1(19) Haurei Bay, Rapa-Iti, 23 m, J. Randall and D. Cannoy, 27 January 1971 ; BPBM 17251, 12(11-26), tidepool at NW side of Hiri Bay Rapa, 0-1 m, D. Cannoy and A. Sinoto, 1 February 1971 ; BPBM 17283, 6(16.2-18.2), reef at entrance to Haurei Bay, Rapa, 17-21 m, J. Randall and D. Cannoy, 10 February 1971 ; USNM 381632, 13 (19-30.5), taken with holotype .

Non-type Material (all from Pitcairn Island). BPBM 16523, 1(15), Oeno Atoll ; BPBM 16524, 1(10), Oeno Atoll ; BPBM 16910, 1(19) ; BPBM 16907, 1(18) ; BPBM 16942, 1(16) , BPBM 17145, 1(13), Ducie ; BPBM 27991, 1(16), Ducie Atoll .

Diagnosis. Pelvic fins widely separated at base, rays I,5, fifth ray unbranched, distance between bases of inner rays of two fins about equal to base of either fin. One head pore by each posterior nostril, a single anterior interorbital pore, a single posterior interorbital pore, a supraorbital pore behind eye, an infraorbital pore below supraorbital pore behind eye, a lateral canal pore behind infraorbital pore, a terminal lateral-canal pore over preopercular margin, and two preopercular pores (Fig. 2). First gill-arch connected by a membrane to inside of gill cover. Gill opening restricted depth of pectoral base. Anterior nostril tubular; posterior nostril a simple pore. No prolonged dorsal rays in males. First dorsal fin with a black spot between first two dorsal spines, half way to distal end of fin; often with spots between second and third and third and fourth dorsal spines as well. Second dorsal-fin rays normally I,8.

Description. First dorsal-fin spines VI (in 36*); second dorsal-fin rays I,8-9, usually I,8; anal-fin rays I,8-9, usually I,8; pectoral-fin rays 18-21; pelvic-fin rays I,5 (in 30*); segmented caudal-fin rays 17 (in 36*); branched caudal-fin rays 13-15; unsegmented caudal-fin rays 6-8 above and 6 below. Branchiostegal rays 5. Vertebrae 10+17 (20*). Longitudinal scale count 23-26. Transverse scale count (TRB) 7(7), 8(14), 9(1*). Variation of some of the meristics are indicated in Tables 1-3.

Head as broad as deep, rounded; compressed body tapering slightly posteriorly; mouth moderately oblique, forming an angle of 20° to 25° with body axis; posterior margin of mouth below a point between middle and posterior margin of pupil. Lower jaw projecting slightly. Snout about 1.2 times in eye. Lower margin of eye close to upper jaw, separated from upper jaw by less than one-half pupil diameter. Fleshy interorbital less than onequarter pupil diameter. Anterior nostril at end of short tube; posterior nostril a pore, usually with an elevated anterior margin, in contact with anterior margin of orbit. Lower margin of gill opening just under ventral margin of pectoral base. Tongue truncated to slightly emarginate, never bilobed. No rakers on outer face of first gill arch. Rakers on inner face of first arch (5-6) and rakers on remaining arches are small clusters of spines.

Dorsal and anal rays, all but one or two pectoral rays, and four pelvic rays, branched. Inner pelvic ray usually unbranched, but occasionally branched once at tip. Second dorsal and anal spines, each approximately two-thirds body depth at anal origin. In males, posterior rays longest, but in females all rays of about equal length. First two dorsal spines not prolonged in any males examined. In both sexes, first three spines of approximately same length, and first usually not reaching spine of second dorsal fin. Remaining dorsal spines decreasing in length posteriorly. First dorsal fin membrane ending just before second dorsal origin. Middle and longest pectoral rays reaching to or beyond anus. Fourth and longest pelvic ray reaching to or slightly beyond anus. Fifth pelvic ray unbranched, shorter than third ray and longer than second. Rounded caudal 0.9 as long as head.

Urogenital papilla short and rounded in females, elongate and flattened with short lateral lobes at distal tip; urogenital papilla 2.5 to 4 times as long as broad in males, and as long as broad or slightly longer in females. The pores and papillae of the lateralis system are shown in Figure 2.

Squamation. Scales confined to body, ending anteriorly at a line from the second or third dorsal spine to the upper base of the pectoral fin (Fig. 2). Scales ctenoid on sides of body, but cycloid on belly. Scales on midline of belly smaller than those on either side. At base of caudal fin, two modified scales, with enlarged ctenii. Anterior to base of pelvic fins, on midline, one large cycloid scale.

Teeth of upper jaw. Teeth of outer row curved, enlarged, and wide-set. Occasionally smaller teeth inserted between enlarged ones. Inside this row, smaller conical teeth in 3 rows, converging posteriorly into a single file. Inside these rows, on each side, 3 or 4 enlarged teeth near anterior part of jaw.

Teeth of lower jaw. An outer row of 10 to 12 enlarged, curved, closely spaced teeth on each side extending half length of jaw. Inside this row a single series of smaller teeth extending full length of jaw, and inside this series a row of 7 to 8 curved teeth, on each side, becoming larger posteriorly and extending full length of jaw.

Coloration in alcohol. Head and body light brown. Rarely a faint oblique bar brown extending from anteroventral margin of eye to above middle of upper jaw. Brown mottling behind eye, with a faint large brown spot (subequal to pupil diameter) about a pupil diameter behind eye. A series of small longitudinal spots extending along mid-sides from pectoral base to caudal base; these spots square or rounded in young. Sides with 7 blotches, 3 under and 4 behind pectoral fin (in some specimens a few of these spots faded and not discernible). Two or three spots at base of caudal, a small brown spot on midline of side and one above and slightly behind median spot and one below and slightly behind median spot; spots sometimes connected to form a “K” shaped mark, often with ventral part most distinct. Three faint blotches extending a short distance downward from base of first dorsal fin; 4 blotches at base of second dorsal fin. On ventral surface of body 7 blotches from anal origin to caudal base. Upper two-thirds of caudal fin with 5 or 6 faint wavy bands, becoming less distinct posteriorly; lower third of fin clear to dusky, with scattered melanophores. First dorsal fin with scattered brown and white mottling, with scattered melanophores; males with small oval black spot on membrane between first and second dorsal spine and often a second spot just behind between second and third dorsal spines. Thin brown oblique bars on second dorsal fin slope downward posteriorly. Anal fin dusky, darkest near distal tip, with tip of fin clear. Pelvic fin dusky with melanophores along membranes in males; clear and without melanophores in females and males below 20 mm SL. Triangular area between base of pelvic fin and branchiostegal membrane with few scattered melanophores in males, but unmarked in females. Urogenital papilla unpigmented in either sex.

Etymology. From the Greek, stiktos, meaning dappled or spotted, alluding to the spotted head, body and fins.

Remarks. The species is known only from Rapa and possibly Pitcairn islands. Several specimens in poor condition from Pitcairn are tentatively placed here based on the dorsal ray count and coloration. However, because of the poor condition of the specimens it is not possible to rule out the possibility of an additional species.

The species was collected from rocky areas, often with rubble in depths of 1-23 m. The species is known from 8 males (23-28 mm SL), 7 females (19-27) mm SL and numerous small immature or poorly preserved specimens that could not be sexed.