Foa leisi Fraser & Randall, 2011, new species
Creators: name: Fraser, Thomas H.
name: Randall, John E.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2011
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Actinopterygii
Perciformes
Apogonidae
Foa
Foa leisi

description: Foa leisi new species
Figures 9–10, 14–15, tables 1–4
Material examined. Holotype: AMS I.34514.002, 32.2 mm SL, 40.4 mm TL, French Polynesia, Tuamotu Archipelago, Taiaro Atoll, lagoon, 600 m NE of house, - 15.2400°S - 144.64500°W, B. Goldman, 15–18 m, 17 Feb 1994. Paratypes: French Polynesia: AMS I.34514.016, (4, 28-36), same data as holotype. AMS I.34517.008, (2, 30-30), Rangiroa Atoll, lagoon, 5 km S of EVAAM Station, B. Goldman, 28–30 m, 24 Feb 1994. Society Islands: BPBM 6195, (2, 25-27), Moorea, Papetoai Bay, found in pen shell, J.E. Randall, 18 m, 15 Sep 1967, color, black & white, larger. CAS 83094 Huahine Iti, outside Teapaa Pass, GVF 1358, 0–2 m, 2 Aug 1957. Rapa: AMNH 72820, (10, 12-38), Haurei Bay at Kutuni Point, CLS-70-34, 15 Apr 1970. AMNH 72824, (7, 14-40), Haurei Bay, 400 m east of Tapui I., CLS-70-21, 12 Apr 1970. USNM 378166 (1, 21), Haurei Bay near Isle Tapui, 27.605°S 144.344°E, JTW 2002-53, 22 Nov 2002 1-1.5m. USNM 379655 (2, 35-46), upper end of Haurei Bay just inside mouth of River Eke, 27.6006°S 144.347°E, JTW 2002-54, 0.5 m, 22 Nov 2002, x-ray. USNM 379712 (2, 36-37), Haurei Bay, on N. side of channel, 27.6111°S 144.319°E, JTW 2002-49, 1– 5 m, 19 Nov 2002, x-ray.
Other material. Austral Islands, Rapa: AMNH 51711, (3, 16-21), Haurei Bay at Pointe Kutuni, CLS-70-36, 15 Apr 1970. AMNH 72821, (12, 13-21), Haurei Bay at Kutuni Point, CLS-70-35, 15 Apr 1970. AMNH 72822, (11, 15-23), Haurei Bay at Tepaihutautau Point, CLS-70-22, 12 Apr 1970. AMNH 72825, (2, 17-17), flat west of Maomao Point, CLS-70-31, 14 Apr 1970.
Diagnosis. Pored lateral-line scales usually 6–9; gill rakers and rudiments usually 14–16; body scale margins uniform to narrow dark edged; body mottled brown with two or three faint dark bars, first below posterior part of first dorsal fin, second below mid-second dorsal fin, and third on anterior caudal peduncle; no spot on axil of pectoral fin; three whitish basicaudal spots; no white spot behind posterior base of soft dorsal fin; second dorsal fin, anal fin and caudal fin pale with faint reddish banding.
Description. Range of proportions as percent of standard length in Table 1. The holotype is externally described except as noted and variation of paratypes is given in Tables 2–4. Internal characteristics are described from radiographs of four paratypes. One paratype was used to describe the free neuromasts on the head.
Dorsal fin IX spines as VII(I)-I,9, third spine longest and strongest, sixth radial free in advance of hidden nubbin representing eighth spine; anal fin II,8; pectoral-fin-rays 12; pelvic fin I,5; principal caudal rays 1-8+7+1; lateral-line scales 22 with 9 pored and 13 partial pores and pits (Table 4); transverse scale rows above lateral line 1; transverse scale rows below lateral line 4; median predorsal scales 4; circumpeduncular scale rows 12 as 5+2+5; gill rakers + rudiments 14 (Table 3), well- developed rakers 8, upper arch with 2 rudiments and 1 raker, lower arch with 7 rakers and 4 rudiments; second arch with rudiments on hypobranchial and ceratobranchial with one raker at angle.
Villiform teeth in a band on the premaxilla and dentary; 2–3 rows on vomer; 2 rows on the palatine; none on ectopterygoid, endopterygoid or basihyal.
Vertebrae 10+14; five free hypurals; one pair of short, slender uroneurals; three epurals, the first two expanded; a free parhypural; three supraneurals, no procumbent spines (spurs); two supernumerary spines on first dorsal pterygiophore, no procumbent spines (spurs); basisphenoid reduced to upper portion (meningost); supramaxilla thin; posttemporal smooth on posterior margin; preopercle smooth on vertical edge, horizontal portion narrow, crenulate and unossified, ridge smooth; infraorbitals smooth, infraorbital shelf present on third bone; interhaemal gap with 1+4 or 2+4.
