TRIMMA XANTHUM - (WINTERBOTTOM & HOESE, 2015)
Picture courtesy of: Alain Daoulas
Gobie pygmée jaune-rouge, Yellow-red pygmygoby,
Description
Dorsal spines (total): 7; Dorsal soft rays (total): 10-11 (usually: 10); Anal spine: 1; Anal soft rays: 8-10 (usually: 9); Pectoral fin rays: 18-20 (usually: 18). Pelvic fin rays: I, 5; Lateral ligne scales: 24-25; Transverse scales: 11-12; A species with a raised, fleshy, median longitudinal ridge between the eyes and another anterior to the origin of the first dorsal fin; Head depth greater than most other Trimma, resulting in a pug-like lateral profile somewhat reminiscent of Gobiodon; No scales in the predorsal midline; Lateral body scales irregular, and scales above and below any given scale row tending to encroach between adjacent scales of the given row; Second and third spines longest and reaching to spine of second dorsal fin when adpressed (two specimens had second spine reach base of second to fourth ray of soft dorsal fin, first ray and anterior element of last ray branched; Anal fin, first ray unbranched, anterior element of last ray branched; Pectoral fin, upper: 3 and lower: 2-4 rays unbranched, with 11-14 branched rays in between, fin reaching posteriorly to above urogenital papilla; Pelvic fin, first four rays with 2-3 sequential branches, fifth ray branched once dichotomously and 60-65 % length of fourth (reaching to, or almost to, anterior margin of anus), fourth ray reaching posteriorly to between bases of anal spine and third anal-fin ray; No fraenum; Basal membrane apparently restricted to about: 15-20 % length of fourth ray. Max. length: 2.2 cm SL. Depth range: 10 - 53 m.
Color
Male: anterior of head orange-red, becoming somewhat translucent and grading through orange to yellow posteriorly onto body, interspersed with irregular translucent yellow blotches on caudal peduncle; Region above posterodorsal attachment of opercular membrane darker red; Thin yellow bar along vertical limb of preopercle, another across middle of opercle, and third along posteroventral margin of eye which may then course anteroventrally to distal tip of maxilla; Area of cheek underlain by adductor mandibulae muscle light pink; Five internal, diffuse, vague dark blotches along vertebral column; Dorsal and anal fins hyaline with proximal, half-pupil diameter yellow stripe separated from body by clear area equal in width to stripe, and with melanophores present in distal margins of these fins; Caudal fin with scattered yellow spots and blotches; Other fins hyaline; Iris golden mixed with black pigmentation, inner rim adjacent to pupil a thin red circle.
Female: basically similar, but head brick-red, head posterior to eye densely sprinkled with dark brown chromatophores, which decrease in number posterior to insertion of pectoral fin, yellow bands in dorsal and anal fins better defined, as are thin yellow bars on opercle and cheek.
Etymology
Trimma: from Greek, trimma, -atos = something crushed.
xanthum: from Greek, xanthos = yellow, yellowish-red, orange or golden. Referring to the presence of those colors in freshly collected specimens of the new species.
Original description: Trimma xanthum Winterbottom & Hoese, 2015 - Type locality: drop-off on outer reef edge just South-West of Beagle Pass (18°37'06"S, 178°30'21"E), 12–21 m. 24 Mar. 1983, R. Winterbottom et al.
Distribution
Western Pacific: Palau, east to Marshall Islands and Fiji, south to Great Barrier Reef (Queensland, Australia) and New Caledonia.
Biology
A fairly rarely collected species probably more widely distributed in the western Pacific. Adults inhabit ocean side on reef-top and drop-off on outer reef.
Similar species
Trimma milta (Winterbottom, 2002) - Reported from New Caledonia (Loyalty Islands) - Scales present on dorsal margin of opercle, scale pockets outlined with dark chromatophores, plain yellowish to red-brown in life, iris without strongly contrasting colors in life.
Trimma yanoi (Suzuki & Senou, 2008) - Reporte from Western Pacific: Malaysia east to Philippines, West Papua (Indonesia) and Solomon Islands, north to Ryukyu Islands (Japan) - Second spine of first dorsal fin less elongated, reaching to origin of second dorsal fin; Top of snout without reticulated pattern of melanophores; Dark blotches along spine; Stripe over opercle not continuing anteriorly across base of eye.
