RESEARCH ARTICLE
Descriptions of four new species
of damselfishes (Pomacentridae) in the Pomacentrus
philippinus complex from the tropical western
Pacific Ocean
Gerald R. Allen, Mark V.
Erdmann & Puti D. Pertiwi
Abstract
Four new species of Pomacentrus,
allied to P. philippinus, are described from
the western Pacific Ocean. Pomacentrus albiaxillaris,
n. sp. is described on the basis of 81 specimens,
14.5-70.0 mm SL, from the Palau Archipelago in
Micronesia. It was formerly considered to be a Palauan
population of P. emarginatus Cuvier, a species
of uncertain status from Waigeo in West Papua. However,
the two species differ in appearance and morphology
and the new species from Palau has never been observed
at Waigeo and surrounding areas despite extensive
surveys by the authors. Pomacentrus albiaxillaris
differs from other members of the philippinus
complex in possessing a white pectoral-fin axil; a
small dark spot that is restricted to the uppermost
portion of the pectoral-fin base (instead of a large
black marking that covers the entire fin base); a
whitish caudal fin; and a bright blue dorsal scleral
surface of the eye. Pomacentrus flavoaxillaris,
n sp. is described on the basis of 28 specimens, 49.5-72.9
mm SL, from Micronesian locations east of Palau, including
Ulithi Atoll, Chuuk, Pohnpei, and Kosrae. Additional
photographic and literature records include Ngulu
Atoll, Yap, and the Mortlock Islands. It is similar
to P. albiaxillaris n. sp. in having a white
caudal fin and blue dorsal scleral surface of the
eye, but differs in having a yellow inner pectoral-fin
axil, a large black spot covering the entire pectoral-fin
base, white zones at the bases of the posteriormost
dorsal- and anal-fin rays, and a whitish caudal peduncle.
Pomacentrus magniseptus, n. sp. is described from
24 specimens, 34.6-75.6 mm SL, collected at the
Great Barrier Reef of Australia. It differs from other
members of the philippinus complex by its unique
color pattern, consisting of horizontal rows of pale
spots on the side of the body and entirely blackish
median fins. It also differs from most relatives in
always lacking scales on the preorbital and most of
the suborbital. Pomacentrus nigriradiatus,
n. sp. is described on the basis of 48 specimens,
28.8-86.9 mm SL, from Samoa, Rotuma, Wallis Island,
Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia, and Vanuatu. Diagnostic
features include highly contrasting dark fin rays
on the posterior portions of the dorsal, anal, and
caudal fins, as well as the lack of a contrasting
marking on the inner pectoral-fin axil. It also differs
from P. albiaxillaris and P. flavoaxillaris
in usually having at least a few scales on the preorbital.
Genetic evidence is also provided to resolve relationships
among the four new species and P. philippinus.
The divergence in the mtDNA sequence of three concatenated
markers between these species ranges from 5.1-7.4%
(in average pairwise distances), with the closest
relationship between P. flavoaxillaris and
P. magniseptus. The four new species differ by
an average of 12.9% in mtDNA sequence from the type
population of P. philippinus in the Philippines.
.
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CITATION:
Allen, G.R., Erdmann, M.V.
& Pertiwi, P.D. (2017) Descriptions of four new
species of damselfishes (Pomacentridae) in the Pomacentrus
philippinus complex from the tropical western
Pacific Ocean. Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation,
25, 47-76.
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.317395
publication date: 22 February
2017
Erratum 26 March 2017: spelling
of third author's name corrected from Purtiwi to Pertiwi.
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