Lipogramma schrieri Baldwin, Nonaka & Robertson

Baldwin, Carole C., Tornabene, Luke, Robertson, D. Ross, Nonaka, Ai & Gilmore, R. Grant, 2018, More new deep-reef basslets (Teleostei, Grammatidae, Lipogramma), with updates on the eco-evolutionary relationships within the genus, ZooKeys 729, pp. 129-161 : 135-140

Lipogramma schrieri Baldwin, Nonaka & Robertson sp. n. English: Maori Basslet; Spanish: Cabrilleta maorí Figures 3, 5, 6

Type locality.

Curaçao, southern Caribbean.

Holotype. USNM 431722, 49.7 mm SL, tissue no. CUR14114, GenBank accession no. KX713790, Curasub submersible, sta. CURASUB 14-15, Curaçao, Jan Thiel Bay, 12.0746 N, 68.8825 W, 197 m, 19 September 2014, C. Baldwin, B. Brandt & A. Schrier.

Paratypes. USNM 414913, 56.0 mm SL, tissue no. CUR12101, Curasub submersible, sta. CURASUB12-12, Curaçao, east of Substation Curaçao downline, 12.0832 N, 68.8991 W, 156-290 m (no discrete depth observation), 7 August 2012, D. Pawson, B. Brandt, A. Schrier & C. Baldwin; USNM 414911, 61.9 mm SL, tissue no. CUR12316, Curasub submersible, sta. CURASUB12-MISC, Curaçao, off Substation Curaçao, 12.0832 N, 68.8991 W, no depth data, 21 May 2012, Substation Curaçao staff; UF 239255, 46.6 mm SL, tissue no. CUR12317, same collection information as USNM 414911; USNM 430035, 26.0 mm SL, tissue no. CUR13329, Curasub submersible, sta. CURASUB 13-31, Curaçao, west of Substation Curaçao downline, 12.0832 N, 68.8991 W, 177 m depth, 1 November 2013, C. Baldwin, B. Brandt, R. Robertson & C. Castillo; USNM 435299, 32.8 mm SL, tissue no. CUR15012, Curasub submersible, sta. CURASUB15-05, Curaçao, east of Substation Curacao downline, 12.0832 N, 68.8991 W, 173 m depth, 10 February 2015, C. Baldwin, B. Brandt, R. Robertson & C. Castillo; USNM 413864, 17.2 mm SL, tissue no. CUR12290, Curasub submersible, sta. CURASUB12-18, Curaçao, off Substation Curaçao, 12.0832 N, 68.8991 W, 207 m, 14 August 2012, C. Baldwin, B. Brandt, A. Schrier & A. Driskell.

Diagnosis.

A species of Lipogramma distinguishable from congeners by the following combination of characters: pectoral-fin rays 16-17 (modally 16), gill rakers 11-13 (modally 12, 8-9 rakers on lower limb); four supraorbital pores present along dorsal margin of orbit, a pore present between one above mid orbit and one above posterodorsal corner of orbit; caudal fin rounded; body mostly tan to brown in life with 7 or 8 narrow darker brown bars on trunk; head with broad, irregular, whitish blue markings along dorsal midline from lower lip across upper lip and snout to nape; dark bar through eye bordered anteriorly and posteriorly by bluish-white bars; posterior base of soft dorsal fin with large white- or blue-rimmed black ocellus; dorsal and anal fins blue-grey with yellow spots or bars. Caudal fin mostly yellow with wide blue-grey margin and several bars comprising blue-grey mostly square-shaped spots. Pelvic fins grey/blue with scattered yellow-ringed dark spots. Juveniles with irregular white blotches of pigment on trunk and two triangular white blotches on caudal-fin base. The new species is further differentiated genetically from congeners for which molecular data are available in mitochondrial COI and nuclear Histone 3, Rhodopsin, TMO-4C4, and RAG1.

Description.