Last update: 8, April 2023
Actinopterygii (Gigaclass) > Actinopteri (Class) > Teleostei (Subclass) > Gobiiformes (Order) > Gobioidei (Suborder) > Gobiidae (Family) > Gobiinae (Subfamily) > Trimma (Genus)
Gobie pygmée jaune-rouge, Yellow-red pygmygoby,
Description
Dorsal spines (total): 7; Dorsal soft rays (total): 10-11 (usually: 10); Anal spine: 1; Anal soft rays: 8-10 (usually: 9); Pectoral fin rays: 18-20 (usually: 18). Pelvic fin rays: I, 5; Lateral ligne scales: 24-25; Transverse scales: 11-12; A species with a raised, fleshy, median longitudinal ridge between the eyes and another anterior to the origin of the first dorsal fin; Head depth greater than most other Trimma, resulting in a pug-like lateral profile somewhat reminiscent of Gobiodon; No scales in the predorsal midline; Lateral body scales irregular, and scales above and below any given scale row tending to encroach between adjacent scales of the given row; Second and third spines longest and reaching to spine of second dorsal fin when adpressed (two specimens had second spine reach base of second to fourth ray of soft dorsal fin, first ray and anterior element of last ray branched; Anal fin, first ray unbranched, anterior element of last ray branched; Pectoral fin, upper: 3 and lower: 2-4 rays unbranched, with 11-14 branched rays in between, fin reaching posteriorly to above urogenital papilla; Pelvic fin, first four rays with 2-3 sequential branches, fifth ray branched once dichotomously and 60-65 % length of fourth (reaching to, or almost to, anterior margin of anus), fourth ray reaching posteriorly to between bases of anal spine and third anal-fin ray; No fraenum; Basal membrane apparently restricted to about: 15-20 % length of fourth ray. Max. length: 2.2 cm SL. Depth range: 10 - 53 m.
Color
Male: anterior of head orange-red, becoming somewhat translucent and grading through orange to yellow posteriorly onto body, interspersed with irregular translucent yellow blotches on caudal peduncle; Region above posterodorsal attachment of opercular membrane darker red; Thin yellow bar along vertical limb of preopercle, another across middle of opercle, and third along posteroventral margin of eye which may then course anteroventrally to distal tip of maxilla; Area of cheek underlain by adductor mandibulae muscle light pink; Five internal, diffuse, vague dark blotches along vertebral column; Dorsal and anal fins hyaline with proximal, half-pupil diameter yellow stripe separated from body by clear area equal in width to stripe, and with melanophores present in distal margins of these fins; Caudal fin with scattered yellow spots and blotches; Other fins hyaline; Iris golden mixed with black pigmentation, inner rim adjacent to pupil a thin red circle.
Female: basically similar, but head brick-red, head posterior to eye densely sprinkled with dark brown chromatophores, which decrease in number posterior to insertion of pectoral fin, yellow bands in dorsal and anal fins better defined, as are thin yellow bars on opercle and cheek.
Etymology
Trimma: from Greek, trimma, -atos = something crushed.
xanthum: from Greek, xanthos = yellow, yellowish-red, orange or golden. Referring to the presence of those colors in freshly collected specimens of the new species.
Original description: Trimma xanthum Winterbottom & Hoese, 2015 - Type locality: drop-off on outer reef edge just South-West of Beagle Pass (18°37'06"S, 178°30'21"E), 12–21 m. 24 Mar. 1983, R. Winterbottom et al.
Distribution
Western Pacific: Palau, east to Marshall Islands and Fiji, south to Great Barrier Reef (Queensland, Australia) and New Caledonia.
Biology
A fairly rarely collected species probably more widely distributed in the western Pacific. Adults inhabit ocean side on reef-top and drop-off on outer reef.
Similar species
Trimma milta (Winterbottom, 2002) - Reported from New Caledonia (Loyalty Islands) - Scales present on dorsal margin of opercle, scale pockets outlined with dark chromatophores, plain yellowish to red-brown in life, iris without strongly contrasting colors in life.
Trimma yanoi (Suzuki & Senou, 2008) - Reporte from Western Pacific: Malaysia east to Philippines, West Papua (Indonesia) and Solomon Islands, north to Ryukyu Islands (Japan) - Second spine of first dorsal fin less elongated, reaching to origin of second dorsal fin; Top of snout without reticulated pattern of melanophores; Dark blotches along spine; Stripe over opercle not continuing anteriorly across base of eye.
Last update: 8, April 2023