TAXONOMIC NOTE

Ctenichthys interrupta Howell Rivero, 1936, a junior synonym of Gobioclinus bucciferus (Poey, 1868) (Teleostei: Labrisomidae)

Benjamin C. Victor, Meaghan A. Sorce & Andrew Williston

The unique holotype of the nominal species Ctenichthys interrupta Howell Rivero, 1936 is in the Museum of Comparative Zoology as MCZ 34151. Luis Howell Rivero described the single 52-mm SL specimen, from Matanzas, Cuba, as both a new genus and new species in his review of fishes of Cuba (Fricke et al. 2023). The species continues to be sporadically listed as one of the species of fishes of the Greater Caribbean. Howell Rivero singled out multiple interruptions in the lateral line and the lateral line not reaching the caudal-fin base as a generic-level character for the new genus and also noted the absence of vomerine teeth. Hubbs & Springer (1954) and Springer (1959) concluded that the specimen did indeed have vomerine teeth and found no reason to support a new genus (they did not mention the interrupted lateral line) and synonymized the genus Ctenichthys with Labrisomus Swainson, 1839; however, they concluded they were unable to assign it to a species. They suggested it was probably a synonym of Labrisomus bucciferus Poey, 1868

CITATION:

Victor, B.C., Sorce, M.H. & Williston, A. (2023) Ctenichthys interrupta Howell Rivero, 1936, a junior synonym of Gobioclinus bucciferus (Poey, 1868) (Teleostei: Labrisomidae). Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation, 40, 74-76.

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8419567

publication date: 8 October 2023