RESEARCH ARTICLE
Descriptions of two new gobies
(Gobiidae: Amblygobius) from the tropical western
Pacific Ocean
Gerald R. Allen & Mark
V. Erdmann
Abstract
Two new species belonging
to the Indo-Pacific gobiid genus Amblygobius
are described from mud-bottom habitats. Amblygobius
calvatus n. sp. is described on the basis of 9
specimens, 23.7–48.0 mm SL, from the El Nido area
of northern Palawan in the Philippines. Diagnostic
features for the new species include usual counts
of 15 segmented dorsal and anal-fin rays, scales entirely
cycloid, no scales on the head (including the side
of the nape and upper opercle), 80–86 longitudinal
body scales, 24–26 transverse body scales, a strongly
lanceolate caudal fin, a grayish-brown color in life
with two orange-brown stripes on the head and body,
8–11 small black spots or saddles on the upper back,
a blackish moustache-like marking above the upper
lip, a horizontally oval orange-brown spot on the
opercle, and a white pectoral-fin base with a central,
horizontally-elongate, reddish-brown marking. Amblygobius
cheraphilus n. sp. is described from 11 specimens,
14.6–32.9 mm SL, collected near the town of Alotau
in Milne Bay Province of Papua New Guinea. It differs
from congeners on the basis of a combination of features,
including usual counts of 13 segmented dorsal and
anal-fin rays, scales entirely cycloid, no scales
on the head except for the side of the nape, 56–60
longitudinal scales, 14–18 transverse scales, a moderately
lanceolate caudal fin, a grayish color in life with
two reddish-brown stripes on the head and body with
the lower stripe containing a prominent oval dark-brown
spot on the opercle and ending in a dark-brown spot
on the caudal-fin base, a series of small brown saddles
on the back and predorsal region, and a faint ocellus
on the upper caudal-fin rays.
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CITATION:
Allen, G.R. & Erdmann,
M.V. (2016) Descriptions of two new gobies (Gobiidae:
Amblygobius) from the tropical western Pacific
Ocean. Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation,
24, 10-23.
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.167891
publication date: 21 November
2016
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