Malacoctenus lianae Carvalho-Filho, Almeida, Britto, Dias & Lima 2020, sp. n.
Creators: name: Carvalho-Filho, Alfredo
name: Sazima, Ivan
name: Lima, Sergio Maia Queiroz
name: Almeida, Daniel
name: Mendes, Liana
name: Dias, Ricardo Marques
name: Britto, Marcelo R.
name: Gasparini, João Luiz
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2020
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Actinopterygii
Perciformes
Labrisomidae
Malacoctenus
Malacoctenus lianae

description: Malacoctenus lianae Carvalho-Filho, Almeida, Britto, Dias & Lima sp. n.
Proposed English Name: Noronha Scaly Blenny
Proposed Portuguese (Brazilian) Name: Macaquinho de Noronha
(Figures 1–2, Table 1)
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 87ABE0E8-5A91-4988-842C-E4D13907F07F
Synonymy (in part):
Malacoctenus triangulatus: Springer, 1959: 477; Springer & Gomon, 1975; Mendes, 2006; Lubbock & Edwards, 1981; Edwards & Lubbock, 1983; Soto, 2001; Nunan, 1992; Feitoza et al., 2003; Guimarães et al., 2010; Pinheiro, 2006; Dias et al., 2019.
Malacoctenus aff. triangulatus: Ilarri et al., 2016; Krajewski and Floeter, 2011; Véras and Tolotti, 2011.
Malacoctenus sp.: Carvalho-Filho, 1999; Valentim, 2008; Sazima et al. 2007; Ilarri, 2008; Medeiros et. al, 2011; Rosa et al., 2015; Luiz et al., 2015; Pinheiro et al., 2018;
Malacoctenus sp. 2: Floeter et al., 2003; Moura, 2003.
Malacoctenus sp. n. Floeter et al, 2007.
Holotype. MZUSP 123844, 34.4 mm SL, tidepool at Praia do Boldró, Fernando de Noronha, Pernambuco, Brazil, 0-0.9 m, (lat: -3.84527 long: -32.42916), col. M. R. S. Melo, B. Mattiuzzo, J. Simões and V. Paspaltzis, 04 September 2017.
Paratypes. (16 specimens). CIUFES 295 (1, 30.4 mm SL) Arquipélago de São Pedro e São Paulo, Brazil, (lat: 0.918 long: -29.344), col. J-C. Joyeux and J. L. Gasparini, 08 January 2006; CIUFES 1650 (1, 42.0 mm SL), Arquipélago de São Pedro e São Paulo, Brazil, (lat: 0.918 long: -29.344), col. B. M. Feitosa, 31 August 2000; CI-UFES 2516 (1, 35.4 mm SL), Ressurreta, Fernando de Noronha, Pernambuco, Brazil, (lat: -3.843 long: -32.426), col. R.M. Macieira and T. Simon, 06 April, 2013; CIUFES 2805 (1, 41.8 mm SL), Barreta Falsa, Atol das Rocas, Rio Grande do Norte, Brasil (lat: -3.857 long: -33.818), col. R. M. Macieira et al., 07 June, 2013; MZUSP 14614 (1, 42.0 mm SL), Penedos de São Pedro e São Paulo, Brazil (lat: -0.933 long: -29.366), col. Cambridge Expedition, 17 September, 1979; MZUSP 52617 (1, 35.0 mm SL), Fernando de Noronha, Pernambuco, Brazil, (lat: -3.843 long: -32.426), col. A. Carvalho-Filho, no date; MZUSP 68556 (1, 32.4 mm SL), Ressurreta, Fernando de Noronha, Pernambuco, Brazil, (lat: -3.843 long: -32.426), col. L.F. Mendes, 31 March, 1997; MZUSP 68605 (1, 30.0 mm SL), Ilha São José, Fernando de Noronha, Pernambuco, Brazil, (lat: -3.843 long: -32.426), col. L.F. Mendes, no date; MZUSP 123839, (3, 34.4–42.2 mm SL) Praia do Sancho, Fernando de Noronha, Pernambuco, Brazil, 1–3.m, (lat: -3.852 long: -32.443), col. M. R. S. Melo, B. Mattiuzzo, J. Simões and V. Paspaltzis, 02 September 2017; ZUEC 2396 (1, 34.0 mm SL), Ilha do Farol, Atol das Rocas, 8 m depth, col. R.L. Moura and R. S. Rosa, 31 July, 1995; ZUEC 2397 (1, 31.6 mm SL), Ilha do Farol, Atol das Rocas, Brazil, 8 m depth, col. R.L. Moura and R. S. Rosa, 31 July, 1995; ZUEC 5363 (3, 30.1–36.4 mm SL), Praia do Boldró, Fernando de Noronha, Pernambuco, Brazil, (lat: -3.843 long: -32.426), col. C. Sazima and I. Sazima, 22 June, 2001.
