Palicoides whitei

Palicoides whitei (Miers, 1884)

Cymopolia whitei Miers, 1884: 551, pl. 49, figs C, c.

Palicoides whitei – Castro 2000: 565, 587, 588, figs 42b, 43b-d, 50, 61e.

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Philippines. SANTO 2006, stn DB12, east of Aoré I., 15°36.6’S, 167°10.1’E, sand with dead corals, 10-18 m, 13.IX.2006, 3 pre-adults (MNHN-B 32006).

DISTRIBUTION. — Wide Indo-West Pacific distribution (Castro 2000: table 6, fig. 50), from Indian Ocean (type locality: Seychelles) to the western Pacific from Japan to New Caledonia, now also from the Philippines. Depth: 7-70 m (Castro 2000: table 5).

REMARKS

Three pre-adults, although small (cl 2.4-2.5, cw 2.4-2.6), show some the characters diagnostic to Palicoides whitei, which can be easily confused with its close congeneric P. longimanus even as adults: front with two broad lobes separated by a notch that is wider and deeper than in P. longimanus, and distalmost tubercle on the eye peduncle being pointed, reaching almost the same height of the crescent-shaped process diagnostic of the genus (round and short in P. longimanus) (Castro 2000: 564). Other diagnostic characters (morphology of the G1, and female abdomen), however, can be observed only in adults.The lobes on the supraorbital and suborbital borders appear to be less developed than in adults.