Dr. Mark V. Erdmann (Conservation International Advertisement), Indonesien
Info
In recent years, more and more new species have been reported from Milne Bay near Papua New Guinea, this time by Dr. Mark V. Erdmann, Dr. Gerry Allen and Dr. William M. Brooks, a new species of the genus Hazeus, Hazeus paucisquamatus, is described in the Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation (JOSF).
Hazeus paucisquamatus is currently only known from the Louisiade Archipelago and the Deboyne Islands east of the mainland of Papua New Guinea and occurs on sheltered, silty-sandy
sandy soils of fringing reefs and lagoons at depths of 15 -20 meters.
Sexual dimorphism:
The male is easily identified by its spots and bands on the dorsal and caudal fins, the blackish anal fin and the dark median stripe on the pelvic fins.
In addition, the posterior dorsal and anal fin rays are longer in males and almost reach the base of the caudal fin when pressed together.
In contrast, the addressed female fins reach approximately to the middle of the caudal peduncle.
The posterior rays of the second dorsal fin are usually the longest in males, while the first segmental ray is the longest in females.
Color in life.
Males of Hazeus paucisquamatus are semi-translucent, have a slightly grayish head and body with 5 large, indistinct, brownish saddles extending dorsally from the nape over the upper back to the caudal peduncle, and a row of 6 centrally arranged dark brown spots, smaller than the pupil, and sometimes subdivided, extending from the upper posterior margin of the operculum to the middle of the caudal fin base.
The lower third of the head and body is marked with irregular pearly white spots and/or a horizontal row of small yellowish diamond-shaped spots, and numerous small reddish-brown to dark brown spots of various sizes, tufts of pepper-like melanophores and irregular whitish spots are scattered on the head and body.
The iris is pinkish-yellow in the upper two thirds and whitish ventrally, dorsal scleral surface of the eye with several brown spots.
The dorsal fins are translucent with one or two horizontal rows of black spots, a prominent black central stripe and a pink outer edge.
The caudal fin is also translucent with 4 or 5 irregular blackish bands that widen towards the back and a pinkish-yellow outer edge.
The anal fin, on the other hand, is dark brown, the pelvic fins pearly white with dark gray membranes distally and a black central stripe.
The pectoral fins are also translucent except for a pearly white zone in the middle.
The female lacks the dark fin markings of the male and the diamond pattern on the belly is more yellowish than white, in addition, conspicuous dark spots on the dorsal scleral membrane of the eye are usually clearly visible.
Both sexes have a series of inner, mid-lateral, dark markings:
In males, the markings form large, diffuse brown spots, while in females the markings are a combination of diffuse brown spots on the front and linear markings on the back.
Etymology. The specific epithet "paucisquamatus" means "few scales" in Latin, referring to the reduced preopercular scaling of the gobies.
Reference source:
Citation: Allen, G. R., Erdmann, M.V. & Brooks, W.M. (2024)
Hazeus paucisquamatus, a new sand-dwelling goby (Teleostei: Gobiidae) from Papua New Guinea.
Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation, 41, 1–11.
Hazeus paucisquamatus is currently only known from the Louisiade Archipelago and the Deboyne Islands east of the mainland of Papua New Guinea and occurs on sheltered, silty-sandy
sandy soils of fringing reefs and lagoons at depths of 15 -20 meters.
Sexual dimorphism:
The male is easily identified by its spots and bands on the dorsal and caudal fins, the blackish anal fin and the dark median stripe on the pelvic fins.
In addition, the posterior dorsal and anal fin rays are longer in males and almost reach the base of the caudal fin when pressed together.
In contrast, the addressed female fins reach approximately to the middle of the caudal peduncle.
The posterior rays of the second dorsal fin are usually the longest in males, while the first segmental ray is the longest in females.
Color in life.
Males of Hazeus paucisquamatus are semi-translucent, have a slightly grayish head and body with 5 large, indistinct, brownish saddles extending dorsally from the nape over the upper back to the caudal peduncle, and a row of 6 centrally arranged dark brown spots, smaller than the pupil, and sometimes subdivided, extending from the upper posterior margin of the operculum to the middle of the caudal fin base.
The lower third of the head and body is marked with irregular pearly white spots and/or a horizontal row of small yellowish diamond-shaped spots, and numerous small reddish-brown to dark brown spots of various sizes, tufts of pepper-like melanophores and irregular whitish spots are scattered on the head and body.
The iris is pinkish-yellow in the upper two thirds and whitish ventrally, dorsal scleral surface of the eye with several brown spots.
The dorsal fins are translucent with one or two horizontal rows of black spots, a prominent black central stripe and a pink outer edge.
The caudal fin is also translucent with 4 or 5 irregular blackish bands that widen towards the back and a pinkish-yellow outer edge.
The anal fin, on the other hand, is dark brown, the pelvic fins pearly white with dark gray membranes distally and a black central stripe.
The pectoral fins are also translucent except for a pearly white zone in the middle.
The female lacks the dark fin markings of the male and the diamond pattern on the belly is more yellowish than white, in addition, conspicuous dark spots on the dorsal scleral membrane of the eye are usually clearly visible.
Both sexes have a series of inner, mid-lateral, dark markings:
In males, the markings form large, diffuse brown spots, while in females the markings are a combination of diffuse brown spots on the front and linear markings on the back.
Etymology. The specific epithet "paucisquamatus" means "few scales" in Latin, referring to the reduced preopercular scaling of the gobies.
Reference source:
Citation: Allen, G. R., Erdmann, M.V. & Brooks, W.M. (2024)
Hazeus paucisquamatus, a new sand-dwelling goby (Teleostei: Gobiidae) from Papua New Guinea.
Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation, 41, 1–11.
