Muraenichthys velinasalis Hibino & Kimura, 2015, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Hibino, Yusuke
name: Kimura, Seishi
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2015
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Actinopterygii
Anguilliformes
Ophichthidae
Muraenichthys
Muraenichthys velinasalis

description: Muraenichthys velinasalis sp. nov.
New English name: Curtain-nose Worm Eel Figs. 2 b, 3f, 4, 5a, b, c; Tables 1, 2
Holotype. USNM 313976, 281.0 mm TL, sex female, Bay between Ken-Ting and Ta-Yuan Shan, Taiwan, 21°55'30"N, 120°48'00"E, depth 5–8 m, 1 Mar. 1968, coll. V. G. Springer et al.
Paratypes. Four specimens, 97.9–158.3 mm TL. AMS I.17472-073, 97.9 mm TL, Malapoa Peninsula, Efate Island, Vanuatu, 17°44'S, 168°17'E, depth 10 m, 22 Jun. 1973, coll. G. R. Allen; AMS I.20463-060, 158.3 mm TL, Tree Island, Queensland, Australia, 23°30'S, 152°05'E, pool face of reef, depth 1 m, 5 Oct. 1972, coll. AMS Party; ANSP 124398, 139.5 mm TL, Korali Pattu; Kalkudah Bay, Sri Lanka, rock outcrop with some coral growth, surrounded by sand, 9 June 1970, coll. T. Iwamoto; USNM 396145, 123.8 mm TL, Coron Island, Calamian Islands, Philippines, 11°48'58"N, 120°15'11"E, outer reef drop off with rock and coral wall to sand and rubble at base, depth 15–31 m, 7 Mar. 2003, coll. J. T. Williams et al.
Diagnosis. A species of Muraenichthys with the following combination of characters: head 12–14% TL, tail 57–61% TL; dorsal-fin origin slightly posterior to a vertical through mid-anus, horizontal distance from the vertical to the origin1.0–19% HL; posterior nostril opening above lip but concealed by a large flap; teeth relatively robust, their tips weakly pointed; teeth on jaws irregularly two rows anteriorly and one row posteriorly, vomer two rows; predorsal vertebrae 44–53, preanal 44–51 and total 136–139; MVF 48-47-138.
Description. Counts and measurements are shown in Table 2. Body elongate, subcylindrical, tapered and laterally compressed posteriorly; head relatively large, preanal length shorter than tail (Fig. 4). Snout relatively blunt, length more than twice eye diameter; mouth inferior, distance between tip of snout and tip of lower jaw almost equal to eye diameter; no median groove ventrally on snout; anterior nostril tubular, its length slightly shorter than eye diameter, its opening with a very small flap; inner hole of posterior nostril above upper lip, covered by a broad dermal flap with a prominent projected flap anteriorly; eyes large, covered by a transparent skin, located anterior to mid-jaw; lips smooth, without additional grooves or papillae; mouth large, corner of rictus well behind posterior margin of eye; teeth subconical, robust, their tips weakly pointed (Fig. 3 f); maxillary teeth irregular ly biserial anteriorly but uniserial posteriorly (Fig. 5 b); vomerine teeth biserially; intermaxillary teeth usually continuous with vomerine teeth, arranged semicircular; mandible teeth biserial anteriorly and uniserial posteriorly (Fig. 5 c); arrangement of sensory pores on head as follows (Fig. 5 a): one + four supraorbital, three + two infraorbital (one between anterior and posterior nostrils), six + three preoperculomandibular, and two supratemporal; a single interorbital and median supratemporal pores; lateral line behind a level of anus but not reaching to mid-tail; interorbital region flat without a distinct groove; gill opening located ventrolateral, constricted. Dorsal and anal fins low, their height less than half of eye diameter, confluent with caudal; dorsal-fin origin located slightly posterior to a level of anus; caudal fin rounded and extremely short; pectoral fins absent.
Color in preserved condition. Head and body pale brown to dark brown. Fins pale brown (Fig. 4).
Distribution and ecological note. Known from Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Philippines, northeastern Australia and Vanuatu; estimated tow idespread in the Indo-Pacific Ocean. A shallow water species (1–31 m depth), found in tidepools or around coral reefs.
Etymology. The scientific name is derived from the Latin meaning “veiled nostril”, in reference to the posterior nostril concealed by a large flap.
