RESEARCH ARTICLE
Neopomacentrus aktites,
a new species of damselfish
(Pisces: Pomacentridae) from Western Australia
Gerald R. Allen, Glenn I.
Moore & Mark G. Allen
Abstract
A new species of damselfish, Neopomacentrus aktites
n. sp., is described on the basis of 50 specimens,
17.8-54.1 mm SL, collected from Western Australia.
The new species was formerly confused with Neopomacentrus
filamentosus, an Indo-Malayan species that appears
morphologically indistinguishable and has a mostly
similar color pattern. However, the new species lacks
several markings characteristic of N. filamentosus,
i.e. a large black spot on the pectoral-fin axil,
a large dark marking at the lateral-line origin, and
yellow or gold color on the upper edge of the rear
opercle. The two species differ by 7.55% (K2P) in
the sequence of the mtDNA-barcode marker COI. The
new species is only 2.19% divergent from an undescribed
damselfish species from eastern Australia and southern
New Guinea, but differs from that species by having
dark margins on the proximal half of the caudal fin
and lacking a bright yellow caudal fin, caudal peduncle,
and posterior parts of the dorsal and anal fins.
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CITATION:
Allen, G.R., Moore, G.I.
& Allen M.G. (2017) Neopomacentrus aktites,
a new species of damselfish (Pisces: Pomacentridae)
from Western Australia. Journal of the Ocean Science
Foundation, 29, 1–10.
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1066344
publication date: 28 November
2017
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