Copeia 2014, No. 4, 668–672
A New Toadfish Species from Somalia (Teleostei: Batrachoididae) David W. Greenfield1 The second known species in Barchatus is described from Somalia, in the Gulf of Aden. Compared to the other known species, B. cirrhosus from the Red Sea, B. indicus has two tentacles above the eye, whereas B. cirrhosus only has one large tentacle, and the anterior nares with long and pointed tentacles (distal 70% narrow; shorter and wider [distal 35% narrow] in B. cirrhosus). Barchatus indicus is only known from the Gulf of Aden, Somalia.
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HE genus Barchatus was described in 1952 by Smith for the only known toadfish from the Red Sea, Batrachus cirrhosus Klunzinger. As discussed by Greenfield et al. (2008), the name Batrachus is unavailable, and Thalassothia also has been used incorrectly for B. cirrhosus. Barchatus, is the sister group of five other Indian Ocean genera within the subfamily Halophryninae (Greenfield et al., 2008), but based on a single homoplastic character. The genus is characterized by scales extending forward to the first dorsal-fin base, a funnel-shaped pocket on the upper part of the pectoral-fin axil with horizontal blind-like lamellae below it (Fig. 1), tentacles above the eye, and the anterior nares with a single tentacle. Prior to the discovery of a new species from Somalia, described herein, Barchatus was monotypic. As with Barchatus, additional species have been found in two other genera thought to be monotypic: Colletteichthys (Greenfield, 2012a; Greenfield et al., 2012) and Austrobatrachus (Greenfield, 2012b). MATERIALS AND METHODS All counts and measurements follow Hubbs and Lagler (1964) except that the last two fin rays are not counted as one unless it is clear that they are joined at the base, and eye diameter is that of the exposed iris (skin grows over edges of eyes). Measurements were made to the nearest 0.1 mm using dial calipers. All measurements are expressed as percentage of standard length (SL) or into head length (HL). All specimen lengths are SL. Fin-ray counts were made from radiographs. Values for the holotype are presented first, followed by the paratype in parentheses if different. Institutional abbreviations follow Sabaj Pe´rez (2013). Pore counts could not be determined for the paratype because of its poor condition, and the body is bent, impacting its measurements. Barchatus indicus, new species urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:75989A53-C1EB-40AF-921D-7EB649EA 7794 Somalian Toadfish Figures 1, 2, 3A, 5A Holotype.—USNM 305979, 126.5 mm SL, Indian Ocean, Gulf of Aden, north coast of Somalia, 17 km ESE of Mait, 11u139150N, 47u369190E, 78 m, prawn trawl, 9 November 1989, G. Small. 1
Paratype.—CAS 236957, 164.1 mm SL, Indian Ocean, Gulf of Aden, north coast of Somalia, 17 km ESE of Mait, 11u139540N, 47u369190E, 78 m, prawn trawl, 7 September 1986, G. Small. Other material examined.—Barchatus cirrhosus: BPBM 18303, 275 mm SL, Eilat, Red Sea; TAU P-12259, Eilat, Red Sea (photographs only); USNM 221140, 130 mm SL, 14u559N, 42u289E, Red Sea. Barchatus cf. indicus: USNM, 333282, 17.5 mm SL, Kenya, off coast, just S. of Somalia, 02u429S, 40u539E, 140 m. Diagnosis.—A species of Barchatus with two tentacles located above the eye, one small anterior and one larger posterior; anterior nares long and slender (distal 70% of nares narrow). Description.—Dorsal-fin rays III,17; anal-fin rays 15; pectoralfin rays 26 (27); pelvic-fin rays I,2; vertebrae 27 including terminal centrum (11 precaudal); head length 46.0 (44.2); head width 35.7 (31.0); head depth 24.5 (23.6); bony interorbital width 7.9 (9.0); fleshy interorbital width 15.4 (15.2); orbit diameter 9.6 (8.2); snout length 8.4 (10.6); upper jaw length 23.3 (25.0); mouth width at rictus 22.6 (24.4); first predorsal-fin distance 42.8 (43.9); second predorsal-fin distance 53.7 (58.1); preanal-fin distance 63.7 (74.2); greatest body depth 26.2 (22.8); caudal-peduncle depth 9.6 (9.4); caudal-peduncle length 6.5 (9.7); first dorsal-fin base length 11.1 (11.6); second dorsal-fin