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Accepted by W. Holleman: 20 Dec. 2013; published: 12 Feb. 2014
ZOOTAXA
ISSN 1175-5326 (print edition)
ISSN 1175-5334 (online edition)
Copyright © 2014 Magnolia Press
Zootaxa 3764 (4): 475–481
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http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3764.4.7
http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:64FD374C-969F-41FE-AEBC-03026A4400EE
A new species of Hetereleotris (Perciformes: Gobiidae) from the Red Sea
MARCELO KOVAČIĆ1 & SERGEY V. BOGORODSKY2,3
1Prirodoslovni muzej Rijeka, Lorenzov prolaz 1, HR–51000 Rijeka, Croatia. E-mail: marcelo@prirodoslovni.com
2Station of Naturalists, Omsk, RUSSIA. E-mail: ic187196@yandex.ru.
3Corresponding author
Abstract
A new species of the genus Hetereleotris is described from the Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea, on the basis of two specimens.
Hetereleotris psammophila sp. nov. is unique among the species of the genus Hetereleotris, except for H. diademata, in
lacking scales and head pores. The new species differs from the morphologically similar H. diademata in having fewer
rays in the second dorsal and anal fins, and in coloration. The habitat preference of the new species for open sand area
close to coral reefs in 8–21 m and its nocturnal habits are unusual for species of the genus Hetereleotris.
Key words: Hetereleotris psammophila sp. nov., Gobioidei, Gulf of Aqaba
Introduction
Hetereleotris Bleeker, 1874 is a moderately diverse genus of small-sized (standard length <50 mm), benthic gobies
with cryptic behaviour, distributed in shallow coastal waters in the Indo-West Pacific. The genus was revised by
Hoese (1986), with 13 valid species sharing several characters. The most important character is the synapomorphy
of the first gill slit closed by a membrane from the gill cover to one-half or more of the lower limb of the first gill
arch, although this feature occurs in some other gobioid fishes (Gill & Mooi 2012). Only one species, H. poecila
(Fowler, 1946), extends its distribution from the Indian Ocean east to the West Pacific. Gill (1998) described one
additional species, H. georgegilli, from the western Indian Ocean. Hoese and Larson (2005) included the single
previously described species of the genus Pascua, P. caudilinea Randall, 2005 from Easter Island and two new
species from South Pacific, both morphologically close to P. caudilinea Randall, 2005, in Hetereleotris, and treated
Pascua as junior synonym. Randall (2006) argued that Pascua is a valid genus, adding the two species described
by Hoese and Larson (2005) as Hetereleotris to the genus. Recently a new species, H. exilis, was described from
Japan by Shibukawa (2010). We provisionally follow Randall’s (2006) and Shibukawa’s (2010) opinions on the
validity of Pascua, expecting that more extensive research on this problem is needed to answer this question with
more certainty. Regardless, the generic identity of the material in this paper matches Hetereleotris in both concepts
of generic limits with 15 (Randall 2006) or 18 (Hoese & Larson 2005) described species. Two small individuals of
an unknown gobiid species were photographed and collected by the second author from the Red Sea, Gulf of
Aqaba, Egypt, Dahab, in November 2012. Examination of the material showed that these specimens belong to an
undescribed species of the genus Hetereleotris, which we herein describe.
Material and methods
Morphometric methods mostly follow Gill (1998) for easier species comparison within the genus. The length of the
specimens is presented as standard length + caudal-fin length. Standard length (SL) is measured from the median
anterior point of the upper lip to the base of the caudal fin (posterior end of the hypural plate). Morphometric data
presented are given as percentages of SL. Measurements: head length is taken from the median anterior point of the
snout tip to the fleshy edge of the operculum; eye diameter is the horizontal (greatest) fleshy diameter; head width
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476 · Zootaxa 3764 (4) © 2014 Magnolia Press
and depth are over the posterior margin of the preopercle; body depths are measured at the origin of pelvic fins and
at the anal-fin origin; body width is measured at the origin of pectoral fins; caudal-peduncle depth is the least depth
and caudal-peduncle length the horizontal distance between verticals at the posterior base edge of the last anal-fin
ray base and the base of the caudal fin (posterior end of the hypural plate); preanal, predorsal and prepelvic lengths
were measured from median anterior point of the snout tip to the anterior edge of the first spine base of the relevant
fin; distance between first and second dorsal fin origins was measured between the anterior edges of the first spine
base of each fin; bases of the second dorsal fin and the anal fin are measured at the fleshy insertions of the spine
and the last ray with the body; the length of the third spine in the first dorsal ray and the third from last segmented
rays in the second dorsal and anal fins were measured from the fleshy insertions of the spine/ray to its tip; pectoral-
fin length is the length of the longest ray; pelvic-fin length is measured from the base of the pelvic spine to the tip
of the longest pelvic soft ray; caudal-fin length is the horizontal distance from the base of the fin (posterior end of
the hypural plate) to the posterior tip of the longest ray.In the second dorsal fin and anal fin counts the last bifid ray
is counted as one. Terminology of the lateral-line system follows Sanzo (1911) and Miller (1986).