Counts and measurements of type specimens given in Table 3. Seven specimens examined, 17.2-61.9 mm SL. Dorsal-fin rays XII, 9 (last ray composite); largest specimen (USNM 414911) with 9 pterygiophores in soft anal fin, but only 8 externally visible rays, the 8th appearing to represent fusion of two rays; anal-fin rays III, 8 (last ray composite); pectoral-fin rays 16-17, modally 16, 16 on both sides in holotype; pelvic-fin rays I,5; total caudal-fin rays 25 (13 + 12), principal rays 17 (9 + 8), spinous procurrent rays 6 (III + III), and 2 additional rays (i + i) between principal and procurrent rays that are neither spinous nor typically segmented; vertebrae 25 (10 + 15); pattern of supraneural bones, anterior dorsal-fin pterygiophores, and dorsal-fin spines usually 0/0/0+2/1+1/1/, one paratype (USNM 435299) aberrant in having first two dorsal-fin spines supported in supernumerary association by separate pterygiophores vs. a single pterygiophore - 0/0/0+1+1/1+1/1/; ribs on vertebrae 3-10; epineural bones present on at least vertebrae 1-15 in holotype and two paratypes, difficult to assess in other specimens; gill rakers on first arch 11-13 (3-4 + 8-9), 11 (3 + 8) in holotype; upper-limb rakers and lowermost one or two rakers very small or present only as nubs, all other gill rakers elongate and slender with tooth-like secondary rakers as in L. evides (Baldwin et al. [2016: fig 3]); pseudobranchial filaments 7-11 (9 in holotype), filaments poorly or well developed (well developed in holotype); branchiostegals 6.

Spinous and soft dorsal fins confluent, several soft rays in posterior portion of fin forming slightly elevated lobe that extends posteriorly beyond base of caudal fin. Pelvic fin extending posteriorly to base of third anal-fin spine in preserved holotype when depressed, to middle or posterior portion of anal fin in aquarium photos (e.g., Fig. 5D). Dorsal profile from snout to origin of dorsal fin convex. Diameter of eye of holotype contained 3.3 times in head length. Pupil slightly tear shaped with small aphakic space anteriorly. Scales extending anteriorly onto top of head, ending short of coronal pore. Scales present on cheeks, operculum, and isthmus. Scales lacking on frontal region, snout, jaws, and branchiostegals. Scales large and deciduous, too many missing in most preserved specimens to make counts, but counts made from photographs of specimens prior to preservation indicate approximately 25-27 lateral scales between shoulder and base of caudal fin (27 in holotype), 5 cheek rows, and 12 rows across body above anal-fin origin. Scales on head and nape without cteni, scales on rest of body ctenoid. Fins naked.

Margins of bones of opercular series smooth, opercle without spines. Premaxilla with band of small conical teeth, band widest at symphysis, outer row with largest teeth, 3 or 4 (4 in holotype) near symphysis enlarged. Dentary similar except 8 anterior teeth enlarge. Vomer with chevron-shaped patch of teeth, palatine with long series of small teeth. Conspicuous pores present in infraorbital canal (2 pores), portion of supraorbital canal bordering dorsal portion of orbit (4), on top of head (1 median coronal pore), preopercle (at least 5), and lateral-line canal in the posttemporal region (3). The 4 supraorbital pores situated as illustrated by Baldwin et al. (2016: fig 4) for L. evides . Posterior nostril situated just ventral to anteriormost supraorbital pore, nostril a single large opening. Anterior nostril at apex of elongate narial tube and situated just posterior to upper lip. No lateral line present on body.