base length 37.7 (35.0); anal-fin base length 26.5 (24.4); caudalfin length 24.6 (25.1); pectoral-fin length 25.4 (26.5); pelvicfin length 28.1 (23.5); distance between pelvic-fin bases 12.9 (12.0). Head moderately depressed (1.9 in HL) and of moderate width (1.3–1.4 in HL), eyes medium in size (4.8–5.4 in HL) and only slightly raised above head profile, interorbital area flat. A deep funnel-shaped pocket on the upper part of the pectoral-fin axil; with glandular tissue inside extending from ventral pit margin onto axil and side under pectoral fin, with series of horizontal blind-like lamellae in the axil (Fig. 1). Scales on body forward to first dorsal-fin base. Three lateral lines, each pore with two short skin flaps; upper one with 39 pores in holotype, originating above opercle, running posteriorly in a straight line to end of second dorsal fin where it turns ventrally with last six pores on caudal peduncle; middle lateral line with a few scattered pores along midline of side; lower line with 19 pores in holotype, running from under pectoral-fin base along analfin base to end of anal fin where it turns dorsally with last four pores on caudal peduncle. Three rows of sensory pores
Research Associate, Department of Ichthyology, California Academy of Sciences, 55 Music Concourse Drive, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California 94118-4599, and Professor Emeritus, University of Hawaii, Mailing address: 944 Egan Avenue, Pacific Grove, California 93950; E-mail:
[email protected]. Submitted: 24 April 2014. Accepted: 7 August 2014. Associate Editor: D. Buth. DOI: 10.1643/CI-14-113 Published online: November 19, 2014 F 2014 by the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists
Greenfield—New toadfish
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Posterior tentacle at posterior eye margin and composed of two larger flaps and several smaller tabs. Anterior tentacle located at anterior margin of pupil, with two larger flaps (smaller than posterior tentacle flaps) and several smaller tabs. Anterior nares long and slender (distal 70% of nares narrow). Two small pores, each with a set of flaps, centered on snout between anterior margins of eyes. Row of pores with flaps on end of snout between anterior nares above upper lip. End of maxilla with a relatively large cirrus with 8–9 rounded tips. A series of pores with flaps just above the maxilla under the eye. Ventral margin of dentary with numerous cirri.
Fig. 1. Pectoral-fin axil of holotype of Barchatus indicus, USNM 305979, 126.5 mm SL. Pectoral fin on left side and folded forward toward the head. Photograph by D. W. Greenfield.
with flaps across head: posteriormost with eight pores in front of first dorsal fin running from opercular spine to opercular spine; second with six pores at middle of head from preoperculum to preoperculum; third behind eyes with six pores, distal ones with a group of larger flaps. Two tentacles located above eye, one anterior and one posterior.
Color of preserved holotype.—(Fig. 2A, 2B) General background color cream, overlaid with rusty brown to black markings. Interorbital area, top of head, and nape rusty brown, with a broken dark brown to black bar crossing head behind eyes. A similar bar crossing nape between opercula. Side of head mottled with a dark brown to black blotch behind lower part of eye and a narrow black line below that extending ventrally to upper end of maxilla. Another dark mark from anteroventral part of eye ventrally to upper jaw. Central part of cheek below eye lighter, extending ventrally to end of maxilla that is cream. Upper jaw rusty brown. Lower jaw cream, crossed by four dark bars. Side of head mottled with opercular membrane lighter cream. Ventral side of head mottled brown. Base of first dorsal fin with a black blotch on body. Side of body crossed by three dark bars: first widest and above pectoral fin; second mid-body, just posterior to end of pectoral fin; third at the caudal
Fig. 2. Holotype of Barchatus indicus, USNM 305979, 126.5 mm SL. (A) Lateral view, (B) dorsal view. Photograph by D. W. Greenfield.
