EVIOTA TERESAE - (GREENFIELD & RANDALL, 2016)
Picture courtesy of: Alain Daoulas
Actinopterygii (Gigaclass) > Actinopteri (Class) > Teleostei (Subclass) > Gobiiformes (Order) > Gobioidei (Suborder) > Gobiidae (Family) > Gobiinae (Subfamily) > Eviota (Genus)
Description
Dorsal spines (total): 6-7; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9; Anal spine: 1; Anal soft rays: 8; Pectoral fin rays: 16-18 (usually: 18), branching beginning with ray 5 in holotype; 5th pelvic-fin ray about 10–15% of 4th ray; 8 (6–11) branches on 4th ray; 2 segments between consecutive branches of 4th pelvic-fin ray; No pelvic-fin membrane; 12 branched and 17 segmented caudal-fin rays; Lateral scale rows mostly lost, 24 estimated from scale pockets in holotype; Transverse scale rows estimated to be 7 in holotype; Scales present on middle of ventral surface of abdomen, no scales on breast; First dorsal fin triangular in shape, first spine filamentous in male holotype, extending back to 5th ray of second dorsal fin; Second spine filamentous extending back to the 4th ray; Dorsal fin spines not elongate in female; All soft rays of second dorsal and anal fin branched, the last split through its base; Urogenital papilla in male smooth, not fimbriate or cup-shaped, sides straight, with three short projections at end, the center one the longest, extending past anal fin base; Urogenital papilla of female smooth, bulbous, with eight short fingerlike projections on end; Front of head rounded with an angle of about 75° from horizontal axis; Mouth slanted obliquely upwards, forming an angle of about 65° to horizontal axis of body, lower jaw not projecting; Maxilla extending posteriorly to back of pupil; Anterior naris tube extending just to anterior margin of upper lip; Gill opening extending forward just anterior to edge of operculum; Cephalic sensory-canal pore system complete, and papilla pattern. Max. length: 2.1 cm SL (male), 1.7 cm SL (female); Depth range: 0 - 26 m.
Color
Background color of head and body translucent gray, overlaid by red, orange, and white pigment patterns. Top of head white with a large red-orange spot behind eye and a smaller red-orange spot on top of head behind eyes. Three distinct white spots under eye: first in front of eye extending forward onto snout; Second between seven and eight o’clock, almost broken into two spots; Third at five o’clock. A curved sickle-shaped spot, immediately posterior to third white spot, extending posteriorly across cheek in live individuals. A second shorter red-orange bar between second and third white spots under eye, extending towards lower jaw. Another red-orange bar extending from between first and second white spots forward over both jaws. Pupil of eye black, surrounded by a yellow-white ring, iris of eye reddish with scattered small light spots on the dorsal surface. Scale edges on body yellow-orange, distinct against translucent background underneath. A series of small yellow-orange spots extending along dorsal-fin bases. Two to three broad red vertical/diagonal bars on abdomen, separated by narrower white vertical/diagonal bars with yellow centers, followed by six red postanal spots on ventral surface. A series of narrow, elongate red-orange dashes, wider than tall, spaced along vertebral column, separated by white spots: first and largest red-orange spot just behind larger spot behind eye and above pectoral-fin base; Second under first four dorsal-fin spines; Third at end of first dorsal fin; Fourth under anterior half of second dorsal fin; Fifth at end of second dorsal fin; Remaining three on caudal peduncle. A broken white line extending back from behind eye under large red-orange spot to above anal-fin origin. A separate white spot behind line above center of anal fin. Pectoral-fin base white with yellow, surrounded by white lines extending down from midline, fin clear. Dorsal fins with reddish tinge, caudal fin clear with scattered red spots, anal fin black.
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”.
teresae: in honor of Teresa Arámbula Greenfield who assisted in collecting the type material and has provided field, editorial, and moral support to the first author for many years.
Original description: Eviota teresae Greenfield & Randall, 2016 - Type locality: Rabi Island, N.W. shore, Fiji, 16°26.701'S, 179°56.261'W, depth: 0.5-1.8 meters.
Distribution
Western Pacific: Maldives, Amami Islands and Osumi Islands (southern Japan), Indonesia, New Caledonia, Fiji.
Biology
Widely distributed in a wide variety of habitats.
Similar species
Eviota albolineata (Jewett & Lachner, 1983) - Reported from South Pacific: Society Islands, Tuamotu Archipelago and the Line Islands.
Eviota guttata (Lachner & Karnella, 1978) - Reported from Red Sea, Socotra (Yemen), Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, further records are probably based on other species; Western Mascarenes (La Réunion) east to western Indonesia. Records from Pacific Ocean also based on a different species.
Eviota taeiae (Erdmann, Greenfield & Tornabene, 2023) - Reported from Western Pacific: Samoa.
