Upeneus farnis, Peristiwady, 2017

Peristiwady, Teguh, 2017, Two new goatfishes of the genus Upeneus (Mullidae) from Australia and Indonesia, Zootaxa 4318 (2), pp. 295-311 : 297-298

Upeneus farnis n. sp. Uiblein & Peristiwady

Farnis’ goatfish

( Figs 1 , 2 ; Tables 1, 2)

Holotype. LBRC-F 0 0 1450, 97 mm SL, Indonesia, NE Sulawesi, Bitung fish market.

Paratypes. (13: 70–141 mm SL). LBRC-F 0 0 1449, 123 mm SL; LBRC-F 0 0 1451, 141 mm SL; LBRC-F 0 0 1452, 108 mm SL; LBRC-F 0 0 1453, 117 mm SL; LBRC-F 0 0 1454, 129 mm SL, LBRC-F 0 0 1455, 121 mm SL; LBRC-F 0 0 1488, 134 mm SL; LBRC-F 0 0 1489, 123 mm SL; LBRC-F 0 0 1491, 118 mm SL; LBRC-F 0 0 1492, 76 mm SL; LBRC-F 0 0 1493, 92 mm SL; LBRC-F 0 0 1495, 70 mm SL; LBRC-F 0 0 1496, 88 mm; all same locality as holotype.

Diagnosis. Dorsal fins VII + 9; pectoral fins 15 or 16; gill rakers 7–9 + 20–22 = 28–31; measurements in % SL (only adults): body depth at first dorsal-fin origin 23–25; body depth at anus 20–22; caudal-peduncle depth 8.8– 9.9; maximum head depth 19–21; head depth through eye 15–17; interorbital length 7.2–8.6; head length 28–31; snout length 9.9–12; postorbital length 11–14; orbit length 5.6–7.2; upper jaw length 9.6–12; barbel length 18–23; caudal-peduncle length 21–25; caudal-fin length 27–29; anal-fin height 12–15; pelvic-fin length 19–21; pectoralfin length 18–20; first dorsal-fin height 16–20; second dorsal-fin height 12–15; upper lobe of caudal fin with 4 to 7 dark brown-grey narrow bars, interrupted by pale interspaces of similar width as bars, lower caudal-fin lobe almost entirely brown-grey pigmented, except for the distal-most ray forming a pale ventral margin; barbels pale grey; body and head dorsally dark brown grey, a weak mid-lateral body stripe of same colour; preserved fish dorsal dark, upper caudal-lobe bars and lower-caudal lobe pigmentation retained.

Description. Morphometric data as ratios of SL for holotype, followed by data for paratypes in square brackets: body moderately deep, depth at first dorsal-fin origin 4.1 [3.9–4.4], body depth at anal-fin origin 4.7 [4.5– 4.9]; head depth through eye 6.4 [5.8–6.7]; head length 3.5 [3.2–3.6], larger than maximum depth of body and subequal to caudal-fin length (3.6 [3.4–3.8]); snout length 9.1 [8.1–10], slightly larger than caudal-peduncle depth (11 [10–11]; eyes small (orbit length 18 [14–18]), half of postorbital distance (8.3 [7.3–9.0]); barbel length 5.6 [4.3–5.6]; anal-fin height 7.1 [6.9–8.1]; dorsal fins rather shallow, first dorsal fin height 5.1 [5.1–6.3], second dorsal-fin height 7.1 [6.5–8.0]; pectoral-fin length 5.5 [5.1–5.5], subequal to pelvic-fin length (5.2 [4.7–5.4]).

Fresh colour: body above lateral line and head dorsally from mid-eye level dark brown-grey, a pale dark brown-grey mid-lateral body stripe running from behind operculum to anterior caudal-peduncle region where it merges with the dorsal body pigmentation; body below stripe and head below eyes light brown-grey, covered with a red-mottled pigmentation in some specimens; belly pale; barbels pale-grey; caudal-fin upper lobe with 4–7 dark brown-grey, narrow oblique bars, 1 small bar at or close to fin tip, the most-proximal two to three bars slightly bent; hyaline bar interspaces equal in width to bars; lower caudal-fin lobe almost completely brown-grey pigmented, except for the distal-most ray forming a pale ventral margin, in some cases with tiny dark-brown patches or bars; pectoral, pelvic and unpaired fins hyaline, dorsal and pectoral fins show traces of two to three pale brown stripes.

Preserved colour. All types dark grey on head and dorsal half or two-thirds of body, pale brown on ventral side of head and on ventral part of body, 4–7 oblique brown bars on upper caudal-fin lobe, lower lobe almost entirely brown pigmented, with ventral-most one or two rays pale, sometimes with weak traces of narrow short brown bars; barbels uniformly pale brown.

Distribution. Currently only known from Bitung, NE Sulawesi, Indonesia, Western Pacific.

Etymology. The name “ farnis ” is used as a noun in apposition and honours Professor Farnis Boneka, Department of Fisheries and Marine Science, Sam Ratulangi University (UNSRAT), Manado, Sulawesi, Indonesia, for his efforts to support fish taxonomy and the research here presented.

Comparisons. Upeneus farnis n. sp. differs from all congeneric species in the following combination of characteristics: 7 dorsal-fin spines, 15–16 pectoral-fin rays, 28–31 total gill rakers (20–22 rakers on lower limb), orbit length 5.6–7.2% SL, anal-fin height 12–15% SL, first dorsal-fin height 16–20% SL, second-dorsal fin height 12–15% SL, interspaces between the oblique bars on the upper caudal lobe narrow, and head and body dorsally dark brown grey.

