Parapercis maculata Bloch & Schneider 1801

Parapercis maculata (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)

(Fig. 12)

Material examined. SMF 35064 (5: 6.8–10.2 cm); SMF 35067 (1: 8.5 cm); KAUMM 112 (4: 7.3–9.8 cm); KAUMM 115 (1: 8.8 cm).

Description. Dorsal-fin rays V,21; anal-fin rays I,17; pectoral-fin rays 16; lateral-line scales 56–58 (56: 1, 57: 4, 58: 6); scales above lateral line to first dorsal-fin ray 4; median predorsal scales 8; total gill rakers 14 or 15 (14: 6, 15: 5); opercle with ctenoid scales; few scales on cheek weakly ctenoid dorsally, cycloid ventrally; three canine teeth anteriorly on each side of upper jaw (specimens SMF 35064 (6.8 cm SL) and KAUMM 112 (7.3 cm SL) with fourth small tooth on left and right side, respectively); three canine teeth in lower jaw on each side; no palatine teeth; vomerine teeth in chevron-shaped patch of 3 or 4 rows (3: 3, 4: 8); body elongate, greatest body depth 4.7–5.8 in SL; head length 3.5–3.8 in SL; snout length 3.0– 3.6 in head length; cheek depth 5.3–6.1 in head length; orbit diameter 3.7–4.1 in head length; interorbital space slightly concave, the width 5.9–6.7 in head length; origin of dorsal fin over pectoral-fin base or slightly before, the predorsal length 3.7–3.8 in SL; origin of anal fin below base of fifth dorsal-fin ray, the preanal length 2.0– 2.2 in SL; origin of pelvic fins below base of opercular spine, the prepelvic length 3.4–3.7 in SL; caudal peduncle slightly deeper than long, the length 1.0– 1.1 in its depth; mouth large, upper jaw extending to below anterior third of eye, the length of upper jaw 2.3–2.4 in head length; lower jaw projecting; opercle with a single sharp spine; posterior edge of preopercle with widely spaced serrae, hidden by skin; subopercular margin finely serrate dorsally; fourth dorsal-fin spine longest, 2.9–3.5 in head length; spinous portion of dorsal fin connected by membrane to first dorsal soft ray nearly one-half fifth spine length above base of ray; longest dorsal-fin ray 1.4–1.8 in head length, longest anal-fin ray 1.8–1.9 in head length; caudal fin slightly rounded, the upper second to fourth principal rays prolonged into a pointed lobe, the length of fin subequal to head length, 3.4–4.6 in SL; pectoral fins shorter than head, the length 4.7–5.5 in SL; pelvic fins reaching anus, their length 4.7–5.2 in SL.

Color (when fresh): light brownish red to grey-brown dorsally, shading to whitish ventrally, with six large square dark brownish red blotches on ventral two-thirds of body linked through a narrow, indistinct, red bar to large irregular brownish red blotches on back; head orangish brown with small dark brown spots dorsally on snout and nape, and narrow curved bluish white bars on side of snout, cheek, and preopercle; spinous dorsal fin with a large black basal spot, mainly between the third and fifth spines; soft portion of dorsal fin with rows of round orange spots; anal fin with small irregular white spots; caudal fin light grey with small white and orange spots along rays; lower third of caudal fin dark brown.

Distribution. Indian Ocean, north to the southern Red Sea (this study), Oman, south to Madagascar, east to the Andaman Sea (Randall 2008; Imamura in Kimura et al. 2009).

Remarks. The Red Sea record is based on specimens collected by trawl off Jizan, Saudi Arabia, on bottoms with silty sand to at least 30 m depth; specimens were collected from open sandy area and from areas close to islands. Randall (2008) redescribed and resurrected Parapercis maculata from synonymy of the similar P. pulchella (Temminck & Schlegel, 1843), which ranges from Japan to Vietnam. Three other species of the genus Parapercis are reported from the Red Sea: P. hexophtalma (Cuvier, 1829), P. simulata Schultz, 1968, and P. somaliensis Schultz, 1968. Parapercis maculata can be distinguished from congeners by its distinctive coloration: six dark brownish red blotches ventrally on body, narrow curved blue bars on the head, and two longitudinal rows of red spots distally in soft portion of dorsal fin.