RESEARCH ARTICLE
Cirrhilabrus greeni,
a new species of wrasse (Pisces: Labridae) from the
Timor Sea, northern Australia
Gerald R. Allen & Michael
P. Hammer
Abstract
A new species of labrid fish, the Sunset Fairy-wrasse,
Cirrhilabrus greeni n. sp., is described from
seven specimens, 39.4-47.3 mm SL, collected from
the eastern Timor Sea, Northern Territory, Australia.
The species is clearly distinguished by its terminal-phase
male color pattern, consisting of pink to reddish
hues on the upper half of the head and body and yellow
on the lower half, in combination with a mainly yellow-orange
dorsal fin and a scarlet-red anal fin. The caudal
fin of the male is particularly distinctive, being
emarginate but appearing lunate due to a clear central
portion and tapering red bands along dorsal and ventral
margins. Females can be distinguished from sympatric
congeners by having a large black spot on the upper
caudal peduncle. Sequencing of the mtDNA-barcode marker
COI reveals that the new species has identical sequences
to C. rubripinnis and C. aff. tonozukai
from the Philippines, which have very different color
patterns and tail shapes from the new species, indicating
the new species has diverged recently and/or there
is historic or episodic hybridization within the species
complex.
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CITATION:
Allen, G.R. & Hammer,
M.P. (2017) Cirrhilabrus greeni, a new species
of wrasse (Pisces: Labridae) from the Timor Sea, northern
Australia. Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation,
29, 55-65.
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1115674
publication date: 14 December
2017
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