RESEARCH ARTICLE

Sueviota pyrios, a new species of coral-reef dwarfgoby from the Red Sea (Teleostei: Gobiidae)

David W. Greenfield & John E. Randall

Abstract

Sueviota pyrios is described as a new gobiid fish from a single male specimen, 16.5 mm SL, collected from the Gulf of Aqaba in the Red Sea. It is distinct from other described species of the genus in being bright orange-red in life, in having two vertically aligned, well-separated, reddish clusters of chromatophores on the pectoral-fin base (each with a blackish mark in the center of the cluster), the first two spines of the dorsal fin filamentous, 8 dorsal-fin soft rays, 8 anal-fin soft rays, 16 pectoral-fin rays (all unbranched), the fifth pelvic-fin ray with two branches, no pelvic frenum, 25 lateral scale rows, and the following cephalic sensory-canal pores: POP, NA, AITO, PITO, SOT, and AOT. This is the first record of the genus Sueviota from the Red Sea.