Skip to main content Skip to main navigation menu Skip to site footer
Type: Articles
Published: 2012-03-23
Page range: 54–62
Abstract views: 65
PDF downloaded: 19

Pseudopataecus  carnatobarbatus, a new species of velvetfish (Teleostei: Scorpaeniformes: Aploactinidae) from the Kimberley coast of Western Australia

Ichthyology, Queensland Museum, PO Box 3300, South Brisbane Qld 4101, Australia
Pisces Pseudopataecus carnatobarbatus new species Aploactinidae velvetfish Western Australia Kimberley coast

Abstract

Pseudopataecus carnatobarbatus, new species, is described from 12 specimens collected on shallow coastal reefs of northernWestern Australia, between the Monte Bello Islands and Adele Island. It is distinguished from its sole congener, P. taenianotusJohnson 2004, by branched (versus simple) tips to most fin rays, last soft dorsal-fin ray joined by membrane more fully toupper caudal-fin ray, spinous dorsal fin more distinctly notched, pelvic fins more robust, anterior face of lower lip smooth (ver-sus profusely covered with cirri), and a narrow quadrangular pit on the forehead, bounded by frontal, supraorbital, ocular andpreocular ridges (versus pit and preocular ridge absent). It also has modally fewer anal-fin rays and modally greater numbers ofgill rakers. Pseudopataecus carnatobarbatus is found in an extremely high tidal range area of Australia, where movement of upto 11 m occurs during spring tides. Specimens were collected in rocky tide pools with coral rubble and thick stands of brownmacroalgae, especially Padina species. The new species has been found in intertidal areas up to only 13 m deep, whereas P. taenianotus has been collected by trawling soft bottom habitats in depths of 20 to 63 m.

References

  1. Coleman, N. (2006) Asia Indopacific Identity Crisis, p. 38–39. In: Sport Diving October/November 2006, 106 pp.

    Eschmeyer, W.N. (1969) A systematic review of the scorpionfishes of the Atlantic Ocean (Pisces: Scorpaenidae). Occasional Papers of the California Academy of Sciences, 79, 1–130.

    Eschmeyer, W.N. & Fricke, R. (2012) Catalog of Fishes, electronic version, California Academy of Sciences. Available from: http://research.calacademy.org/ichthyology/catalog/fishcatmain.asp (15 January 2012).

    Fricke, R. (2004) Cocotropus richeri, a new species of velvetfish (Teleostei: Aploactinidae) from Lifou, Loyalty Islands. Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Naturkunde, Ser. A, 660, 1–7.

    Hoese, D.F., Bray, D.J., Paxton, J.R. & Allen, G.R. (2006) Fishes. In: Beesley, P.L. & Wells, A (eds) Zoological Catalogue of Australia, 35, 1–3, ABRS & CSIRO Publishing, Australia.

    Imamura, H., Aizawa, M. & Shinohara, G. (2010) Cocotropus izuensis, a new species of velvetfish (Teleostei: Aploactinidae) from Japan. Bulletin of the National Museum of Nature and Science, Ser. A, Suppl. 4, 1–7.

    Imamura, H. & Shinohara, G. (2004) A new species of Cocotropus (Actinopterygii: Teleostei: Aploactinidae) from South Africa, western Indian Ocean. Species Diversity 9(3), 201–205.

    Imamura, H. & Shinohara, G. (2008) A new species of Cocotropus (Teleostei: Aploactinidae) from the Ryukyu Islands, southern Japan. Bulletin of the National Museum of Nature and Science, Ser. A, Suppl. 2, 21–24.

    Johnson, J.W. (2004) Two new species and two new records of aploactinid fishes (Pisces: Scorpaeniformes) from Australia. Records of the Australian Museum, 56, 179–188.

    Leviton, A.E., Gibbs, R.H. Jr., Heal, E. & Dawson, C.E. (1985) Standards in herpetology and ichthyology: part 1. Standard symbolic codes for institutional resource collections in herpetology and ichthyology. Copeia, 1985, 802–832.

    Poss, S.G. (1999) Aploactinidae. Velvetfishes. pp. 2354–2358. In: Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, V.H. (eds.) FAO species identification guide for fishery purposes. The living marine resources of the Western Central Pacific. Vol. 4. Bony fishes part 2 (Mugilidae to Carangidae). Rome, FAO, 2069–2790.

    Poss, S.G. & Eschmeyer, W.N. (1978) Two new Australian velvetfishes, genus Paraploactis (Scorpaeniformes: Aploactinidae), with a revision of the genus and comments on the genera and species of the Aploactinidae. Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, 41(18), 401–426.

    Prokofiev, A.M. (2010) Occurrence of velvet-fishes of the genus Cocotropus (Teleostei: Scorpaeniformes: Aploactinidae) in Vietnam waters with descriptions of two new species. Journal of Ichthyology 50(9), 718–727. [Appeared in Russian in Voprosy Ikhtiologii, 50(6), 749–759.]