Sueviota aethon: A new species of Dwarf Gobi from the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia.

First described in 1988, the Dwarf Gobi genus Sueviota is distinguished from the closely related Eviota on the structure of its pelvic fins. The genus currently contains eight species, found from Papua New Guinea and the northwestern coast of Australia through to the Red Sea.

In a paper published in the journal ZooKeys on 12 September 2024, Viktor Nunes Peinemann and Lucía Pombo-Ayora of the Red Sea Research Center of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Luke Tornabene of the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences and Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture of the University of Washington, and Michael Berumen, also of the Red Sea Research Center of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, describe a new species of Sueviota from the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia.

The new species is named Sueviota aethon, where 'aethon' derives from Aethon, one of the four Horses which drew the chariot of the Sun God Helios in Greek mythology; it is so named due to its similarity to the previously described Sueviota pyrios; Pyrios having been another of the four Horses. The species is described from ten specimens collected from exposed offshore reefs on the Saudi Arabian Red Sea coast, at depths of between 10 m and 30 m, although Nunes Peinemann et al. note that another specimen was observed at a depth of 53 m.

Holotype specimen of Sueviota aethon (UW 203365), shortly after being collected. Nunes Peinemann et al. (2024).

Specimens of Sueviota aethon are between 9.2 mm and 16.7 mm in length, and most known specimens are dark red in colour (one was a yellow-orange colour). The first dorsal fin is rounded-to-square in shape, with the second and third spines longer than the first. The rays of the second dorsal fin are commonly branched (at least some of these are branched in all known specimens). The body is covered by ctenoid (comb-edged) scales, but these are absent from the head and breast. Two rows of irregularly spaced conical teeth are present on both the lower and upper jaws. Both jaws also have enlarged canine teeth, with these forming part of the outer tooth-row in the upper jaw and the inner tooth-row in the lower jaw.

Micro-CT scan of Sueviota aethon (UW 203365, holotype) showing its osteological characters. (a) Close-up of head showing the enlarged canines on the upper jaw, (b) dentary, showcasing two enlarged canines in the internal row of teeth, (c) lateral view of the complete skeleton. Nunes Peinemann et al. (2024).

See also...

Pseudogobiopsis lumbantobing: A new species of freshwater Gobiid Fish from Java and Sumatra.

The freshwater Gobiid Fish genus Pseudogobiopsis is found from Thailand southeast to Papua New Guinea, though it is best known from the European aquarium trade, with collectors frequently sending professional ichthyologists photographs of unidentified species for identification.

In a paper published in the Raffles Bulletin of Zoology on 1 June 2017, Helen Larson of the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory and the Museum of Tropical Queensland, Renny Hadiaty of the Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences and Nicolas Hubert of the Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, describe a new species of Pseudogobiopsis from the freshwater drainages of western Sumatra and western Java.

The new species is named Pseudogobiopsis lumbantobing, in honour of Daniel Lumbantobing of Jakarta, who collected the first specimens from the wild that were directly brought to the attention of scientists (although a number of aquarists had previously sent Helen Larson photographs of similar Fish of unknown provenance). The species is described from eighteen specimens, ranging from 18 to 33.5 mm in length, pearly grey in colour, with a with a white belly and a scattering of small orange spots. 

 

 Captive specimen of Pseudogobiopsis lumbantobing, imported via Singapore. Emma Turner in Larson et al. (2017).

This also potentially solves the mystery of a painting by Kuhl and van Hasselt, made between 1820 and 1823, of an unknown Gobiid Fish from Java. Unfortunately the original of this painting is in the collection of the Naturalis Library, which is currently undergoing renovation, so that the picture was in storage and unavailable for inspection prior to publication of the paper.

See also...

Follow Sciency Thoughts on Facebook.

