Johnius sasakii Hanafi, Chao, Seah, Chen, Chang and Liu, 2021

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 : 106-107

Johnius sasakii Hanafi, Chao, Seah, Chen, Chang and Liu, 2021

(Common name: Sasaki croaker)

( Fig. 13 , Table 7 )

Johnius sasakii Hanafi et al. 2022: 397 (type locality: Fish landing port at Bako, Sarawak.)

Material examined. Type specimens: Holotype. NMMB-P 34733 , 1 [111 mm SL], fish landing port at Bako , Sarawak collected by Norhafiz Hanafi on 17 March 2017 . Paratypes. NMMB-P 34734 , 1 (110 mm SL), fish landing port at Betangor , Sarawak, Malaysia, collected by Norhafiz Hanafi, 14 March 2017 . NMMB-P 34735 , 3 (103– 108 mm SL), fish landing port at Sandakan , Sabah, Malaysia, collected by Norhafiz Hanafi, 27 February 2017 . NMMB-P 34736 , 1 (134 mm SL), fish landing port at Bintulu , Sarawak, Malaysia, collected by Norhafiz Hanafi, 9 March 2017 . NMMB-P 34737 , 5 (122–147 mm SL),) fish landing port at Bintulu , Sarawak, Malaysia, collected by Norhafiz Hanafi, 11 March 2017 . NMMB-P 34738 , 4 (105–118 mm SL), fish landing port at Miri , Sarawak, Malaysia, collected by Norhafiz Hanafi, 7 March 2017 . NMMB-P 34739 , 3 (100– 146 mm SL), fish landing port at Kota Kinabalu , Sabah, Malaysia, collected by Norhafiz Hanafi, 4 March 2017 .

Non-types: NMMB-P37092 (2, 123.32 to 125.46 mm SL), Miri , Sarawak, Malaysia, 7 March 2017 ; NMMB-P37093 (6, 113.39 to 130.95 mm SL), Tawau , Sabah, Malaysia, 23 February 2017 ; NMMB-P37094 (10, 103.67 to 138.71 mm SL), Kota Kinabalu , Sabah, Malaysia, 4 March 2017 ; NMMB-P37095 (3, 100.03 to 130.27 mm SL), Sandakan , Sabah, Malaysia, 26–27 February 2017 .

Diagnosis. A species of Johnius with the following combination of characters: number of total outer gill rakers of 1 st arch, 8 to 10 (mode 9); second anal spine short and stiff, 25 to 35% SL; body depth moderately deep, 25 to 29% SL; the number of scale rows above lateral line, 4–6 (mode 5); body scales moderately large and ctenoid; and snout bluntly rounded.

Distribution. Western Pacific: Sarawak and Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia.

Remarks. Johnius sasakii can be distinguished from sympatric congener species, J. carouna and J. heterolepis , by the second anal spine rather short and stiff (vs long, stiff, in carouna and short, slender in heterolepis ) and the gill raker short, stiff, and lower count, 8 to 10 (vs short, stiff, 10 to 12 in carouna and 9 to 11 in heterolepis ). Johnius sasakii also is a common species, and abundant stretching from Sabah and Sarawak states. It can be was collected at several sites of the Sandakan until Kuching ( Hanafi et al. 2022).

Figures

FIGURE 13. Photographs of the comparative materials. Johnius sasakii NMMB-P 37092, 123 mm SL, Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia, 23 February 2017.