Non-type specimens. (194 specimens). CIUFES 285 (5, 17.3–33.1 mm SL), Arquipélago de São Pedro e São Paulo, Brazil, (lat: 0.918 long: -29.344), col. J-C. Joyeux and J. L. Gasparini, 07 January 2006; CIUFES 2739 (1, 35.9 mm SL), Atol das Rocas, Rio Grande do Norte, Brasil (lat: -3.857 long: -33.818), col. R. M. Macieira et al., 25 May, 2013; CIUFES 2742 (4, 28.4–37.5 mm SL), Barreta Falsa, Atol das Rocas, Rio Grande do Norte, Brasil (lat: -3.857 long: -33.818), col. R. M. Macieira et al., 25 May, 2013; CIUFES 2756 (1, 40.0 mm SL), Barreta Falsa, Atol das Rocas, Rio Grande do Norte, Brasil (lat: -3.857 long: -33.818), col. R. M. Macieira et al., 27 May, 2013; CIUFES 2774 (1, 19.2 mm SL), Bóia de atracação, Atol das Rocas, Rio Grande do Norte, Brasil (lat: -3.857 long: -33.818), col. R. M. Macieira et al., 29 May, 2013; CIUFES 2779 (1, 20.1 mm SL), Bóia de atracação, Atol das Rocas, Rio Grande do Norte, Brasil (lat: -3.857 long: -33.818), col. R. M. Macieira et al., 29 May, 2013; CIUFES 2789 (1, 36.2 mm SL), Barreta Falsa, Atol das Rocas, Rio Grande do Norte, Brasil (lat: -3.857 long: -33.818), col. R. M. Macieira et al., 29 May, 2013; FLMNH 172865 (52, 18.8–40.3 mm SL), St. Peters Rocks, (lat.: 0.9194 and long.: - 29.34), Brazil, about 9 m depth, col. Alex Smart, 02 July, 1981; FLMNH 172871 (90, 18.3–40.2), Ilha do Farol, Fernando de Noronha, Pernambuco, Brazil, (lat.: - 3.855 and long.: - 33.820), about 9 – 10 m depth, col. Alex Smart, 06 July, 1981; MZUSP 48248 (10, 29.4–42.0 mm SL), Atol das Rocas, Brazil, col. R. L. Moura and C. R. B. Francini, 16 December 1994 to 10 January 1995; MZUSP 48890 (7, 23.5–35.0 mm SL) Atol das Rocas, Brazil, 8 m depth, col. R. L. Moura and R. S. Rosa, 31 July, 1995; MZUSP 48932 (10, 22.4–38.4 mm SL), Atol das Rocas, Brazil, col. R. L. Moura and R. S. Rosa, 18 July, 1995; MZUSP 68548 (1, 29.7 mm SL), Praia da Atalaia, Fernando de Noronha, Pernambuco, Brazil (lat: 3.840; long: - 32.410), col. L.F. Mendes, 06 November, 1996; MZUSP 68655 (2, 30.4–31.9 mm SL), Buraco da Raquel, Fernando de Noronha, Pernambuco, Brazil (lat: 3.840; long: - 32.410), col. L.F. Mendes, 14 November, 1996; MZUSP 68661 (2, 31.2–42.9 mm SL), Baía dos Porcos, Fernando de Noronha, Pernambuco, Brazil (lat: 3.840; long: - 32.410), col. L.F. Mendes, 05 August, 1997; MZUSP 123851 (7, 33.1–41.8 mm SL) Praia do Porto Santo Antonio, Fernando de Noronha, Pernambuco, Brazil, 0–2 m, (lat: -3.834 long: -32.401), col. M. R. S. Melo, B. Mattiuzzo, J. Simões and V. Paspaltzis, 07 September 2017.
Diagnosis: Malacoctenus lianae sp. n. is distinguished from its southwestern Atlantic congeners by the following combination of characters: Dorsal rays XX,11 or 12, rarely XVIII, XIX or XXI and 13; anal rays II,19–21; pectoral rays14 or 15, rarely 13; length of third pelvic-ray contained 2.0 to 2.5 times in second pelvic-fin ray. Lateral line scales 54–63, exceptionally 65–68 (see remarks). Total nuchal cirri 10–16. Pre-dorsal and pre-pectoral scales present, considerably smaller than scales on body; breast usually fully scaled in males, and usually naked in females. Two pores, rarely one, extend from preopercular canal onto opercle. Color pattern dominated by five to six, rarely seven, saddle-like bars on body, not extending on dorsal fin; two large, conspicuous, somewhat square bright white (in life) blotches usually restricted to upper lip.
