TRIMMA READERAE - (WINTERBOTTOM & HOESE, 2015)
Picture courtesy of: Alain Daoulas
Red-spotted pygmygoby, Reader's pygmygoby,
-------------------------
Description
Dorsal spines (total): 7; Dorsal soft rays (total): 8-10 (usually: 9); Anal spine: 1; Anal soft rays: 7-9 (usually: 8); Pectoral fin rays: 18-19. Pelvic fin rays: 1 + 5; Caudal fin rays: 17; Lateral line scales: 22-25 (usually: 23-24); Transverse scales: 6-8 (usually: 7). Dorsal second spine longest, often elongated into filament (reaching first segmented rays in juveniles and well beyond end of second dorsal fin in some large males, in some females first spine also filamentous and longest; First ray of second dorsal fin usually branched in specimens above 14 mm SL and unbranched in smaller specimens; Anterior element of last ray branched; Anal fin, first ray usually branched, anterior element of last ray branched; Pectoral fins, upper 5-8 rays unbranched, central 5-12 rays branched and lower 3-6 rays unbranched; Pectoral fin reaching just posteriorly to a vertical in line from urogenital papilla to about second segmented ray of anal fin; Pelvic fins widely separate with very low interradial connecting membrane, covered by a median scale, distance between bases of fins slightly less than base of each pelvic fin; First four rays with one sequential branch, fifth ray usually unbranched, 50-80% length of fourth ray, which reaches posteriorly to below point between first and third anal rays. Fish with a moderately deep interorbital trench in adults, a shallow groove behind the upper half of the eye in adults, largely disappearing below the papilla at the posterodorsal margin of the eye; Predorsal almost completely covered with ctenoid scales, with 3-6 rows crossing the midline anteriorly to just behind the interorbital trench, anterior-most scale on the midline just behind a small naked patch posterior to the eyes, scale not larger than the second scale on the midline; Opercle and preopercle naked. Max. length: 2.6 cm SL (male); 2.3 cm SL (female). Depth range: 3-40 m.
Dorsal spines (total): 7; Dorsal soft rays (total): 8-10 (usually: 9); Anal spine: 1; Anal soft rays: 7-9 (usually: 8); Pectoral fin rays: 18-19. Pelvic fin rays: 1 + 5; Caudal fin rays: 17; Lateral line scales: 22-25 (usually: 23-24); Transverse scales: 6-8 (usually: 7). Dorsal second spine longest, often elongated into filament (reaching first segmented rays in juveniles and well beyond end of second dorsal fin in some large males, in some females first spine also filamentous and longest; First ray of second dorsal fin usually branched in specimens above 14 mm SL and unbranched in smaller specimens; Anterior element of last ray branched; Anal fin, first ray usually branched, anterior element of last ray branched; Pectoral fins, upper 5-8 rays unbranched, central 5-12 rays branched and lower 3-6 rays unbranched; Pectoral fin reaching just posteriorly to a vertical in line from urogenital papilla to about second segmented ray of anal fin; Pelvic fins widely separate with very low interradial connecting membrane, covered by a median scale, distance between bases of fins slightly less than base of each pelvic fin; First four rays with one sequential branch, fifth ray usually unbranched, 50-80% length of fourth ray, which reaches posteriorly to below point between first and third anal rays. Fish with a moderately deep interorbital trench in adults, a shallow groove behind the upper half of the eye in adults, largely disappearing below the papilla at the posterodorsal margin of the eye; Predorsal almost completely covered with ctenoid scales, with 3-6 rows crossing the midline anteriorly to just behind the interorbital trench, anterior-most scale on the midline just behind a small naked patch posterior to the eyes, scale not larger than the second scale on the midline; Opercle and preopercle naked. Max. length: 2.6 cm SL (male); 2.3 cm SL (female). Depth range: 3-40 m.
Color
Head and body with numerous orange to yellow-orange or reddish-orange spots with interspaces grey to bluish grey, except ventrally on body where interspaces whitish. Short orange bar extending from anterior margin of eye below nostrils to upper lip and along dorsal margin of upper lip; Followed by elongate orange spot or bar extending to just behind posterior end of jaws; Two round orange spots below middle of eye; Followed by similar sized spots near end of preopercle; Upper preopercle with oval orange spot extending onto upper opercle, followed posteriorly by oval spots extending from upper part of opercle onto nape; Pale orange vertically elongate spot ventrally on opercle; Two large round reddish spots ventrally on branchiostegal membranes below opercle and preopercle, spot below opercle with thin dorsal projection onto posterior end of opercle; Pectoral-fin base with two large round orange spots; Nape with large orange spots, some connected across nape forming bars; Orange to reddish-orange spots on body round anteriorly, but becoming smaller and vertically elongate posteriorly and ventrally, spots forming 3-5 horizontal rows on caudal peduncle; Dorsal and anal fins with large spots of similar coloration to body spots, with largest spots near base of fin, followed by 3-4 rows of smaller spots distally; Pectoral fin whitish; Pelvic fin clear to grey, with orange pigment near base of fins; Caudal fin with 4-6 rows of smaller spots of similar coloration to body spots; Pectoral fin base with upper and lower orange to yellow-orange or reddish-orange spot, with central spot extending onto bases of pectoral-fin rays.