The specimens for this study are deposited in the Natural History Museum Rijeka; Croatia (PMR). The
paratype, PMR VP3049, was stained in 2% KMnO4 solution for 10 s and 0.3% H2SO4 solution for 20 s for positive
confirmation on complete absence of head canals and scales and for better examination of sensory papillae rows.
Generic identification
The material was assigned to the genus Hetereleotris based on the diagnosis given by Hoese (1986). The following
combination of characters assigned the new species to the genus Hetereleotris among known Gobiidae genera
(Hoese 1986): 1) lower limb of first gill arch joined to gill cover by membrane, 2) first dorsal fin with VI spines, 3)
pelvic fins completely separated and without fraenum (according to Hoese (1986) the character of variable
occurrence only in one species of Hetereleotris, H. zanzibarensis (Smith, 1958)), 3) segmented caudal rays 17, 4)
posterior nostril a short tube (all species of Hetereleotris with posterior nostril a shorter or longer tube, only in H.
zanzibarensis posterior nostril subtubular), 5) suborbital papillae pattern transversal, with four suborbital rows
(four suborbital transversal rows present in all Hetereleotris species with published (described or illustrated)
cephalic sensory system, except for H. georgegilli Gill, 1998, which possesses six suborbital transversal rows (Gill
1998)).
Hetereleotris psammophila sp. nov.
(Figs. 1–3)
Holotype. PMR VP3054, female, 26.9 + 7.3 mm, Red Sea, Gulf of Aqaba, Egypt, Dahab, “Lighthouse”,
28°29’55”N, 34°31’12”E, sand close to reef, 18 m, coll. Bogorodsky, S.V., 23 Nov. 2012.
Paratype. PMR VP3049, female, 26.8 +7.0 mm, Red Sea, Gulf of Aqaba, Egypt, Dahab, “Lighthouse”,
28°29’54”N, 34°31’12”E, sand close to reef, 21 m, coll. Bogorodsky, S.V., 19 Nov. 2012.
Diagnosis. Dorsal-fin rays VI + I,10, no prolonged spines; anal-fin rays I,9; pectoral-fin rays 14 or 15, two
upper rays with short free tips; pelvic-fin rays I,5, fifth ray unbranched or with one bifurcation; pelvic fins
separated and without fraenum; no scales; no head canals; suborbital rows of papillae with 4 transversal rows;
anterior nostril long tube without process from the rim, posterior nostril short tube, about 1/3 length of anterior
nostril; gill opening restricted to pectoral-fin base; transparent in life, with scattered tiny whitish blue and brownish
yellow spots on body aligned in vertical rows, and the vertical dark bar at the caudal-fin base; predorsal area
mottled with brown; head with dark brown bar extending obliquely from eye to upper lip, and three iridescent
bluish blotches on cheek; coloration pattern is mostly lost in preserved material except dark bar at caudal-fin base.
Description. Body moderately elongate, laterally compressed posteriorly, the depth at pelvic-fin origin 16.8–
18.2% SL, at anal-fin origin 16.0–17.5% SL, width at pectoral-fin origin 19.0–20.1% SL. Preanal length 56.1–
58.6% SL, predorsal length 36.2–37.2% SL and prepelvic length 30.1–32.8 % SL. Head length 30.1–31.0% SL,
head moderately depressed (its depth 83.9%–85.2% width), head width 20.1–20.8% SL, head depth 17.2–17.5%
SL. Snout with moderately sloping profile. Anterior nostril tubular, long, extending anteriorly to upper lip, lacking
process from rim. Posterior nostril tubular and short about 1/3 length of anterior nostril. Eyes dorsolateral, eye
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NEW RED SEA HETERE LEOTRIS SP
diameter 9.7–10.1% SL. Interorbital very narrow. No tentacle above eye. Mouth terminal, oblique. Angle of jaws
ending posteriorly below anterior margin of pupil. Rows of pointed teeth in both jaws, outer row the largest. Tip of
tongue bilobed. No mental frenum, surface smooth along midventral from lower lip backwards. Branchiostegal
membranes fused to isthmus, gill openings restricted to pectoral-fin base. Lower limb of first gill arch joined to gill
cover by membrane. No opercular spines. Caudal-peduncle depth 11.9–13.0% SL, caudal-peduncle length 19.4–
20.4% SL.
