Enneapterygius destai Clark, 1980

Holleman, Wouter & Bogorodsky, Sergey V., 2012, A review of the blennioid fish family Tripterygiidae (Perciformes) in the Red Sea, with description of Enneapterygius qirmiz, and reinstatement of Enneapterygius altipinnis Clark, 1980, Zootaxa 3152, pp. 36-60 : 46-47

Enneapterygius destai Clark, 1980

Figs. 2 D, 5E & F; table 1

Enneapterygius destai Clark, 1980: 102 , Figs; 4b & 13 (northern end of Delemone Island, Eritrea, Red Sea). Holleman, 2005: 7; Golani & Bogorodsky, 2010: 44.

Diagnosis. Dorsal fins III + XI–XIII + 8–9; anal fin I, 15–17 (usually 16); pectoral-fin 15: 3, 5, 7; LL 8–12 pored scales and 21–23 notched scales; total lateral scales 28–29; dentary pores 3 + 2 + 3 ( Fig. 2 D). Head length 3.1–3.4 [3.2], body depth 4.5–5.2 in SL; eye 2.5–3.0 [2.7] in head length. Nape scaled, belly without scales; supratemporal sensory canal crescent-shaped; orbital cirrus a small, rounded flap with a serrate distal margin. First dorsal fin about 60% height of second in both males and females; pelvic-fin rays not united by membrane.

Fresh colour. Males: body of mature / sexually active males cream with 6 oblique, dark brown bars, most prominent above LL, tending to break up below, last across caudal peduncle with two black spots on upper and lower part, upper spot larger and darker than the lower; belly white with prominent, black pre-anal spot. Head dorsally brown, below eyes cream with irregular greenish brown stripe on side of snout and bar below eye, orbital cirri brown. First dorsal fin crimson anteriorly, but grey between third spine and dorsum; second dorsal fin densely covered with melanophores, first spine banded brown and white, other spines reddish brown; third dorsal fin irregularly banded in light red, grey, yellowish and transparent areas, parallel with margin; caudal fin with yellow and orange, but with clear band at base; anal fin with 5 black bands, broadest and most intense anteriorly, narrowest and palest posteriorly, rays pale yellow proximally, orange distally, most intense colour on posterior rays; pectoral-fin base brown, membranes transparent, rays with alternating yellow and orange bands; pelvic fins white. Less darkly coloured males lack the crimson on the first dorsal fin, the fin being mottled pink and white, with a pink flush behind the head and on opercle and pectoral-fin base; lower black spot on caudal peduncle very small to absent.

Females: body bars brown anteriorly and yellow posteriorly; head pale with pink above and onto opercle, with many small brown spots; first dorsal fin pink with first spine banded brown and white; second dorsal fin with broad bands of brown spots, hyaline between and white along anterior ¾ of margin; third dorsal fin yellowish bands with white patches; caudal-fin rays deep yellow with irregular narrow white band and with white line at base; anal fin with some black at base, and with white, yellow and pink on rays; pectoral-fin rays mostly white, upper ones with orange distally, base pink with brown spots; pelvic fins white.

Colour underwater. A single photograph taken by Juergen Herler of a male in an aquarium shows the body barred in brown and white, the white most prominent above the midline; head with cream coloured with a brown band below the eye and brown over a pink sheen on the opercle, the pink continuing onto the pectoral-fin base; first dorsal-fin spine banded dark brown and white, the fin mostly pink; second and third dorsal fins hyaline except for white markings and red and white on the spines and rays; caudal fins red with white spots, anal fin banded black and white, and pectoral fins with four irregular whitish bars, the first at the base of the rays, rays pinkish.

Key features. Brown bars on upper half of body with one or two black spots on caudal peduncle, upper one largest; five black blotches on anal fin, anteriormost largest and darkest; face pink with brown bar below eye, first dorsal fin crimson in males.

Distribution. Restricted to the Red Sea, where in the south it replaces E. abeli as the most abundant species.

Remarks. Occurs in coral-rich areas of bays and lagoons from depths of 2–12 m; usually found on vertical faces of Porites heads or in crevices close to this coral. Attains 21 mm SL.

Material examined. Additional to that listed in Holleman, 2005: SAIAB 88713 1 (3: 17.9–18.5 mm SL), Mangrove Bay, El Quseir (25.52°N, 34.24°E, collected S. Bogorodsky, 8, 9 June 2008; SAIAB 88714 (12.3 mm SL), Hanish Island, Yemen, collected S. Bogorodsky, 22 October 2009; SMF 9454 (13.8 mm SL), paratype, Sanganeb Reef, north Port Sudan; SMF 16027 (14.2 mm SL), SMF 16030 (3: 14.4–15.3 mm SL) and SMF 16032 (6: 14.0– 18.5 mm SL), all from Aqaba, Red Sea; SMF 29588 (17.0 mm SL), Uqban, Kamaran Island, Yemen (15°31.245'N, 42°23.10'E); SMF 29501 (7: 13.6–18.4 mm SL), Uqban, Kamaran Island, Yemen (15°30.48'N, 42°23.30'E; SMF 29564 (17.6 mm SL); SMF ASE- 3 (17.6 mm SL), Khebir Island, Kamaran Archipelago, Yemen; SMF 33539 (15.2 mm SL), Al Lith, Saudi Arabia (20°14.965' N, 39°59.621' E), S. Bogorodsky, 29 March 2011; SMF 33597 (12.2 mm SL), Al Lith, Saudi Arabia (20°14.965' N, 39°59.621' E), collected S. Bogorodsky, 29 March 2011; SMF 33598 (13.9 mm SL), Al Qunfidhah, Saudi Arabia (19°16.813' N, 40°53.265' E), collected S. Bogorodsky, 30 March 2011; SMF 33599 (16.5 mm SL), Farasan Islands, Saudi Arabia (16°54.933' N, 41°50.761' E), collected S. Bogorodsky, 0 2 April 2011; SMF 33600 (15.1 mm SL), Rabigh, Saudi Arabia (23°02.839' N, 36°46.621' E), collected S. Bogorodsky, 0 8 April 2011; SMF 33594 (16.9 mm SL), Al Lith, Saudi Arabia (20°14.965' N, 39°59.621' E), collected S. Bogorodsky, 29 March 2011; SMF 33601 (16.8 mm SL) Farasan Islands, Saudi Arabia (16°54.933' N, 41°50.761' E), collected S. Bogorodsky, 0 2 April 2011.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Dentary pore patterns of Red Sea species of Enneapterygius: (A) E. abeli; (B) E. altipinnis; (C) E. clarkae; (D) E. destai; (E) E. obscurus; (F) E. pallidus (diagrammatic - J. T. Williams); (G) E. pusillus; (H) E. qirmiz; (I) E. ventermaculus.