EVIOTA OCULINEATA - (TORNABENE, GREENFIELD & ERDMANN, 2021)
Picture courtesy of: Alain Daoulas
Actinopterygii (Gigaclass) > Actinopteri (Class) > Teleostei (Subclass) > Gobiiformes (Order) > Gobioidei (Suborder) > Gobiidae (Family) > Gobiinae (Subfamily) > Eviota (Genus)
False-comet dwarfgoby,
Description
Dorsal spines (total): 6-7; Dorsal soft rays (total): 8, first dorsal triangular in shape, first or second spine elongated in some specimens of both sexes, ranging from slightly elongate (extending to first ray of second dorsal fin when depressed) in the smallest male, to extremely elongate (extending to beyond origin of last ray of second dorsal fin when depressed, as in holotype), all second dorsal fin soft rays branched, last ray branched to base; Anal spine: 1; Anal soft rays: 7; Pectoral fin rays: 14-15 (usually: 14), all unbranched, pointed, reaching to below second dorsal fin; 5th pelvic fin ray variable, ~ 10% (8-15%) of length of 4th pelvic fin ray; 4th ray with four or five branches, one or two segments between consecutive branches of 4th pelvic-fin ray, pelvic fin membrane not well developed, no basal membrane; Caudal fin: 11 branched and 16 segmented rays; Lateral line scales 22-24; Transverse scale rows: 7; Urogenital papilla of male smooth, long and narrow, expanded into two lateral horns at tip; Female papilla smooth, bulbous, with short finger-like projections on end; Front of head sloping at an angle of ~ 60° up from horizontal axis; Mouth slanted obliquely upwards, forming an angle of ~ 35° upwards from horizontal axis of body, lower jaw not projecting; Maxilla extending posteriorly to center of pupil; Anterior tubular nares extending past rear margin of upper lip; Gill opening extending forward to below posteroventral edge of preoperculum. Max. length: 2.5 cm TL. Depth range: 20 - 35 m.
Color
Background color of head and body translucent gray. Body with broad red stripe extending from tip of snout to caudal peduncle, stripe interrupted by five iridescent white dashes evenly spaced along dorsal margin of stripe on body, dashes beginning above the operculum and terminating on caudal peduncle, with anterior three dashes sometimes merged as a continuous white stripe over abdomen.
Occasionally five short red bars extending ventrally from red lateral stripe, first bar just posterior to origin of anal fin, last bar at the posterior margin of caudal peduncle, each bar separated by a white (sometimes iridescent) space. Abdomen and side of body behind pectoral fin with two (sometimes three) iridescent white spots over red lateral stripe, first spot immediately above and posterior to axis of pectoral fin. Pectoral-fin base red with iridescent white spot in center. Pair of vertically elongate, broadly joined dark spots at base of caudal fin, anterior spot centered just anterior to origin of caudal rays, posterior spot located on base of caudal rays. Small yellow spot on base of caudal fin just dorsal to pair of dark spots.
Head pale gray ventrally, with red snout, nares, and nape. Eyes red with two horizontal stripes on iris, one yellow and passing through upper margin of pupil, one white and passing through lower margin pupil, dorsal margin of eye above stripe with yellow spots or mottling. Short white stripe on head behind eye, in line with upper stripe on iris, extending posteriorly to operculum; White stripe sometimes broken into two small spots rather than continuous stripe. One or two iridescent white spots, slightly smaller than diameter of pupil, on side of head posterior to jaws. First three spines of the dorsal fin with evenly spaced red spots along entirety of spine. Second dorsal-fin rays faintly tinged with red. Pectoral fins and pelvic fins white. Caudal fin lacking prominent vertical bands, lower half of caudal fin with faint red hue.
Etymology
Eviota: from Greek prefix, ev-, eu-, = good or well, very + from Greek letter, iota = smallest letter in the Greek alphabet and often figuratively used to describe anything small or insignificant. Referring to Eviota epiphanes (Jenkins, 1903), which, at 1.0-1.9 cm in length, Jenkins claimed was the “smallest vertebrate that has up to this time been described”.
oculineata: from Latin, oculus = eye + from Latin, lineatus, a, um = lined, striped. Referring to stripes through eye, which distinguishes it from Eviota cometa.
Original description: Eviota oculineata Tornabene, Greenfield & Erdmann, 2021 - Type locality: Pulau Liki West, northern New Guinea, 01°37.300'S, 138°43.395'E, depth 30 meters, clove oil & hand net, 12 Feb 2019, M.V. Erdmann.
Distribution
Southwestern Pacific: New Guinea and Solomon Islands, east to Fiji (possibly Banda Sea, Indonesia and Great Barrier Reef, Australia and New Caledonia).
Biology
Reported from outer reef slopes exposed to clear oceanic water and is frequently observed resting individually on coralline algae outcrops or live plate corals.
Similar species
Eviota cometa (Jewett & Lachner, 1983) - Reported from Western Pacific: Fiji and Tonga.