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Fig. 3. Tentacles above eye of (A) holotype of Barchatus indicus, USNM 305979, 126.5 mm SL. Photograph by D. W. Greenfield. (B) Barchatus cirrhosus, TAU P-12259, Eilat, Red Sea. Photograph by M. Goren. Arrows indicate tentacle.
peduncle. Dorsal end of first two bars extending as black blotches onto base of second dorsal fin. Pectoral fin crossed by three rows of dark spots, distal margin cream. Pelvic fins cream, crossed by four narrow dark bars. First dorsal fin with dark blotch on posterior half. Second dorsal fin cream, crossed by five dark anteriorly oriented horizontal bars. Caudal fin cream, crossed by five horizontal dark bars. Distribution.—Known only from the Gulf of Aden off the northern coast of Somalia. Etymology.—The specific epithet, indicus, is an adjective referring to this species occurring in the Indian Ocean. Comparisons.—Barchatus indicus is very similar to its congener B. cirrhosus, but differs in two obvious characters. Barchatus indicus has two separate tentacles over the eye, a
smaller anterior tentacle and a larger tentacle above the back of the eye (Fig. 3A). Barchatus cirrhosus has a single large tentacle, composed of many small flaps, extending anteriorly from the back of the eye (Figs. 3B, 4). The anterior nares of B. indicus are long and slender (Fig. 5A), whereas they are wider in B. cirrhosus (Fig. 5B). Barchatus indicus has a dorsalfin count of III,17 (III,18 in B. cirrhosus), an anal-fin count of 15 (13–14 in B. cirrhosus), and 26–27 pectoral-fin rays (24–25 in B. cirrhosus). Remarks.—Differences in the tentacles above the eye in toadfishes have been used to separate genera (Greenfield, 2006; Greenfield et al., 2008) and species (Greenfield, 1997, 2012a), and the shape of the anterior nares to separate species (Roux, 1981; Greenfield, 1996) as is the case between B. cirrhosus and B. indicus. As discussed by Greenfield et al. (2008), finding two different allopatric toadfish species in
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Fig. 4. Underwater photograph of Barchatus cirrhosus showing single large tentacle above eye. Photograph by E. Brokovich.
the same genus in close proximity is not unusual. The best example can be found in the tropical western Atlantic genus Sanopus with six species in close proximity. Sanopus reticulatus occurs at Progresso on the northern coast of Yucata´n, Mexico, and S. johnsoni and S. splendidus to the south from Isla Cozumel off the east coast of Yucata´n. Sanopus greenfieldorum and S. astrifer occur to the south in Belize, but S. greenfieldorum is only known from the barrier reef, whereas S. astrifer is found about 10–20 kilometers off shore at the atolls. Finally, S. barbatus ranges from southern Belize south to Panama (Collette, 2003). The limited dispersal ability of the toadfishes with demersal eggs and larvae attached to the substratum by the adhesive disc on the ventral surface of its yolk sac probably is a major factor in these restricted distributions. A small (20.7 mm TL, USNM 333282) toadfish was taken at a depth of 140 m off the coast of Kenya, just south of Somalia. The specimen must have recently detached from the substrate, because most of the yolk sac is not absorbed until a size of about 12 to 16.0 mm total length (Gill, 1907; Collette, 2005). The specimen has 17 dorsal-fin rays and 14 anal-fin rays, but only 17 pectoral-fin rays, suggesting the pectoral-fin rays are still being developed. Many of the diagnostic generic characters have not yet developed, but the specimen clearly has two tentacles above the eye, the posteriormost being the largest; however, we know nothing
about the ontogeny of the orbital tentacle. There are only six other toadfish species in the Indian Ocean with tentacles above the eyes; Reikertia ellesi known from Durban to Port St. John, South Africa; Allenbatrachus grunniens known from the Ganges River area, India eastward; Allenbatrachus meridionalis known from Madagascar and Reunion; Colletteichthys flavipinnis from Sri Lanka and adjacent India; Colletteichthys dussumieri from the western coast of India from Cochin north at least to the Malabar area; and Colletteichthys occidentalis occurring from the Persian Gulf, from Jana island, Saudia Arabia east to Kutach, India. Geographically the specimen is closest to B. indicus, A. meridionalis, and C. occidentalis, but both A. meridionalis and C. occidentalis have only one orbital tentacle, whereas B. indicus has two like the small specimen. It is thus possible that B. indicus might occur outside of the Gulf of Aden. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS M. Goren, Tel Aviv University, and A. Suzumoto, Bishop Museum, kindly provided a number of photographs of specimens of Barchatus cirrhosus, and E. Brokovich allowed the use of his underwater photograph. The staff of the California Academy of Sciences as usual has provided continual support: D. Catania, J. Fong, M. Hoang, and L. Rocha. J. Fong made radiographs of the type specimens.