Periophthalmus pusing: A new species of Mudskipper from the Lesser Sunda Islands,

Mudskippers, Periophthalmus spp., are highly specialized Goby Fish, Gobiidae, are highly specialized amphibious Fish found across the tropical and sub-tropical Indo-Pacific and Eastern Atlantic Oceans. The Fish have eyes high on their heads, and modified pectoral girdles which enable them to move about on land, and are often seen foraging on mudflats and in Mangrove forests.

In a paper published in the Raffles Bulletin of Zoology on 25 August 2016, Zeehan Jaafar of the Division of Fishes at the National Museum of Natural History and the Department of Biological Sciences at the National University of Singapore, Gianluca Polgar of the Environmental and Life Sciences Programme at the Universiti Brunei Darussalam, and Yuliadi Zamroni of the Biology Study Programme at Mataram University, describe a new species of Mudskipper from Palau Sumba (Sumba Island) in the Lesser Sundas.

The new species is named Periophthalmus pusing, which derives from the local name for the species 'Ikan Pusing' ot 'Dizzy Fish'; the local people claim that eating the Mudskippers causes headaches and giddyness. The Fish were originally mistaken for members of another species, the widespread Periophthalmus gracilis, which they resemble very closely in size, morphology, colouration and markings, but careful examination revealed that the two species differ in the structure of their fins. As such Periophthalmus pusing is considered to be a cryptic species (cryptic species are species that closely resemble other species, and cannot be separated by simple, non-invasive examination); at the current time the species is known only from a single location, the Kawangu Mangrove Forest on Sumba Island, but it is quite possible that other known populations of Periophthalmus gracilis are in fact members of the new species.

Live specimen of Periophthalmus pusing, approximately 35 mm SL, collected in Sumba Island, Indonesia. Jaafar et al. (2016).

See also...

A new species of freshwater Goby from Sulawesi.                                                                      Gobies are small, benthic (bottom dwelling) members of the Perch Order, found in marine and freshwater environments around the world, but most numerous and diverse in the Indo-Pacific region. There are...

A new species of Goby from the southwest Indian Ocean.                                           Gobies are small, elongate Fish related to Perches. They are a highly successful group with other 2000 species and are found across the globe. There are...

New species of Whitecap Shrimp Goby from the Western Pacific.                                  Gobies are small, elongate Fish related to Perches. They are a highly successful group with other 2000 species and are found across the globe. There are...

Follow Sciency Thoughts on Facebook.

A new species of freshwater Goby from Sulawesi.

Gobies are small, benthic (bottom dwelling) members of the Perch Order, found in marine and freshwater environments around the world, but most numerous and diverse in the Indo-Pacific region. There are large numbers of highly endemic (i.e. found over only a very small area) species in the ancient lakes of Indonesia and Malaysia.

In a paper published in the Raffles Bulletin of Zoology on 5 November 2014, Helen Larson of the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory and School of Marine and Tropical Biology at James Cook University, Matthias Geiger of the Sektion Ichthyologie at the Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig, Renny Kurnia Hadiaty of the Research Center for Biology of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences and Fabian Herder, also of the Sektion Ichthyologie at the Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig, describe a new species of freshwater Goby from Lake Towuti in central Sulawesi.

The new species is placed in the genus Mugilogobius and given the specific name hitam, meaning ‘black’ in Bahasa Indonesia. The species is described from eight specimens, all collected from warm shallow (less than 2 m) waters in Lake Towuti in central Sulawesi. The specimens ranged from 25.6 to 42.5 mm in length, and were black or blackish brown in colour, with some reddish areas on the head and pectoral, caudal and anal fins.

Mugilogobius hitam, captive specimen. Hans-Georg Evers in Larson et al. (2014).

Mugilogobius hitam was found to breed very readily in captivity, depositing eggs on hard substrates and guarding them; Larson et al. were not able to successfully rear any captive bred specimens to maturity, though they did find evidence that the species was being traded in the aquarium trade in Europe under the name ‘Mugilogobius amadi’, implying that either it is being bred in captivity or else collected from the wild for sale in Europe.

Map of the Malili Lakes in Sulawesi. The locality where Mugilogobius hitam was discovered is denoted by an asterisk. Larson et al. (2014).