Etymology
Trimma: from Greek, trimma, -atos = something crushed.
readerae: named for Sally Reader, of the Australian Museum, in appreciation of the many years she has spent painstakingly gathering, analyzing and documenting data on Trimma for DFH’s research program.
Original description: Trimma readerae Winterbottom & Hoese, 2015 - Type locality: Yonge Reef, Queensland, (14°37'S, 145°38'E), Australia.
Distribution
Western Pacific: Queensland (Australia), New Guinea, Solomon islands, New Caledonia and Kiribati.
Biology
From mid to outer reefs on the Great Barrier Reef, and inshore reefs of Western Australia, but rarely from the Coral Sea and Timor Sea. On the outer reefs Trimma readerae seems to prefer back reef leeward areas.
Head and body with numerous orange to yellow-orange or reddish-orange spots with interspaces grey to bluish grey, except ventrally on body where interspaces whitish. Short orange bar extending from anterior margin of eye below nostrils to upper lip and along dorsal margin of upper lip; Followed by elongate orange spot or bar extending to just behind posterior end of jaws; Two round orange spots below middle of eye; Followed by similar sized spots near end of preopercle; Upper preopercle with oval orange spot extending onto upper opercle, followed posteriorly by oval spots extending from upper part of opercle onto nape; Pale orange vertically elongate spot ventrally on opercle; Two large round reddish spots ventrally on branchiostegal membranes below opercle and preopercle, spot below opercle with thin dorsal projection onto posterior end of opercle; Pectoral-fin base with two large round orange spots; Nape with large orange spots, some connected across nape forming bars; Orange to reddish-orange spots on body round anteriorly, but becoming smaller and vertically elongate posteriorly and ventrally, spots forming 3-5 horizontal rows on caudal peduncle; Dorsal and anal fins with large spots of similar coloration to body spots, with largest spots near base of fin, followed by 3-4 rows of smaller spots distally; Pectoral fin whitish; Pelvic fin clear to grey, with orange pigment near base of fins; Caudal fin with 4-6 rows of smaller spots of similar coloration to body spots; Pectoral fin base with upper and lower orange to yellow-orange or reddish-orange spot, with central spot extending onto bases of pectoral-fin rays.
Etymology
Trimma: from Greek, trimma, -atos = something crushed.
readerae: named for Sally Reader, of the Australian Museum, in appreciation of the many years she has spent painstakingly gathering, analyzing and documenting data on Trimma for DFH’s research program.
Original description: Trimma readerae Winterbottom & Hoese, 2015 - Type locality: Yonge Reef, Queensland, (14°37'S, 145°38'E), Australia.
Distribution
Western Pacific: Queensland (Australia), New Guinea, Solomon islands, New Caledonia and Kiribati.
Biology
From mid to outer reefs on the Great Barrier Reef, and inshore reefs of Western Australia, but rarely from the Coral Sea and Timor Sea. On the outer reefs Trimma readerae seems to prefer back reef leeward areas.
Similar species
- Trimma flammeum (Smith, 1959) - Reported from Red Sea, Indian Ocean: East Africa, Madagascar, Seychelles, Maldives and Chagos Archipelago east to Andaman Islands.
- Trimma macrophthalmum (Tomiyama, 1936) - Reported from western Pacific: Christmas and Cocos (Keeling) islands east to Phoenix Islands, Fiji and Samoa, north to Japan, south to Great Barrier Reef (Queensland, Australia). Fish with two large red spots on the pectoral-fin base.
- Trimma necopinum (Whitley, 1959) - Reported from Southwestern Pacific: Cape York, Queensland south to Sydney, New South Wales (Australia). Trimma necopinum differs from other fishes in having the spots on the head elongate and sloping upward posteriorly (especially the oblique short bars on the cheek below the posteroventral margin of the eye and the one on midregion of the operculum).
- Trimma okinawae (Aoyagi, 1949) - Reported from New Caledonia - Link to the species (here). Cheek below posterior half of pupil with light, vertical bar, second spine of first dorsal fin not elongated (only reaching as far as base of second dorsal fin ray).
- Trimma ukkriti (Winterbottom, 2021) - Reported from north-eastern Indian Ocean: western Thailand.