RESEARCH ARTICLE
Lubricogobius tunicatus,
a new species of goby (Pisces: Gobiidae) from Papua
New Guinea and the first record of L. ornatus
from the East Indies
Gerald R. Allen & Mark
V. Erdmann
Abstract
A new species of goby,
Lubricogobius tunicatus, is described from Milne
Bay Province, eastern Papua New Guinea, on the basis
of 10 adult specimens, 9.1-11.5 mm SL. Diagnostic
features include 9 (rarely 10) segmented dorsal-fin
rays, 6-7 segmented anal-fin rays, the presence
of both anterior and posterior nostrils, the greatest
body depth 3.1-3.7 in SL, overall coloration
typically pale yellow to whitish (rarely brown), and
an exceptionally small maximum size of about 11.5
mm SL. Lubricogobius tunicatus is most similar
in appearance to L. nanus Allen, 2015, another
diminutive species from Papua New Guinea that differs
in having 10-11 dorsal-fin rays and 8-;9
anal-fin rays. The new species is apparently invariably
associated with a species of tunicate (Polycarpa
sp.) on silty-sand bottoms in depths of about 20-28
m. In addition, L. ornatus Fourmanoir, 1966,
originally described from Vietnam and also recorded
from the Ryukyu Islands in Japan, northern Australia,
and New Caledonia, is reported for the first time
from the East Indies, based on two specimens collected
at Lembeh Strait, North Sulawesi, Indonesia.
.
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CITATION:
Allen, G.R. & Erdmann,
M.V. (2016) Lubricogobius tunicatus, a new
species of goby (Pisces: Gobiidae) from Papua New
Guinea and the first record of L. ornatus from
the East Indies. Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation,
24, 24-34.
.
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.184846
publication date: 29 November
2016
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