RESEARCH ARTICLE
Two new species of snappers
(Pisces: Lutjanidae: Lutjanus) from the Indo-West
Pacific
Gerald R. Allen, William
T. White & Mark V. Erdmann
Abstract
Two
new species of snappers, genus Lutjanus, are
described from Indo-West Pacific seas. Lutjanus
indicus is described from 20 specimens, 54.7–226
mm SL, from western Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, and
Bahrain. It has also been photographed at Oman and
the Andaman Islands (tissue sample also taken). It
has invariably been confused with its sibling species,
L. russellii, from the western Pacific. Comparison
of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit
1 (CO1) genetic marker utilised in DNA barcoding produced
a genetic divergence of about 4.1% between L. indicus
and its closest congener, L. russellii. In
addition, significant colour differences are useful
for separating the two species, specifically a series
of seven narrow yellow-to-brown stripes on the side,
obliquely rising (except lower two) dorsally and posteriorly,
which are present on both juveniles and adults of
L. indicus. Lutjanus papuensis is described
from four specimens, 173–259 mm SL, collected at Cenderawasih
Bay, West Papua and purchased from fish markets at
Bali and western Java, Indonesia. It has also been
observed at Timor Leste, northern Papua New Guinea,
and the Solomon Islands. It is most closely related
to L. bitaeniatus from eastern Indonesia and
north-western Australia, but differs notably by its
unique colour pattern (bluish to grey on upper side,
yellow-orange below lateral line with bright yellow
anal and pelvic fins), wider interorbital, deeper
body shape, and flatter snout-forehead profile. Its
status was also confirmed by genetic analysis. Comparison
of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit
1 (CO1) genetic marker utilised in DNA barcoding produced
a genetic divergence of about 2.7 and 3.9 % between
L. papuensis and its closest congeners,
L. bitaeniatus and L. lemniscatus, respectively.
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CITATION:
Allen, G.R., White, W.T.
& Erdmann, M.V. (2013) Two new species of snappers
(Pisces: Lutjanidae: Lutjanus) from the Indo-West
Pacific. Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation,
6, 33-51.
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1036813
publication date: 28 February
2013
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