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Fig. 5. (A) Anterior naris of holotype of Barchatus indicus, USNM 305979, 126.5 mm SL. Photograph by D. W. Greenfield. (B) Anterior naris of Barchatus cirrhosus, BPBM 18303, 275 mm SL, Eilat, Red Sea. Photograph by A. Suzumoto. Arrows indicate naris.
J. Williams, United States National Museum of Natural History, arranged for the loan and distribution of specimens. LITERATURE CITED Collette, B. B. 2003. Batrachoididae, p. 1026–1042. In: FAO Species Identification Sheets for Fishery Purposes and
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American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Special Publication No. 5. The living marine resources of the Western Central Atlantic 2, pt. 1. K. E. Carpenter (ed.). FAO, Rome. Collette, B. B. 2005. Batrachoidiformes, Batrachoididae: Toadfishes, p. 759–767. In: Early Stages of Atlantic Fishes: An Identification Guide for the Western Central North Atlantic. W. J. Richards (ed.). CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida. Gill, T. 1907. Life histories of toadfishes (Batrachoidids), compared with those of weevers (Trachinids) and stargazers (Uranoscopids). Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections 48(4):388–427. Greenfield, D. W. 1996. Perulibatrachus kilburni, a new toadfish from East Africa (Teleostei: Batrachoididae). Copeia 1996:901–904. Greenfield, D. W. 1997. Allenbatrachus, a new genus of Indo-Pacific toadfish (Batrachoididae). Pacific Science 51:306–313. Greenfield, D. W. 2006. Two new toadfish genera (Teleostei: Batrachoididae). Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences Series 4 57(32):945–954. Greenfield, D. W. 2012a. Colletteichthys occidentalis, a new toadfish species from the Arabian Peninsula and northern Arabian Sea (Teleostei: Batrachoididae). Zootaxa 3165:64–68. Greenfield, D. W. 2012b. Austrobatrachus iselesele, a new toadfish species from South Africa (Teleostei: Batrachoididae). Zootaxa 3400:58–63. Greenfield, D. W., K. K. Bineesh, and K. V. Akhilesh. 2012. Colletteichthys flavipinnis, a new toadfish species from Sri Lanka and India (Teleostei: Batrachoididae). Zootaxa 3437:24–31. Greenfield, D. W., R. Winterbottom, and B. B. Collette. 2008. Review of the toadfish genera (Teleostei: Batrachoididae). Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences Series 4 59(15):665–710. Hubbs, C. L., and K. F. Lagler. 1964. Fishes of the Great Lakes Region. University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Roux, C. 1981. Batrachoididae, Vol. 1 (12 pages). In: FAO Species Identification Sheets for Fishery Purposes. Eastern Central Atlantic fishing areas 34, 47 (in part). Vols. 1–7. W. Fischer, G. Bianchi, and W. B. Scott (eds.). Canada Funds-in-Trust. Ottawa, Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, by arrangement with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Unpaginated. Sabaj Pe´rez, M. H. (Ed.). 2013. Standard symbolic codes for institutional resource collections in herpetology and ichthyology: an Online Reference. Version 4.0 (28 June 2013). Electronically accessible at http://asih.org, American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, Washington, D.C. Smith, J. L. B. 1952. The fishes of the family Batrachoididae from South and East Africa. Annals and Magazine of Natural History ser. 12 5:313–339.