Remarks. Although the shape of posterior nostril in M. velinasalis sp. nov. is unique, being one of the diagnostic characters, the location of an inner hole and the presence of a short projected flap on the anterior corner of the posterior nostril are shared with other congeners (Fig. 2 a, b).The new species possesses the above-mentioned diagnostic characters of the genus Muraenichthys. Muraenichthys velinasalis resembles M. philippinensis and Muraenichthys schultzei Bleeker 1857 in the position of its dorsal-fin origin which is behind a vertical through mid-anus (all other congeners have the origin anterior to a vertical through mid-anus). However, the former species can be easily distinguished from the latter two species by the shape of its posterior nostril, as mentioned above, and by the shape of teeth on the innermost row of the upper jaw (relatively robust and slightly pointed vs. slender and pointed), as the arrangement of upper-jaw teeth (irregularly biserial anteriorly and uniserial posteriorly vs. completely uniserial in M. philippinensis, biserialor triserial in M. schultzei), and its more numerous or fewer preanaland total vertebrae (44–51 vs. 59–60 in M. philippinensis, 42–47 in M. schultzei; 136–139 vs. 128–130 in M. philippinensis, 119–128 in M.schultzei).
Comparative materials. Glenoglossa wassi McCosker 1982: CAS 47049 (holotype), 150.0 mm TL, Tutuila Island, American Samoa. Muraenichthys gymnopterus: RMNH. PISC. 7165 (holotype), 223.0 mm TL, Java, Indonesia; BMNH 1867.11.28.301 (Bleeker specimen), 325.0 mm TL,?Java. Indonesia; USNM 243005, 222.0 mm TL, Batanta Island, Indonesia. Muraenichthys hattae: SU 6473 (holotype), 331.0 mm TL, Wakaura, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan; FRLM 34541, 303.9+ mm, Owase, Mie Prefecture, Japan (cleared and stained); OMNH-P 38345, 329 mm TL, Osaka Bay, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. Muraenichthys philippinensis: USNM 134951 (holotype), 89.0 mm TL, Badian Island, Philippines; USNM 134952 (paratype), 115 mm TL, Luzon Island, Philippines. Muraenichthys schultzei: BMNH 1867.11.28.331 (holotype), 94.0 mm TL, Batavia, Java Island, Indonesia; SU 26840, two specimens, 97.7–103.8 mm TL, Dumaguete, Negros Island, Philippines; SU 26841, three specimens, 54.8–128.0 mm TL, Dumaguete, Negros Island, Philippines; SU 29750, 115 mm TL, Dumaguete, Negros Island, Philippines; SU 33650, two specimens, 42.8–51.5 mm TL, Nasugbu, Luzon Island, Philippines; SU 38865, 149.0 mm TL, Dumaguete, Negros Island, Philippines; USNM 343393, two specimens, 98.5–110.8 mm TL, Guimaras, Philippines; USNM 343989, 80.3 mm TL, Iloilo, Panay Island, Philippines; USNM 378716, Buyallao Island, southeastern Mindoro Island, Philippines, 99.8 mm TL. Muraenichthys sibogae: ZMA. PISC.112.669 (one of four syntypes), 107.0 mm TL, Timor Island, Indonesia. Muraenichthys thompsoni Jordan & Richardson 1908: SU 20201 (holotype), 96.0 mm TL, Luzon Island, Philippines; NMMB-P 17508, 174.8 mm TL, Dong-gang, Taiwan; HUMZ 198661, 179.5 mm TL, Panay Island, Philippines. Schultzidia johnstonensis (Schultz & Woods 1949): USNM 141268 (holotype), 141.2 mm TL, Johnston Island. Scolecenchelys aoki (Jordan & Snyder 1901): FRLM 45698, 318.0 mm TL, Shima, Mie Prefecture, Japan. Scolecenchelys laticaudata (Ogilby 1897): AMS I.20463-033, one of three, 349.5 mm TL, One Tree Island, Queensland, Australia. Skythrenchelys macrostoma: BMNH 1867.11.28.313 (holotype), 223.0 mm TL, Ambon Island, Indonesia; BPBM 29320 (holotype of Skythrenchelys lentiginosa Castle & McCosker 1999), 163.1 mm TL, the Red Sea, Port Sudan Harbor. Skythrenchelys zabra Castle & McCosker 1999: BPBM 38404 (paratype), 185.0 mm TL, Cobourg Peninsula, Northern Territory, Australia; CAS 51992, 136.5 mm TL, Negros Island, Philippines.
description: Published as part of Hibino, Yusuke & Kimura, Seishi, 2015, A new species of Muraenichthys (Anguilliformes: Ophichthidae) from the Indo- Pacific, with revised generic diagnosis in Zootaxa 4060 (1), DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4060.1.10, http://zenodo.org/record/244050