Last update: 23, July 2023
Actinopterygii (Gigaclass) > Actinopteri (Class) > Teleostei (Subclass) > Gobiiformes (Order) > Gobioidei (Suborder) > Gobiidae (Family) > Gobiinae (Subfamily) > Eviota (Genus)
Description
Dorsal spines (total): 6-7; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9; Anal spine: 1; Anal soft rays: 8; Pectoral fin rays: 16-18 (usually: 18), branching beginning with ray 5 in holotype; 5th pelvic-fin ray about 10–15% of 4th ray; 8 (6–11) branches on 4th ray; 2 segments between consecutive branches of 4th pelvic-fin ray; No pelvic-fin membrane; 12 branched and 17 segmented caudal-fin rays; Lateral scale rows mostly lost, 24 estimated from scale pockets in holotype; Transverse scale rows estimated to be 7 in holotype; Scales present on middle of ventral surface of abdomen, no scales on breast; First dorsal fin triangular in shape, first spine filamentous in male holotype, extending back to 5th ray of second dorsal fin; Second spine filamentous extending back to the 4th ray; Dorsal fin spines not elongate in female; All soft rays of second dorsal and anal fin branched, the last split through its base; Urogenital papilla in male smooth, not fimbriate or cup-shaped, sides straight, with three short projections at end, the center one the longest, extending past anal fin base; Urogenital papilla of female smooth, bulbous, with eight short fingerlike projections on end; Front of head rounded with an angle of about 75° from horizontal axis; Mouth slanted obliquely upwards, forming an angle of about 65° to horizontal axis of body, lower jaw not projecting; Maxilla extending posteriorly to back of pupil; Anterior naris tube extending just to anterior margin of upper lip; Gill opening extending forward just anterior to edge of operculum; Cephalic sensory-canal pore system complete, and papilla pattern. Max. length: 2.1 cm SL (male), 1.7 cm SL (female); Depth range: 0 - 26 m.
Color
Background color of head and body translucent gray, overlaid by red, orange, and white pigment patterns. Top of head white with a large red-orange spot behind eye and a smaller red-orange spot on top of head behind eyes. Three distinct white spots under eye: first in front of eye extending forward onto snout; Second between seven and eight o’clock, almost broken into two spots; Third at five o’clock. A curved sickle-shaped spot, immediately posterior to third white spot, extending posteriorly across cheek in live individuals. A second shorter red-orange bar between second and third white spots under eye, extending towards lower jaw. Another red-orange bar extending from between first and second white spots forward over both jaws. Pupil of eye black, surrounded by a yellow-white ring, iris of eye reddish with scattered small light spots on the dorsal surface. Scale edges on body yellow-orange, distinct against translucent background underneath. A series of small yellow-orange spots extending along dorsal-fin bases. Two to three broad red vertical/diagonal bars on abdomen, separated by narrower white vertical/diagonal bars with yellow centers, followed by six red postanal spots on ventral surface. A series of narrow, elongate red-orange dashes, wider than tall, spaced along vertebral column, separated by white spots: first and largest red-orange spot just behind larger spot behind eye and above pectoral-fin base; Second under first four dorsal-fin spines; Third at end of first dorsal fin; Fourth under anterior half of second dorsal fin; Fifth at end of second dorsal fin; Remaining three on caudal peduncle. A broken white line extending back from behind eye under large red-orange spot to above anal-fin origin. A separate white spot behind line above center of anal fin. Pectoral-fin base white with yellow, surrounded by white lines extending down from midline, fin clear. Dorsal fins with reddish tinge, caudal fin clear with scattered red spots, anal fin black.
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”.
teresae: in honor of Teresa Arámbula Greenfield who assisted in collecting the type material and has provided field, editorial, and moral support to the first author for many years.
Original description: Eviota teresae Greenfield & Randall, 2016 - Type locality: Rabi Island, N.W. shore, Fiji, 16°26.701'S, 179°56.261'W, depth: 0.5-1.8 meters.
Distribution
Western Pacific: Maldives, Amami Islands and Osumi Islands (southern Japan), Indonesia, New Caledonia, Fiji.
Biology
Widely distributed in a wide variety of habitats.
Similar species
Eviota albolineata (Jewett & Lachner, 1983) - Reported from South Pacific: Society Islands, Tuamotu Archipelago and the Line Islands.
Eviota guttata (Lachner & Karnella, 1978) - Reported from Red Sea, Socotra (Yemen), Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, further records are probably based on other species; Western Mascarenes (La Réunion) east to western Indonesia. Records from Pacific Ocean also based on a different species.
Eviota taeiae (Erdmann, Greenfield & Tornabene, 2023) - Reported from Western Pacific: Samoa.
Last update: 23, July 2023