See also…

A new species of Goby from the southwest Indian Ocean.

Gobies are small, elongate Fish related to Perches. They are a highly successful group with other 2000 species and are found across the globe. There are both marine and freshwater Gobies, as well as one group, the Mudskippers, that can survive out of water for...

New species of Whitecap Shrimp Goby from the Western Pacific.

Gobies are small, elongate Fish related to Perches. They are a highly successful group with other 2000 species and are found across the globe. There are both...

 New species of Japanese Goby from Taiwan.

Japanese Gobies of the genus Clariger are small eel-like fish in the Goby Family (Gobiidae) noted for their...

Follow Sciency Thoughts on Facebook.

A new species of Goby from the southwest Indian Ocean.

Gobies are small, elongate Fish related to Perches. They are a highly successful group with other 2000 species and are found across the globe. There are both marine and freshwater Gobies, as well as one group, the Mudskippers, that can survive out of water for extended periods of time. The smallest known Vertebrates are species of Goby under 1 cm in length as adults, though there are several contenders for the official title of smallest species.

In a paper published in the journal Zootaxa on 19 March 2013, Naomi Delventhal and Randall Mooi of the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Manitoba describe a new species of Goby from the southwest Indian Ocean, based upon three specimens collected in the Comoros Islands in 1988 and one specimen collected from off the coast of South Africa in 1998.

The species is placed in the genus Callogobius, which contains about 40 shallow marine species from around the fringes of the Indian Ocean, and given the specific name winterbottomi, in honour of Rick Winterbottom of the Royal Ontario Museum, who collected the Comoron specimens. 

Callogobius winterbottomi is a small Goby, the largest specimen being 37.7 mm in length. It is distinguished from other species of the same genus by the pattern of sensory papillae (external tastebuds) on its head. 

Sensory papillae pattern in Callogobius winterbottomi. (a) Lateral view. Arrow indicates anterior extent of gill opening. (b) Dorsal view. Scale bar is 2 mm. Delventhal & Mooi (2013).

The three specimens of Callogobius winterbottomi from the Comoros, shown to scale. Scale bar is 5 mm. Delventhal & Mooi (2013).

See also New species of Whitecap Shrimp Goby from the Western Pacific, New species of Japanese Goby from Taiwan and New species of Sleeper Gobie from the Early Miocene of Otago, New Zealand.

Follow Sciency Thoughts on Facebook.

New species of Japanese Goby from Taiwan.

Japanese Gobies of the genus Clariger are small eel-like fish in the Goby Family (Gobiidae) noted for their cylindrical body-shape and reduced front dorsal fin with only three spines; Gobys usually have two dorsal fins, though some groups have lost the front fin, the genus Clariger seem to be in the process of losing theirs. To date five species have been described in the genus, all from Japanese coastal waters.

In a paper published in the journal ZooKeys on 1 June 2012, Nian-Hong Jang-Liaw, You-Hai Gong and I-Shiung Chen of the Institute of Marine Biology at the National Taiwan Ocean University describe a new species of Japanese Goby from coastal waters on the north Taiwan Coast.

Map showing the locations where the new fish was found. Jang-Liaw et al. (2012).

The new species is named as Clariger taiwanensis, meaning Taiwanese. It is a slender 30-40 mm fish, with a cylindrical foreparts but flattened towards the tail. The head is somewhat flattened and the eyes small. It is brownish with a speckled appearance. All of the specimens found were gathered in tidal pools, a common habitat for Gobies. 

Clariger taiwanensis. Jang-Liaw et al. (2012).

See also Head-Butting in Giant Bumphead Parrotfish, A novel Coelacanth from the Early Triassic of British Columbia, An early Ray-Finned fish from the Middle Triassic Luoping Biota of Yunnan Province, China, News species of Velvetfish from the Kimberly Coast of Western Australia and Boney Fish on Sciency Thoughts YouTube.

Follow Sciency Thoughts on Facebook.