Fins: first dorsal fin with VI spines, second with I spine and 10 rays; anal fin with I spine and 9 rays; pectoral-
fin rays 14 or 15 (holotype 14/15, paratype 14/14), all rays branched, upper two with short free tips; branched
caudal-fin rays 15, segmented 17; pelvic-fin rays I,5, fins completely separate and without fraenum, 5th ray
unbranched or with one bifurcation. Distance between first and second dorsal fin origins 18.3–18.6% SL; second
dorsal-fin base 28.7–29.4% SL; anal-fin base 22.7–23.9% SL. Spines of first dorsal fin not elongate or filamentous,
fourth to sixth spine of first dorsal fin reaching to origin of second dorsal fin when folded down; length of third
spine in the first dorsal fin 13.0–13.1% SL. Fin membrane from sixth spine of first dorsal fin connected with base
of spine of second dorsal fin. Origin of first dorsal fin behind vertical at pectoral-fin base. Origin of anal fin slightly
posterior to vertical at origin of second dorsal fin (opposite second segmented ray of the second dorsal fin). Length
of third from last segmented ray in second dorsal fin 14.6–15.2% SL, length of third from last segmented ray in
anal fin 13.0–13.1% SL. Pectoral fins extending posteriorly to vertical through origin of anal fin, length 23.1–
24.5% SL. Pelvic fins reaching anus, length 23.8–24.3% SL. Caudal fin rounded, shorter than head, 84.3%–90.1%
head length, 26.1–27.1% SL.
Squamation: no scales.
Cephalic sensory systems (Fig. 3): no head canals or pores. Rows of head sensory papillae (studied on left side
of stained paratype) reduced, with additional individual larger papillae where head canals normally present in other
species. Preorbital: two larger papillae present on each side at middorsal between eyes and posterior nostrils, and
lower row s3 as three longitudinally arranged papillae above upper lip. Lateral series c reduced to two papillae
below posterior nostril; and two papillae behind anterior nostril and above upper lip. Suborbital rows: no row a.
Row b (6) longitudinal, short, anteriorly beginning close to anterior edge of eye and transversal row 4. Four
transverse suborbital rows (1–4) of sensory papillae, row 1 longer, reaching upper lip, rows 2 and 3 shorter, ending
ventrally close to row d, row 4 long, extended below level of row d (1: 7, 2: 4, 3: 6, 4: 10). Row d (4 + 9) above
upper lip, and on the cheek, ending backwards below posterior part of eye, near transversal row c4. Preoperculo-
mandibular rows: external row e (14+15); and internal row i (7+9) longitudinal and uniserial, divided into anterior
and posterior sections; mental row f longitudinal (4). Oculoscapular rows: larger papillae longitudinally arranged
on the position of missing oculoscapular canal: two papillae anteriorly, four papillae forming reverse T shape in the
middle and two papillae posteriorly; anterior upper longitudinal row x1 (4) short and distant from posterior upper
longitudinal row x2 (3); anterior lower transversal row z (5); transversal axillary rows as1 (3), as2 (3), as3 (3)
present; axillary row la1 (2) present above as2; axillary row la2 present as single papilla above and behind row as3.
Opercular rows: two larger papillae transversally arranged on the position of missing preopercular canal; transverse
row ot (13); superior longitudinal row os (6); and inferior longitudinal row oi (5). Anterior dorsal rows: single
papilla behind eye, row n as three transversally arranged papillae, row o absent, row g (4) longitudinal; row m as
single papilla; row h longitudinal, short and divided (3 + 2). Interorbital rows: single larger papillae present on each
side at middorsal between posterior part of eyes.
Colour: in life (Figs. 1A, 2A), transparent, with small brownish yellow and whitish blue spots on body
surface, the spots tending to lie in vertical rows; vertical black bar at caudal-fin base; an internal series of three
large, horizontally-elongate, black blotches alternating with white along vertebral column; back with few irregular
dark brown marks, first two extending onto third and fourth, and sixth dorsal-fin spines, respectively; predorsal
area mottled with dark brown; head with few melanophores, oblique dark brown bar from upper lip to pupil,
continuing faintly on iris dorsoposteriorly, and row of small dark brown spots extending obliquely from eye across
cheek; iridescent whitish blue blotches on cheek, lower opercle and abdomen; red gills visible through thin gill
cover; eyes whitish green, with dark green pupil; the dorsal fins mostly transparent, with scattered whitish and
brown pigments basally and scattered melanophores along margin; anal fin transparent, with a few melanophores
along the ray tips; caudal fin transparent with few melanophores along the fin edges, rays blackish basally; pectoral
fins transparent, except for a brown spot at upper basal part and scattered melanophores on the fin and fin-lobe;
pelvic fins whitish.
