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).

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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.

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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).

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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...

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