Coloration: In life or deceased but prior to preservation (Fig. 5), ground color of body light brown. Head: dorsal midline of head with broad area of irregular, blue-white markings beginning on lower lip and continuing on upper lip and over snout to nape; a dark brown, pupil-width bar extending across orbit to lower jaw, this bar bordered on either side by thin whitish bar that runs from top of eye through front and rear of iris to lower jaw. Trunk: 7-8 narrow, dark-brown bars between posterior edge of operculum and caudal peduncle, bars narrower than paler interspaces. Dorsal fin: spinous dorsal and anterior portion of soft dorsal blue-grey with stripes comprising short yellow bars proximally and yellow spots distally; posterior portion of soft dorsal with large black ocellus ringed in blue-white pigment that extends onto trunk; several rows of yellow spots above ocellus. Anal fin: blue-grey, with yellow markings similar to those on spinous dorsal fin. Caudal fin: yellow, with vertical bars comprising blue-grey, square-shaped spots on inter-radial membranes on anterior 2/3 of fin; wide, blue-grey margin distally. Pectoral fins: most of fin translucent, base and anterior portion of fin dark. Pelvic fins: pale blue-grey to bright blue with yellow-ringed dark spots, spots mostly dark brown distally. Juveniles: An ontogenetic series from 17-33 mm SL is shown in Figure 6. The 17-mm SL specimen lacking body bars and with row of four large, irregular white blotches on or just below lateral midline of trunk, smaller white spots along back above that row, white spot at posterior base of anal fin, and two large, roughly triangular white blotches on caudal-fin base. First four dark trunk bars evident anteriorly in 26-mm SL juvenile, which has smaller white markings (spots vs. blotches). In 33-mm SL specimen, all trunk bars present, and remnants of each white caudal-fin blotch present as small white spot before indistinct pale vertical bar. Comment regarding live coloration: photographed against a light background (Fig. 5 A–C), “blue-grey” in description above = grey; photographed against a darker background (Fig. 5D, E), “blue-grey” = blue. Preserved coloration (Fig. 3B): Head and trunk tan with darker tan to brown bars. Yellow portions of median fins in life clear in preservative, blue-grey markings on fins in life dark brown in preservative.

Distribution. Known only from specimens collected off Curaçao, southern Caribbean.

Habitat.

Elevated rocky habitat with ample cracks or holes into which the fish retreated upon approach of the submersible. The holotype was collected at 197 m, and three paratypes were collected at 173-207 m. The range of 156-290 m recorded for another paratype reflects all depths visited on the submersible dive during which the specimen was collected and provides little relevant depth information.

Etymology.

Named Lipogramma schrieri in honor of Adriaan (Dutch) Schrier, owner of Substation Curaçao. Although the Curasub submersible was not built originally for scientific research, Dutch’s enthusiastic support of research use of his sub has exponentially expanded our understanding of fish and invertebrate faunas of Caribbean mesophotic and deeper reefs.

Common name.

We propose Maori Basslet, in reference to the similarity of the markings on the dorsal midline of the forehead to the beautiful facial tattoo of the Maoris, indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand.

Genetic Comparisons.

Table 2 shows average inter- and intraspecific divergences in COI among species of Lipogramma analyzed genetically in this study. Average intraspecific divergence among the seven specimens of L. schrieri is 0.002 substitutions per site, and interspecific divergences between it and the other species for which data are available range from 11.7% ( L. barrettorum ) to 25.3% ( L. klayi ).

Comments.

A 52.5 mm SL Lipogramma (RGG uncataloged), collected at 296 m in 1997 by one of us (RGG) and Richard Robins off Cuba (Fig. 7), could be a specimen of L. schrieri . It has a similar color pattern, including seven dark body bars, the “maori” pattern of pigment on top of the head (based on examination of the preserved specimen), and similar pattern of fin pigment. However, this specimen has yellow pigment around the eye (vs. brown in L. schrieri ), yellow pigment in a triangular-shaped subocular bar (vs. brown pigment in a rectangular-shaped bar), and a yellow pectoral-fin base (vs. dark brown). Furthermore, the Cuban specimen has 15 pectoral-fin rays on each side vs. 16-17 (modally 16) in L. schrieri , and 14 total gill rakers vs. 11-13 in L. schrieri . Further study is needed to determine if this specimen represents a variant of L. schrieri or an additional cryptic species in the genus.