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478 · Zootaxa 3764 (4) © 2014 Magnolia Press
FIGURE 1. Hetereleotris psammophila sp. nov. Holotype: PMR VP3054, female, 26.9 + 7.3 mm, Dahab, Egypt, Red Sea. A:
live specimen; B: freshly collected specimen; C: preserved specimen. Photos by S.V. Bogorodsky (A, B), M. Kovačić (C).
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NEW RED SEA HETERE LEOTRIS SP
FIGURE 2. Hetereleotris psammophila sp. nov. Paratype: PMR VP3049, female, 26.8 + 7.0 mm, Dahab, Egypt, Red Sea. A:
live specimen; B: preserved specimen. Photos by S.V. Bogorodsky (A), M. Kovačić (B).
After death (Fig. 1B), specimens lost transparency and body became opaque, retaining surface coloration of
live specimens. Scattered melanophores on membranes and rays on margin of median fins become more obvious.
In alcohol (Figs. 1C, 2B), body opaque white, with rare and reduced presence of melanophores only on the
upper part of the body, mostly anteriorly. Eyes dark, including pupil. Head retains mottled pigmentation of
predorsal area and dark band from upper lip to pupil of eye. Cheek and opercle with a few scattered melanophores.
The dorsal fins transparent, the rare dark pigments still visible on dorsal fins at the base and tips. Anal fin
transparent, with rare melanophores along the fin tips. Caudal fin transparent, with the vertical dark bar at the
caudal-fin base and a few melanophores along the fin edges. Pectoral fins transparent, a few melanophores visible
on the fin-lobe. Pelvic fins transparent to whitish.
Etymology. Named psammophila from the Greek psammos, meaning sand, and phila, meaning loving, in
reference to the sand habitat in which this species was found.
Habitat. Species of the genus Hetereleotris are cryptic shallow-water species, except for H. exilis known from
the depth of 53 m, and usually hidden in reefs or between rocks. Hetereleotris psammophila is active at night; it
was observed on sand bottom close to coral reefs at depth of 18–21 m at the type locality; it was also observed in
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480 · Zootaxa 3764 (4) © 2014 Magnolia Press
Naama Bay, Gulf of Aqaba, at night at depth of 8 m. When disturbed, gobies quickly retreated, not trying to hide or
burrow in the sand.
Remarks. The new species resembles three other species of the genus (H. caminata (Smith, 1958), H. vulgaris
(Klunzinger, 1871) and H. diademata (Rüppell, 1830)) in lacking head and body scales. It further differs from H.
caminata and H. vulgaris by the absence of head pores. Therefore, the new species is unique among the species of
the genus Hetereleotris, except for H. diademata, in the combination of absence of both scales and head canals
(confirmed in the stained paratype). It clearly differs from H. diademata in having fewer soft rays in the second
dorsal and anal fins, and in coloration: second dorsal-fin rays I,10 and anal-fin rays I,9 in H. psammophila vs.
second dorsal-fin rays I,12 and anal-fin rays I,11 in H. diademata; H. psammophila transparent in life with a
scattered tiny white and brownish orange spots on body, with a vertical dark bar at the caudal-fin base, mottled
pigmentation of predorsal area, and three iridescent bluish blotches on cheek vs. H. diademata (Fig. 4) with
intensively pigmented head, body, and fins, and with broad vertical dark bars on body (the bar under the first dorsal
fin darker than other bars), and head with obvious oblique dark bar extending posteroventrally from eye to corner
of preopercle.
Comparative material examined. Hetereleotris diademata: PMR VP2479, 1 female, 27.2 + 7.2 mm,
Hurghada, Egypt, Red Sea, coll. S.V. Bogorodsky, 22 Sep. 2009.
FIGURE 3. Hetereleotris psammophila sp. nov., cephalic sensory papillae: paratype, PMR VP3049, female, 26.8 + 7.0 mm.
Terminology in text. Drawing by M. Kovačić.
FIGURE 4. Hetereleotris diademata, PMR VP2479, 27.2 + 7.2 mm, Hurghada, Egypt, Red Sea. Photo by S.V. Bogorodsky.
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NEW RED SEA HETERE LEOTRIS SP
Acknowledgements
Second author thanks T. Malkerova for her assistance in the organization of trip to the Dahab and F. Krupp for his
help that facilitated field work. Authors are grateful to L. A. Rocha (CAS) for critical review of the article.
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