Abstract
Two western Pacific triplefins, Enneapterygius fuscoventer Fricke 1997 and E. howensis Fricke 1997 (Perciformes: Tripterygiidae), are similar to each other in sharing 15–19 (usually 17) notched lateral-line scales and the mandibular pore formula 3–5 + 1 + 3–5 (usually 4 + 1 + 4), in addition to similar coloration, viz. body with four vertical bands, the first and second forked ventrally, dorsal-fin membrane semi-transparent, anal fin entirely blackish, and caudal fin blackish with a semi-transparent margin. These species have previously been known only from preserved specimens. Examination of additional specimens plus color photographs of males and females of both species when fresh, and comparisons with type specimens resulted in several features, including coloration and counts of second dorsal-fin spines, anal-fin soft rays, pored lateral-line scales and longitudinal scale rows, being regarded as new diagnostic characters. Enneapterygius fuscoventer and E. howensis have been newly recorded from southern Japan and coastal eastern Australia, respectively.
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Acknowledgements
We are grateful to T. Katano (Okinawa Diving Center) and J. Johnson (QM) for providing photographs of Enneapterygius fuscoventer and E. howensis, respectively, and we appreciate the assistance of T. Kohama (Minamidaito Island), T. Takeshita (Yoron Island), K. Kuriiwa (NSMT), S. Chiba (formerly NSMT), K. Koeda (NMMB), and T. Yoshida (KAUM) in collecting specimens. We also thank M. McGrouther (AMS), H. Yoshigou (HMNH), K. Hatooka (OMNH), J. Johnson (QM), K. Miyamoto (URM), and J. Williams (USNM) for opportunities to examine specimens. We especially thank G. Hardy (Ngunguru, New Zealand) for English corrections and helpful comments on the manuscript, and volunteers and members of the Laboratory of Fish Systematics (KAUM) for curatorial assistance of specimens. This study was supported in part by a Grant-in-Aid for JSPS Fellows (DC2: 16J09608) to the first author; a Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research (26650149); JSPS KAKENHI Grant Numbers JP26241027, JP24370041, JP23580259, and JP26450265; the JSPS Core-to-Core Program: B Asia-Africa Science Platforms; the “Biological Properties of Biodiversity Hotspots in Japan” project of the National Museum of Nature and Science, Tsukuba, Japan; “Establishment of Research and Education Network on Biodiversity and Its Conservation in the Satsunan Islands” project of Kagoshima University adopted by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan; and the “Island Research” project by Kagoshima University.
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This article was registered in the Official Register of Zoological Nomenclature (ZooBank) as 5D10ACAA-52AD-4A94-8459-A88A16B0AF68.
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Tashiro, S., Motomura, H. Redescriptions of two western Pacific triplefins (Perciformes: Tripterygiidae), Enneapterygius fuscoventer and E. howensis. Ichthyol Res 65, 252–264 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10228-017-0612-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10228-017-0612-5