Volume 8, Issue 2 – March 2004

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John E. Randall and Andreas Spreinat: The subadult of the labrid fish Novaculoides macrolepidotus, a mimic of waspfishes of the genus Ablabys, pp. 45-48

A brief review of mimicry in marine fishes is followed by the example of the subadult of the labrid fish Novaculoides macrolepidotus believed to be a mimic of venomous scorpaeniform fishes of the genus Ablabys. In addition to the resemblance in form and colour to species of Ablabys, the subadult of this labrid fish mimics Ablabys behavior by showing a strong reluctance to move and by holding its dorsal fin fully erect.

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Large male of Novaculoides macrolepidotus in seagrass, Cebu, Philippines, 2 m. Photo by J. E. Randall

James C. Tyler and Philip A. Hastings: Emblemariopsis dianae, a new species of chaenopsid fish from the western Caribbean off Belize (Blennioidei), pp. 49-60

Emblemariopsis dianae, new species, is described based on 35 males. It is easily distinguished from its congeners by the orange flag distally between the first three dorsal fin spines, without a whitish band below the flag, and modally three mandibular sensory pores instead of the four that are typical of most chaenopsids. The new species exhibits significant variation in number of cephalic sensory pores in selected series and in details of the caudal skeleton, including variation in the only known synapomorphy of the genus Emblemariopsis, the shape and size of the neural spine of the penultimate vertebra. The new species has been found only in low-energy, mid-shelf, lagoonal waters of the Belize Barrier Reef.

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Emblemariopsis dianae. Specimens (all males and not to scale) photographed freshly preserved in formalin on same day of collection: A, USNM 365355, 16.7 mm (holotype); B, USNM 365355, 17.5 mm; C, USNM 365356, 16.4 mm; D, USNM 365356, 13.6 mm. Photos by Roy E. Clark, Jr

John E. Randall: Five new shrimp gobies of the genus Amblyeleotris from islands of Oceania, pp. 61-79

Five new species of shrimp gobies of the Indo-Pacific genus Amblyeleotris are described from islands of the central and south Pacific: A. katherine, formerly misidentified as A. fasciata (Herre), from 14 specimens from the Society Islands (type locality), Cook Islands, Marshall Islands, and Mariana Islands; A. biguttata described from four specimens from New Caledonia (type locality) and the Solomon Islands (named for two large black spots on the chin); A. ellipse described from nine specimens from American Samoa (named for the elliptical mark in the caudal fin); A. bellicauda described from one specimen from New Caledonia (named for the striking colour pattern of the caudal fin, also featuring a large elliptical mark); and A. stenotaeniata, described from one specimen from New Caledonia (named for the narrow dark bars on the body). With these descriptions, the total number of recognized species of Amblyeleotris is now 33. 

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Underwater photograph of Amblyeleotris guttata with Alpheus ochrostriatus, Enewetak, Marshall Islands. Photo by J. E. Randall

Gerald R. Allen: Kiunga bleheri, a new Blue-Eye (Pisces: Pseudomugilidae) from fresh waters of Papua New Guinea, pp. 79-85 

Abstract

Kiunga bleheri, new species, is described from 9 specimens, 16.7-28.4 mm SL, collected by H. Bleher in 1994 and 2003 from the Fly River system in the vicinity of Kiunga, Papua New Guinea. It differs from its only known congener, K. ballochi, also from the Kiunga area, on the basis of its much shorter second dorsal and anal fins, significant modal difference in the number of second dorsal fin rays, 6 versus 5 transverse scale rows on the body, and in usually having most of the second dorsal and anal fin rays unbranched.

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Aquarium photo of live holotype of Kiunga bleheri. Photo by H. Bleher