Last update: 11, June 2023
Actinopterygii (Gigaclass) > Actinopteri (Class) > Teleostei (Subclass) > Gobiiformes (Order) > Gobioidei (Suborder) > Gobiidae (Family) > Gobiinae (Subfamily) > Eviota (Genus)
False-comet dwarfgoby,
Description
Dorsal spines (total): 6-7; Dorsal soft rays (total): 8, first dorsal triangular in shape, first or second spine elongated in some specimens of both sexes, ranging from slightly elongate (extending to first ray of second dorsal fin when depressed) in the smallest male, to extremely elongate (extending to beyond origin of last ray of second dorsal fin when depressed, as in holotype), all second dorsal fin soft rays branched, last ray branched to base; Anal spine: 1; Anal soft rays: 7; Pectoral fin rays: 14-15 (usually: 14), all unbranched, pointed, reaching to below second dorsal fin; 5th pelvic fin ray variable, ~ 10% (8-15%) of length of 4th pelvic fin ray; 4th ray with four or five branches, one or two segments between consecutive branches of 4th pelvic-fin ray, pelvic fin membrane not well developed, no basal membrane; Caudal fin: 11 branched and 16 segmented rays; Lateral line scales 22-24; Transverse scale rows: 7; Urogenital papilla of male smooth, long and narrow, expanded into two lateral horns at tip; Female papilla smooth, bulbous, with short finger-like projections on end; Front of head sloping at an angle of ~ 60° up from horizontal axis; Mouth slanted obliquely upwards, forming an angle of ~ 35° upwards from horizontal axis of body, lower jaw not projecting; Maxilla extending posteriorly to center of pupil; Anterior tubular nares extending past rear margin of upper lip; Gill opening extending forward to below posteroventral edge of preoperculum. Max. length: 2.5 cm TL. Depth range: 20 - 35 m.
Color
Background color of head and body translucent gray. Body with broad red stripe extending from tip of snout to caudal peduncle, stripe interrupted by five iridescent white dashes evenly spaced along dorsal margin of stripe on body, dashes beginning above the operculum and terminating on caudal peduncle, with anterior three dashes sometimes merged as a continuous white stripe over abdomen.
Occasionally five short red bars extending ventrally from red lateral stripe, first bar just posterior to origin of anal fin, last bar at the posterior margin of caudal peduncle, each bar separated by a white (sometimes iridescent) space. Abdomen and side of body behind pectoral fin with two (sometimes three) iridescent white spots over red lateral stripe, first spot immediately above and posterior to axis of pectoral fin. Pectoral-fin base red with iridescent white spot in center. Pair of vertically elongate, broadly joined dark spots at base of caudal fin, anterior spot centered just anterior to origin of caudal rays, posterior spot located on base of caudal rays. Small yellow spot on base of caudal fin just dorsal to pair of dark spots.
Head pale gray ventrally, with red snout, nares, and nape. Eyes red with two horizontal stripes on iris, one yellow and passing through upper margin of pupil, one white and passing through lower margin pupil, dorsal margin of eye above stripe with yellow spots or mottling. Short white stripe on head behind eye, in line with upper stripe on iris, extending posteriorly to operculum; White stripe sometimes broken into two small spots rather than continuous stripe. One or two iridescent white spots, slightly smaller than diameter of pupil, on side of head posterior to jaws. First three spines of the dorsal fin with evenly spaced red spots along entirety of spine. Second dorsal-fin rays faintly tinged with red. Pectoral fins and pelvic fins white. Caudal fin lacking prominent vertical bands, lower half of caudal fin with faint red hue.
Etymology
Eviota: from Greek prefix, ev-, eu-, = good or well, very + from Greek letter, iota = smallest letter in the Greek alphabet and often figuratively used to describe anything small or insignificant. Referring to Eviota epiphanes (Jenkins, 1903), which, at 1.0-1.9 cm in length, Jenkins claimed was the “smallest vertebrate that has up to this time been described”.
oculineata: from Latin, oculus = eye + from Latin, lineatus, a, um = lined, striped. Referring to stripes through eye, which distinguishes it from Eviota cometa.
Original description: Eviota oculineata Tornabene, Greenfield & Erdmann, 2021 - Type locality: Pulau Liki West, northern New Guinea, 01°37.300'S, 138°43.395'E, depth 30 meters, clove oil & hand net, 12 Feb 2019, M.V. Erdmann.
Distribution
Southwestern Pacific: New Guinea and Solomon Islands, east to Fiji (possibly Banda Sea, Indonesia and Great Barrier Reef, Australia and New Caledonia).
Biology
Reported from outer reef slopes exposed to clear oceanic water and is frequently observed resting individually on coralline algae outcrops or live plate corals.
Similar species
Eviota cometa (Jewett & Lachner, 1983) - Reported from Western Pacific: Fiji and Tonga.
Last update: 11, June 2023