Nesogobius greeni, Hoese & Reader, 2006

Hoese, Douglass F. & Reader, Sally, 2006, Description of two new species of Nesogobius (Pisces: Gobioidei: Gobiidae) from southern Australia, Memoirs of Museum Victoria 63 (1), pp. 7-13 : 8-10

Nesogobius greeni sp. nov.

Figures 1–4

Nesogobius sp. 2 .- Last, Scott and Talbot, 1983: 450, fig. 30.127 (Tas.).

Nesogobius sp. 3 . – Hoese and Larson, 1994: 797, fig. 703 (southern Australia)

Material examined. Holotype: AMS I.25944-011, 30.5 male, Richards Point , Port Phillip Bay, Jan 1981, R. Kuiter . Paratypes: NSW: AMS I.20021-006, 1(27), Merimbula. Vic.: AMS I.25944-001, 6(17-30), taken with holotype; NMV A.29344-001, 2(30-30), Crib Point , Western Port , 4 Sep, 1974, Melbourne Univ. Zool. Dept., 0415 hr ; NMV A.29345-001, 1(32), Crib Point , Western Port , 18 Oct, 1974, Melbourne Univ. Zool. Dept., 1100-1130 hrs ; NMV A.29346-001, 2(30-30), Crib Point , Western Port , 20 Aug, 1974, Melbourne Univ. Zool. Dept., 0500 hrs ; NMV A.29348-001, 6(27-29), reef at Beaumaris , Port Phillip Bay, 9 Jun, 1967 , R. Frankenburg ; NTM S.16206-001, 3(21–29), taken with holotype; AMS I.22572-006, 2(25–26), Swan Bay , Port Phillip Bay. Tas. : AMS IA.3621, 6(16–32), Southport, 1.5 fathoms, 9 Feb, 1928 , T. T. Flynn ; AMS I.43821001, 1(24), DʼEntrecasteaux Channel, P. Last; AMS I.43824-001, 4, (26– 30), DʼEntrecasteaux Channel, P. Last, 3 Jul 1974 ; AMS I.17549-001, 6(15–24), Oyster Cove, 1 Dec, 1972, D. Hoese and W. Ivantsoff; AMS I.43825-001, 1(25), Margate, 11 Nov, 1973, T. Walker ; AMS I.43822- 001, 1(25), Margate, 12 Dec, 1973 , T. Walker ; AMS I.43818001, 8(19– 31), Margate, 27–28 Jan, 1974 , T. M. Walker; AMS I.17193-006, 2(27– 31), Wedge Bay , May, 1976 , T. Garrard ; AMS I.43823-001, 1(25), Margate, 16 Jun, 1976 , T. Walker ; CSIRO T.1400, 1 (37), Port Davey , Kelly Basin, southwest Tas., 2 m, Mar 1979 , P. Last; NMV A 29347- 001 , (ex QVM 1972 /5/425E), 10(32–37), Kelso , R. Greene , 5 Feb 1967 ; QVM 1972 /5/2275, 3,(19–35), Greens Beach, 8 Jan, 1967 ; QVM 223 , 5 (17–37), Greens Beach, 26 May, 1972 ; QVM 224 , 10 (26–34), Greens Beach, 5–7 Nov, 1966 , R. Green ; QVM 225 , 6 (26–34), Greens Beach, 5 Feb, 1967 , R.H. Green ; QVM 226 , 1 (35), Greens Beach, 13 Jan, 1968 , R. Green . SA: AMS I.20178-010, 3(19–20), Pelican Lagoon , Kangaroo I., 8 Mar, 1978, D. Hoese and Party .

Non-type material. Tas.: CSIRO (unreg.) 3(26–36), DʼEntrecasteaux Channel , 3 Jul 1974 ; CSIRO (unreg.) 4(26–32), Fortesque Bay , 10 m, P. Last ; CSIRO T.103, 1(28), Parsons Bay, Nubeena , 2 Nov 1978 ; CSIRO T.123, 1(31), Bayview Beach, Georges Bay , 2 Nov 1978 ; CSIRO T.1665, 1(26), Dru Point , 10 Apr 1980 , University of Tasmania; CSIRO T.174, 1(36), Ansons Bay , 25 Mar 1978 ,P.J. Miller; CSIRO T.185, 1(37), Ansons Bay , 11 Oct 1978 ; CSIRO T.186, 1(29), Ansons Bay , 11 Oct 1978 ; CSIRO T.184, 1(38), Boggy Creek Beach, St. Helens , Jul 1978 .

