Johnius weberi Hardenberg, 1936

Hanafi, Norhafiz, Chen, Meng-Hsien, Chang, Chih-Wei, Chao, Ning Labbish & Seah, Ying Giat, 2024, Taxonomic review of the genus Johnius (Perciformes: Sciaenidae) from East Malaysian waters, with comments on newly recorded Johnius species, Zootaxa 5550 (1), pp. 85-117 : 107-108

Johnius weberi Hardenberg, 1936

(Common name: Weber croaker)

( Fig. 14 , Table 7 )

Johnius weberi Hardenberg, 1936: 251 (type locality: Telok Pekadai , Kapaus River , Borneo ; mouth of Pekadai ; mouth of Peniti River; Pedang Tukar Bay). Syntypes: (6) ZMA 113119 (2), 113120 (2).

Johnius weberi Hardenberg, 1936 : Sasaki, 2000: 621; Sasaki, 2001: 3153; Mohamad Faisal, 2009: 98; Atan et al., 2010: 196.

Material examined. Non-types: NMMB-P37097 (3, 115.97 to 126.43 mm SL), Beluran , Sabah, Malaysia, 28 February 2017 ; NMMB-P37098 (5, 117.55 to 122.51 mm SL), Kuala Pahang, Pahang, Malaysia, 2 April 2017 ; NMMB-P37099 (2, 134.33 to 129.36 mm SL), Tawau , Sabah, Malaysia, 23 May 2017 ; NMMB-P23652 (2, 104.33 to 118.12 mm SL), Kuala Kedah, Kedah, Malaysia, 3 June 2014 ; NMMB-P21716 (A) (30, 62.25 to 112.97 mm SL), Matang , Perak, Malaysia, 21 April 2011 .

Diagnosis. A species of Johnius with the following combination of characters: medium species with elongate body, body depth 21 to 24% of standard length; snout swollen, projecting well in front of upper jaw; mouth small, inferior; moderately small eye, 20 to 25% of HL; gill rakers short, stiff, about 1/3 to 1/2 length of gill filaments at angle of arch, 7 to 9 on lower limb of first gill arch; second anal spine length moderately long, slender, about 22 to 31% of HL; and scales moderately small, 7 to 10 scale rows above lateral line.

Distribution. Eastern Indian Ocean, western Pacific: Indonesia east to Papua New Guinea, north to Vietnam and Hong Kong ( China).

Remarks. Johnius weberi can be differentiated from the rest of other Johnius species in the East Malaysian waters by the obvious swollen snout, yellowish to silvery body color, with long elongate body and also with the long and slender second anal spine length. Johnius weberi is rare and was endemic species mainly can be collected at mangrove mouth river with highly freshwater recharge stretching from the Sabah states. It was only collected at the Beluran collection sites in our sampling survey.

Figures

FIGURE 14. Photographs of the comparative materials. Johnius weberi: NMMB-P 37098, non-type, 117.55 mm SL, Kuala Pahang fish landing port, Pahang, Malaysia, 2 April 2017.