Upeneus farnis n. sp. differs from the other species of the japonicus group with similarly high gill-raker counts as follows (comparative data in Table 1): from U. asymmetricus it differs in longer head and barbels, shallower anal and second dorsal fins, more pectoral-fin rays, fewer gill rakers, lack of prominent lower-caudal lobe bars, and head and body darker dorsally; it differs from U. francisi in smaller eyes, shallower anal fin, shorter pelvic and pectoral fins, more pectoral-fin rays and lower-limb gill rakers, and a dorsally darker head and body with the presence of a mid-lateral body stripe; it differs from U. japonicus in shallower anal and dorsal fins, more pectoralfin rays, more gill rakers, narrower interspaces between the oblique bars on the upper caudal lobe, head and body dorsally darker with the presence of a mid-lateral body stripe, and the barbels pale grey (not yellow); it differs from U. lombok in a deeper body at anal-fin origin, longer snout, smaller eyes, more oblique upper caudal-fin lobe bars, narrower interspaces between those bars, a more entirely pigmented lower caudal-fin lobe, and the presence of a pale mid-lateral body stripe; it differs from U. pori in longer head and barbels, shorter anal and pectoral fins, shallower dorsal fins, slightly fewer pectoral-fin rays and gill rakers, and no prominent oblique bars on the lower caudal-fin lobe; it differs from U. saiab in the deeper body, smaller eyes, a slightly shallower first dorsal fin, narrower interspaces between the oblique bars on the upper caudal-fin lobe, and head and body dorsally darker with the presence of a mid-lateral body stripe.

Further, Upeneus farnis n. sp. differs from the species of the japonicus group with lower gill-raker counts as follows (comparative data in Table 2): from U. australia in shallower anal fin, narrower interspaces between bars on upper caudal-fin lobe, lack of prominent oblique bars on lower caudal-fin lobe, and a dorsally darker head and body; it differs from U. guttatus in shallower anal fin, darker body pigmentation with the presence of a mid-lateral body stripe, barbels pale grey (not yellow), and no or less prominent oblique bars on lower caudal-fin lobe in fresh fish; it differs from U. itoui in the deeper body at dorsal-fin origin and deeper head, shallower anal fin, fewer pectoral-fin rays, and no or less prominent oblique bars on the lower-caudal-fin lobe; it differs from U. seychellensis in the deeper body, shorter anal-fin base, shallower second dorsal fin, wider interspaces between oblique bars on upper caudal-fin lobe, and dorsally darker body and head pigmentation with a weak mid-lateral body stripe; it differs from U. spottocaudalis n. sp. in the shallower anal and second dorsal fins, shorter pectoral fins, and more pectoral-fin rays; and it differs from U. torres in smaller eyes, shorter barbel, shallower anal and dorsal fins, shorter pectoral fins, narrower interspaces between the oblique bars on the upper caudal lobe, head and body dorsally darker with a mid-lateral body stripe, and barbels pale grey (not yellow).

Remarks. All available type specimens for this study were collected at the local fish market of Bitung, NE Sulawesi, and no natural habitat information is available. Only larger specimens and no subadults were available for study.

Distinction of Upeneus farnis n. sp. from species that are rather similar or slightly overlap in body shape and meristic characters like U. asymmetricus , U. japonicus and U. lombok is best achieved by comparing the colour patterns of fresh fish. In particular, the width of the oblique bars and their interspaces on the upper caudal-fin lobe, as well as the pigmentation pattern on the lower lobe are important for diagnosis ( Figure 1 ). In preserved fish, species distinction is best achieved when morphometric and meristic characters are compared in combination ( Figure 2 ).

Upeneus farnis n. sp. attains at least 141 mm SL.

Figures

FIGURE 1. (A) Upeneus farnis n. sp., holotype (LBRC-F 001450), 97 mm SL, Bitung fish market, NE Sulawesi, Indonesia (T. Peristiwady); (B) Upeneus farnis n. sp., paratype (LBRC-F 001489), 123 mm SL, same locality and photographer; (C) Upeneus farnis n. sp., paratype (LBRC-F 001493), 92 mm SL, same locality and photographer; (D) U. lombok, paratype (MZB 22710), 51 mm SL (subadult), Lombok, Indonesia (W. T. White); (E) U. spottocaudalis n. sp., holotype (CSIRO H 3436 - 05), 97 mm SL, E of Cape York Peninsula, Blackwood Channel, Queensland, Australia (T. Carter); (F) U. spottocaudalis, n. sp., paratype (CSIRO H 7205 - 01), 80 mm SL, E of Cape York Peninsula, NE of Shelburne Bay (D. C. Gledhill); (G) U. spottocaudalis, n. sp. (BMNH 1986.10.1.16), 78 mm, Bali Strait to Timor Sea, Indonesia (F. Uiblein); (H) U. guttatus (CSIRO H 7212 - 02), 121 mm, SE of Cairns, Queensland, Australia (D. C. Gledhill)

FIGURE 2. Relationships between SL, three body-form characters, and number of pectoral-fin rays in Upeneus farnis n. sp. and three other similar and / or co-occurring species, U. asymmetricus, U. japonicus, and U. lombok.