Diagnosis. 1st dorsal fin VII; 2nd dorsal-fin rays 8–11, rarely 8 or 11; anal-fin rays 8–10; no spine in 2nd dorsal or anal fin; branched caudal-fin rays 11–12; pectoral-fin rays 16–20; no head pores; gill opening wide, reaching forward to below or slightly before posterior preopercular margin; head with scales reaching to above preoperculum, sometimes almost to eye; dorsal mid-line of nape naked or rarely with a single scale just before 1st dorsal fin, but scales often present just to side of midline; body scales ctenoid, in 25–30 rows; midline of belly without scales or with a few scales posteriorly; pectoral base usually without scales or with 1 or 2 cycloid scales ventrally; area before pelvic fin with cycloid scales; body deep, depth at anal origin subequal to or greater than caudal fin length; 1st dorsal fin low, with rounded or triangularshaped margin.

Description. Based on 44 males and 55 females. 1st dorsal 6(3), 7(74*); 2nd dorsal-fin rays 8–10 (see Table 1); anal-fin rays 8(15), 9(77*), 10(25); pectoral-fin rays 16(6), 17(41*), 18(52), 19(2); segmented caudal-fin rays 13(54*), 14(2); branched caudal-fin rays 10(1), 11(14*), 12(27), 13(4) midline predorsal scales 0(38), 1(2); total gill rakers 4(2), 6(5), 7(3), 8(3), 9(3); lower gill rakers on 1st arch 4(2), 5(1), 6(7), 7(2), 8(4), 9(1); lower gill rakers on 2nd arch 4(1), 5(5), 6(5); longitudinal scale count 25(6), 26(9), 27(16*), 28(7), 29(1), 30(1); TRB 7(3), 8(24), 9(2*). Head (28–32% SL), about as broad as deep; mouth small, oblique, forming an angle of 30–40° with body axis, rear end of jaws below front quarter of eye; tongue tip truncate to slightly emarginate; posterior nostril at end of short tube, almost touching eye; anterior nostril at end of short tube, positioned midway between eye and upper jaw, close to posterior nostril; snout convex in side view, forming an angle of about 45 o with body axis; upper lip thick anteriorly, thin posteriorly; lower lip thin with shallow free ventral margin separating lip from mental frenum; chin with round mental frenum with a small sensory papilla at each side; eye large subequal to snout; gill rakers on outer face of 1st arch 0–1 + 4–9 = 4–8, rarely 4 or 5; rakers very short on both faces of all arches; teeth in upper jaw small, conical and wide-set, 3–4 inner rows of close-set teeth anteriorly tapering to 2 rows laterally; teeth in lower jaw small, conical and wide-set in outer row, 3–5 inner rows of smaller close-set teeth, rows tapering laterally to 1 row; body robust, body depth at anal origin 19–22% SL. 1st dorsal-fin origin above and just behind pelvic-fin insertion; 2nd dorsalfin origin just behind 1st dorsal fin; anal-fin origin below and just behind 2nd dorsal-fin origin; pelvic-fin origin below pectoral-fin insertion; pectoral-fin margin rounded; caudal fin small, with rounded margin.

Head and body brown, green, or dark grey; lower surface of head often dark grey to black; an irregular diffuse dark brown blotch from eye to middle of jaws, and a vertically elongate blotch below eye; body with 6–8 small dark-brown to black spots on mid-side; dorsal midline often with black blotches above each mid-side spot; a series of white dashes just below mid-side; end of caudal peduncle with a <-shaped mark, extending onto caudal-fin base, sometimes broken into 2–3 separate spots at apices of triangle; females with 1–3 dark-brown vertical bars with white interspaces below 1st dorsal fin; body with scattered mottling, often forming irregularly shaped longitudinal lines; 1st dorsal fin with 2 black irregular oblique bands, with orange interspaces; 2nd dorsal fin with irregular oblique orange to brown stripes; anal fin grey; caudal fin clear to grey; pectorals and pelvic fins clear to white in males; pelvic fins almost black in female; pectoral base with an elongate brown spot dorsally.

Variation. Sex ratios were found to be almost even with 44 males and 55 females. Too few specimens were available from localities other than Tas. for a detailed analysis of variation. However, 2nd dorsal ray counts average slightly higher in southern Tas. Because of the slight differences in southern Tas. material, most of that material is excluded from the type series. Description of two new species of Nesogobius (Pisces: Gobioidei: Gobiidae ) from southern Australia 9 Distribution. Nesogobius greeni is known from Merimbula, NSW, throughout Tas., Vic., and east to Kangaroo I., SA. The species is normally found on sand around sea grass beds and around rocky reefs from the intertidal to depths of 8 m.

Etymology. Named for R.H. Green formerly of the Queen Victoria Museum, Launceston, Tas., who collected much of the material used in this study.

Remarks. Nesogobius greeni is similar to Nesogobius pulchellus in its coloration and deep body. Both species are often collected together at the same station. Nesogobius greeni differs from N. pulchellus in lacking second dorsal and anal spines (present in N. pulchellus ), low first dorsal fin subequal in height to second dorsal fin (versus usually higher than second dorsal).