RESEARCH ARTICLE

Sueviota tubicola, a new species of coral-reef goby (Teleostei: Gobiidae) from Papua New Guinea

Gerald R. Allen & Mark V. Erdmann

Abstract

A new species of gobiid fish, Sueviota tubicola, is described from Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea, on the basis of nine specimens, 13.0-17.6 mm SL. The new species is most similar to S. larsonae from the Northern Territory of Australia and adjacent Arafura Sea, with both species sharing a suite of features that include an identical pattern of cephalic sensory pores, usually 9 segmented dorsal-fin rays and 8 segmented anal-fin rays, black-tipped anterior nostril tubes, the presence of a full pelvic frenum, and a filamentous first dorsal-fin spine. However, the new species differs from S. larsonae in having a pair of large dark spots on the pectoral-fin base, 26 longitudinal scales (versus 21-24), 14-15 branched pectoral-fin rays (versus 6-9), and the first two dorsal-fin spines elongated (vs. only the first dorsal-fin spine in S. larsonae). Moreover, S. tubicola inhabits shallower depths (20-35 m) compared to the 40-82 m range of S. larsonae. All type specimens of S. tubicola were associated with an unidentified tubeworm that constructs vertical, stick-like structures projecting about 30 cm above the silty-sand substrate and encrusted with sessile invertebrates.