PTERELEOTRIS ZEBRA - (FOWLER, 1938)
Picture courtesy of: Alain Daoulas
Poisson-fléchette zébré, Zebra dartfish, Chinese zebra goby, Zebra dartgoby, Zebra hovergoby, Zebra goby, Zebra-torpedogrundel, Zeburahaze, ゼブラハゼ, 斑馬鰕虎, 条纹多髭鰕虎鱼,
Synonyme
Pogonoculius zebra (Fowler, 1938)
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Description
Dorsal spines (total): 7; Dorsal soft rays (total): 27-29; Anal spine: 1; Anal soft rays: 25-28; Pectoral fin rays: 23-26; Body depth: 4.8-60 in standard length; Vertebrae: 26; A well-developed fleshy barbel on chin (absent from other species of the genus herein); Second dorsal fin higher than first; Caudal fin slightly emarginate. Max. length: 12.0 cm SL. Depth range: 2 - 31 m, usually: 2 - 4 m.
Color
Yellowish to greenish gray in color with about 20 narrow orange to pink bars edged with blue or purple on body; Lower half of eye to ventral of chin nearly enclosed by a broad blue-edged dark red to purple area; Opercle with two diagonal bright blue bands; Pectoral fin base with an orange-red bar broadly bordered with bright blue. Chin barbel followed by a median longitudinal fold. Fins yellowish; Second dorsal a median longitudinal row of blue spots.
Etymology
Ptereleotris: from Greek, pteron = wing, fin + the Greek name of a fish, eleōtris, found in the swampy waters of the Nile (Egypt); From the Greek, eleios = who lives in the marshes. The name Eleotris appears for the first time in Déipnosophistes, a compilation of anecdotes and quotations from ancient authors, written by a scholar and grammarian Greek, Athenaeus of Naucratis (about 170-223 AD). In 1763, the Dutch naturalist and collector Laurentius Theodorus Gronovius (1730-1777) used this name to designate a new genus of fish. The authorship of the genre escapes him because his work was rejected by the scientific community of the time. The genre should have returned to the doctor, entomologist and naturalist of Italian culture, Giovanni Antonio Scopoli (1723-1788) but the late recognition of his work made him lose the authorship of the name. Today the genus, Eleotris, is attributed to Bloch & Schneider, 1801.
zebra: from new Latin, zebra = zebra-stripped. Referring to its zebra-like striped appearance.
Original description: Pogonoculius zebra Fowler, 1938 - Type locality: Dasol Bay, Luzon Island, Pangasinan Province, Philippines, South China Sea, western Pacific.
Distribution
Red Sea, Indo-West Pacific: East Africa, Mozambique Channel, Seychelles and western Mascarenes east to Line Islands and Marquesas Islands, north to southern Japan and Ogasawara Islands, south to New South Wales (Australia), New Caledonia and Lord Howe Island.
Biology
This schooling species inhabits exposed seaward reefs in relatively shallow water, over hard bottoms. Usually many individuals occupy the same refuge. Found to be subjected to strong currents, where in small to large aggregations. Feeds on zooplanktons. Aquarium fish.
Last update: 17, June 2022
Synonyme
Pogonoculius zebra (Fowler, 1938)
------------------------
Description
Dorsal spines (total): 7; Dorsal soft rays (total): 27-29; Anal spine: 1; Anal soft rays: 25-28; Pectoral fin rays: 23-26; Body depth: 4.8-60 in standard length; Vertebrae: 26; A well-developed fleshy barbel on chin (absent from other species of the genus herein); Second dorsal fin higher than first; Caudal fin slightly emarginate. Max. length: 12.0 cm SL. Depth range: 2 - 31 m, usually: 2 - 4 m.
Color
Yellowish to greenish gray in color with about 20 narrow orange to pink bars edged with blue or purple on body; Lower half of eye to ventral of chin nearly enclosed by a broad blue-edged dark red to purple area; Opercle with two diagonal bright blue bands; Pectoral fin base with an orange-red bar broadly bordered with bright blue. Chin barbel followed by a median longitudinal fold. Fins yellowish; Second dorsal a median longitudinal row of blue spots.
Etymology
Ptereleotris: from Greek, pteron = wing, fin + the Greek name of a fish, eleōtris, found in the swampy waters of the Nile (Egypt); From the Greek, eleios = who lives in the marshes. The name Eleotris appears for the first time in Déipnosophistes, a compilation of anecdotes and quotations from ancient authors, written by a scholar and grammarian Greek, Athenaeus of Naucratis (about 170-223 AD). In 1763, the Dutch naturalist and collector Laurentius Theodorus Gronovius (1730-1777) used this name to designate a new genus of fish. The authorship of the genre escapes him because his work was rejected by the scientific community of the time. The genre should have returned to the doctor, entomologist and naturalist of Italian culture, Giovanni Antonio Scopoli (1723-1788) but the late recognition of his work made him lose the authorship of the name. Today the genus, Eleotris, is attributed to Bloch & Schneider, 1801.
zebra: from new Latin, zebra = zebra-stripped. Referring to its zebra-like striped appearance.
Original description: Pogonoculius zebra Fowler, 1938 - Type locality: Dasol Bay, Luzon Island, Pangasinan Province, Philippines, South China Sea, western Pacific.
Distribution
Red Sea, Indo-West Pacific: East Africa, Mozambique Channel, Seychelles and western Mascarenes east to Line Islands and Marquesas Islands, north to southern Japan and Ogasawara Islands, south to New South Wales (Australia), New Caledonia and Lord Howe Island.
Biology
This schooling species inhabits exposed seaward reefs in relatively shallow water, over hard bottoms. Usually many individuals occupy the same refuge. Found to be subjected to strong currents, where in small to large aggregations. Feeds on zooplanktons. Aquarium fish.
Last update: 17, June 2022