Peripheral ctenoid scales on cheek, subopercle, opercle, isthmus, nape, predorsal, base of pectoral fin, behind pectoral fin and on body; two large scales on base of pelvic fin, cycloid (smaller fish) or becoming ctenoid (larger fish), posterior scale elongate; no axillary scale; pored lateral-line scales short, fourth scale with one pore above and one below main canal, remaining lateral-line scales pitted to base of caudal fin; last few scale rows on caudal fin ctenoid; a single row of detached cteni with a few truncated cteni.
Head of paratype with small pores; anterior end of supra-orbital canal as a broad slit pore back from edge of snout, one large pore over eye, lachrymal with large anterior pore near flat posterior nare opening, two large ventral slit pores along edge of lachrymal, a few other infraorbital pores (Fig. 10); preopercle with seven pores along edge; anterior portion of dentary with anterior and mental pores, posterior with articular pore, about 16 intermediate pores; supratemporal canal with four large pores from snout over head, posterior canals over scales with pores not far onto nape or predorsal scales.
Free neuromasts on snout, interorbit and temporal areas in (Fig. 10 A), a split line becoming one line of neuromasts from snout interrupted over eye, offset, not overlapping, continuing onto side of head below posttemporal, short lines generally perpendicular to long lines, short medial lines associated with commissure region, two supratemporal rows of neuromasts; several rows of neuromasts between nares and anterior infraorbital oriented horizontally and vertically; a long linear line of neuromasts from first infraorbital (lachrymal) past posterior corner of maxilla dividing on to lower cheek horizontally as well as downward, short lines of neuromasts radiate from ventral and posterior edge of eye (Fig. 10 B); three rows of neuromasts on anterior third of dentary grading posteriorly to one row near edge of articular pore (Fig. 10 C), gular free neuromasts mostly missing; preopercle with single long vertical line of neuromasts on upper arm from posterior part of lower arm (10B), preopercle flap (horizontal arm) with short vertical and horizontal rows; opercle with a long vertical row near preopercular edge; pored lateral line scales with single lines similar to those in Fig. 4; pit scales missing lines except for last two scales; caudal fin rays of all specimens with incomplete rows of free neuromasts, between them five lines on lower rays and six lines on upper rays; incomplete information available for other free neuromast patterns.
‡ holotype, other material; † lectotype, no paralectotype, other material; * holotype, paratypes.
Life colors. Unknown.
Post mortem and preserved color pattern. Figures 9 A, Holotype, preserved with a tan ground color for head and body with darker markings and spots; head with dark cheek mark narrow below eye becoming broad behind maxilla, short narrow mark behind eye, broad mark behind eye upward to near origin of lateral line; diffuse dark spot on opercle; scattered groups of melanophores as spots on body and caudal peduncle; dusky basicaudal mark irregular posteriorly; first dorsal fin dusky to translucent; second dorsal fin dusky near base, translucent distally; pelvic fin dusky on line from mid-inner ray to tip of spine; anal and caudal fins mostly translucent. Juveniles with a faint caudal peduncle bar just posterior to end of second dorsal fin, a faint body bar below the anterior base of the second dorsal fin, indistinct bar below first dorsal fin. Figure 9 B post mortem paratype light olivaceous, the scales slightly dark-edged, darker over head and abdomen; three faint bars on body, one under each dorsal fin and one anteriorly on caudal peduncle; head and abdomen with scattered dark-edged whitish spots of variable size, the head partly silvery over cheek and operculum; iris orange-yellow; three small white spots at base of caudal fin; first dorsal fin olivaceous over first three spines and membranes, progressively paler posteriorly; remaining median fins transparent with reddish rays.
Etymology. The species leisi is named in honor of Jeffrey M. Leis, Australian Museum, Sydney, Australia who had led larval fish research in atolls in French Polynesia (Leis et al., 2003), showing that Foa and other reef fishes can complete their development within lagoons.
Distribution. Known only from French Polynesia (Fig. 14).
Remarks. This species has been collected from near surface to 18 m in lagoons, bays and near mouths of small tidal streams. One specimen was collected in a pen shell, Atrina pectinta. All other material has been collected with rotenone without identifying cryptic associations/locations during the day. All of the specimens reported as Foa fo from Rapa by Randall et al., (1990) are this new species.
Species Number of Gill Rakers and Rudiments
12 13 14 15 16 Total brachygramma 5 14 5 24 fo 2 10 23 8 2 45 leisi 11 5 1 17 nivosa 1 12 3 16 Species Pored Scales
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Total brachygramma 8 5 13 fo 7 9 7 10 4 - 1 38 leisi 1 1 5 8 15 nivosa 1 - 1 4 8 14
description: Published as part of Fraser, Thomas H. & Randall, John E., 2011, Two new species of Foa (Apogonidae) from the Pacific Plate, with redescriptions of Foa brachygramma and Foa fo, pp. 1-27 in Zootaxa 2988 on pages 15-20, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.278368