Adelotremus deloachi: A new species of Sabretoothed Blenny from Indonesia.

Blennies, Blennioidea are small elongate Fish in the Perch Order, Perciformes. They typically have fused dorsal fins, rounded tails and embedded spines in their dorsal fins. They are typically benthic in habit, burrowing into soft sediments or inhabiting crevices in reefs. Sabretoothed Blennies, Nemophini, are a group of highly specialised Blennies with enlarged canine teeth and sometimes poinson sacks, used as a defence against predators. These Blennies often have bright colouration, as a warning to predators to keep away.

In a paper published in the journal Zootaxa on 27 April 2017, William Smith-Vaniz of the Florida Museum of Natural History at the University of Florida describes a new species of Sabretoothed Blenny from Bali and the Lembeh Strait.

The new species is placed in the genus Adelotremus, which has previously only been recorded from the Red Sea, and given the specific name deloachi, in honour of writer, diver and photographer Ned DeLoach, for his works which have popularised the study and conservation of the inhabitants of tropical reefs. The species is described from one male specimen, 32 mm in length, and two females, 34.9 and 29.4 mm in length. These are whitish or tan in colour, with a dark band, on the midline of the body, and a distinctive large eysepot at the front of the dorsal fin; this is dark in the females but a bright blue in the male.

Adelotremus deloachi, male, 32.0 mm SL, Bali, Indonesia. Ned DeLoach in Smith-Vaniz (2017).

The species was found off the east coast of Bali and in the Lembeh Strait, which separates the small island of Lembeh from the northeastern tip of Sulawesi, though since these locations are so far apart it is assumed to be more widely distributed in Indonesia. All of the specimens were found on sandy slopes at depths of 10-17 m.

Adelotremus deloachi, female, 29.4 mm SL, Lembeh Strait, Indonesia. Ned DeLoach in Smith-Vaniz (2017).

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A parasitic Cymothoid Isopod from the Virgin Islands.

Cymothoids are Isopod Crustaceans, related to terrestrial Woodlice and Pill Bugs, but found in marine environments, where they are parasitic on Fish, typically living in the throat or gills, or on the external surface of the skin. Species which infest the gills of their host are often asymmetrical, with a slightly twisted shape that reflects the shape of the gill arches. These Crustaceans are typically quite harmful to their hosts, causing damage to the gills and branchial filaments, often leading to loss of part of the gills, with a subsequent effect on the development of the Fish.

In a paper published in the journal Zookeys on 10 September 2014, Kerry Hadfield of the Water Research Group (Ecology) at the Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management at North West University, Paul Sikkel of the Department of Biological Sciences at Arkansas State University and Nico Smit, also of the Water Research Group (Ecology), describe a new species of Cymothoid Crustacean from the Virgin Islands.

The new species is placed in the genus Mothocya and given the specific name bertlucy, in honour of Ernest H. (‘Bert’) Williams Jr. and Lucy Bunkley-Williams of the University of PuertoRico, on the occasion of their retirement, and in recognition of their contribution to the study of parasitology in the marine ecosystems of the Caribbean. Mothocyabertlucy was found infesting the gills of the Redlip Blenny, Ophioblennius macclurei around St. John Island and St Thomas Island in the US Virgin Islands and Guana Island in the British Virgin Islands.

Mothocya bertlucy(top) female and (bottom) male, both in lateral view. Hadfield et al. (2014).

Mature females of Mothocya bertlucy reach 7.0-9.0 mm in length and are slightly twisted. Males reach about 6.0 mm in length and are untwisted. The species is small compared to other members of the genus, and has small eyes for its size. It is the first species of Mothocyato have been found infecting a Blenny.

Mothocya bertlucy(left) female and (right) male, both in dorsal view. Hadfield et al. (2014).

 

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A fossil Isopod Crustacean from the Early Miocene of the Vienna Basin.

Isopods are one of the most numerous and diverse groups of Crustaceans in modern environments, but while preserved specimens are known from as far back as the Carboniferous, they have a limited presence in the fossil record, largely because their exoskeletons...

A new Isopod Crustacean from a limestone cave in Brazil.                                                                                                                   Isopods are small, flat, benthic Crustaceans known from marine, freshwater and terrestrial environments, where they are known as Woodlice or Pill Bugs, due to the tendency of many species to roll up into tight balls...

Two new species of freshwater Isopod Crustaceans from Lake Pedder in Tasmania.                                                         In 1972 two small shallow lakes in southwest Tasmania, Lake Pedder and Lake Edgar, were inundated to create a reservoir to feed a hydroelectric power scheme, also called Lake Pedder, in the Serpentine River Valley. This was a source of great concern to biologists as the...

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A new species of Blenny from Curaçao.

Blennies, Blennioidea are small elongate Fish in the Perch Order, Perciformes. They typically have fused dorsal fins, rounded tails and embedded spines in their dorsal fins. They are typically benthic in habit, burrowing into soft sediments or inhabiting crevices in reefs. Several members of the Goby and Dragonet families have the common name 'Blenny'.

In a paper published in the journal ZooKeys on 4 June 2013, Carole Baldwin of the Department of Vertebrate Zoology at the National Museum of Natural History and Ross Robertson of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute describe a new species of Blenny from Curaçao in the southern Caribbean.

The new species is placed in the genus Haptoclinus, which has hitherto only contained a single species,  Haptoclinus apectolophus, which was described based on two specimens that were trawled from depths of 174−366 m at Arrowsmith Bank in the northwestern Caribbean in 1974. 

The new species is named Haptoclinus dropi, with a specific name derived from the acronym for the Smithsonian Institution’s Deep Reef Observation Project (DROP). The species is described based upon a single female specimen recovered by Substation Curaçao’s manned submersible Curasub at a depth of  157−167 m, off Substation Curaçao dock.

The single specimen of Haptoclinus dropi is a 21.5 mm scaleless fish, yellowish in colour with orange markings. It's dorsal fin is divided into four distinct segments. 

 

Haptoclinus dropi, female specimen, photographed against black and white backgrounds shortly after being caught. Baldwin & Robertson (2013).

The approximate location where the sole specimen of Haptoclinus dropi was caught. Google Maps.

See also A new species of Jawfish from the coast of Kerala State, India, Two new species of Sandperch from the South China Sea, Two new species of Asian Sea Bass from South Asia, New species of Whitecap Shrimp Goby from the Western Pacific and New species of Japanese Goby from Taiwan.

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