Description: Proportional measurements and counts in Table 1. Description based on the holotype, thirteen paratypes and 202 non-type specimens. Body elongated. Head moderate, snout pointed, forehead steep; eye 2436% in head length; upper lip separated from snout by deep groove; jaws subequal with about 13 pairs of pointed, slightly curved teeth; a crescent patch of villiform teeth on vomer; palatine toothless; maxillary barely reaches orbit; gill rakers on first arch 2-4 + 6-8; nasal cirrus simple or bifid, arising from posterior border of short tube of anterior nostril and not reaching posterior nostril when depressed; supra orbital cirri branches 3 or 4 over each eye, the longest lesser than or equal to orbital diameter; nuchal cirri 5–7 (rarely 8) on each comb, paired or with one cirrus less, 10–14 (rarely 15 or 16) in total, the longest barely reaching dorsal-fin origin; space between nuchal cirri combs contained 0.8 to three times in comb´s base. Two pores, rarely one, from preopercular canal onto opercle. Pores on ventral side of head: 3–4 mental, 1–2 symphysial and 4–8 interopercular.
Dorsal fin continuous, with three sections: first three spines decrease in length, followed by fourth to eighth or ninth spines progressively longer, with more posterior spines successively shorter, and antepenultimate and penultimate of similar size; last spine considerably longer, slightly less than half length of first and longest soft ray; soft rays decreasing in length, last one joined to body by a membrane for most of its length. Caudal fin slightly emarginate to slightly rounded with 11 unbranched, segmented rays, followed above and below by a single non-segmented ray and several procurrent spines. Anal fin continuous, 16 th to 18 th rays the longest; first anal-fin spine length about 2/3 of second anal-fin spine; first anal-fin ray almost 1/3 longer than second anal-fin spine; anal-fin membrane notched at tip of each ray; last anal-fin ray not attached to body by membrane. Pectoral fin elongate, fifth or sixth lower rays usually longest. Pelvic fin second ray longer than third, usually reaching to or beyond anus and anal-fin origin; length of third, inner, shortest pelvic-fin ray, contained 2.0 to 2.5 times in second, pelvic-fin ray.
Body covered with cycloid scales except pre-pelvic and immediate surrounding area. Head naked. Breast usually fully scaled in males and usually naked in females; breast and belly scales much smaller than body scales. Space between first dorsal-fin spine and nuchal cirrus comb with one or two minute scales; pre-pectoral area with minute scales, much smaller than body scales; lateral line complete, running high anteriorly, down-curved below 10 th to 12 th dorsal-fin spines and straight along mid-body posteriorly. All fins naked.
Remarks: Specimens from Rocas Atoll presents some noteworthy meristic differences from that of Fernando de Noronha. Anal-fin soft rays mainly 19–20 in samples from Rocas Atoll, and 20–21 from Fernando de Noronha; none of the specimens examined by us from Rocas Atoll have 21 anal-fin rays, and none from Fernando de Noronha have 19 rays. Seven specimens in a single sample from Rocas Atoll (MZUSP 48890) have 65 (1), 66 (3), 67 (2), and 68 (1) lateral-line scales; all other 19 specimens examined from Rocas have 59–63, but none of 117 specimens from Noronha have more than 58 lateral-line scales. At first glance these differences, as well as some differences in coloration, would indicate that the two populations could represent two species, but this is not supported by molecular markers (Dias et al., 2019). Thus, the two populations may be in the process of incipient speciation. The 61 specimens examined from St. Peter´s Rocks have 19–21 anal-fin rays and 55–57 lateral-line scales, agreeing partially with Fernando de Noronha population.
Coloration. The color pattern varies considerably between individuals. Males are usually brightly colored, with reddish, rusty, or orangish patterns; females are duller, with greenish, tan, or dark patterns.
Color in alcohol: Background varies from grey to tan, with five or six dark, rarely seven, triangular saddle-like bars on body, not extending to dorsal fin. The saddles vary from dark to almost as light as the interspaces between them, sometimes barely visible. The saddles may be uniformly colored and/or outlined only by prominent dark spots. The lower apices of the saddles can be abruptly constricted below the midline of the body. The interspaces are rarely uniformly light, and usually have dark triangular patches and those, with the constricted lower apices of the saddles, may form a horizontal row of large, irregular blotches. Lower sides of body light to tan often with dark spots, reticulation, or irregular markings. Fins of mature males clear to light dusky, occasionally with small spots on spines and rays, membranes transparent. Dorsal fin dusky. Head peppered with dark dots or irregular blotches, ventral part of head with several rows of dark, small spots or faint to dark narrow lines. Two large, conspicuous, somewhat squared light blotches usually restricted to upper lip. A dark bordered ocellus usually present at the lower portion of the opercle (rarely visible on Fernando de Noronha specimens). Pre-pectoral area usually with dark spots, vermiculation, or irregular markings. Dorsal, anal, and caudal fin of females’ light to heavily spotted, dorsal-fin spots usually on fin elements and located on lower part of the fin.
Color in life: Background varies from white to yellowish or light tan, the saddle-like bars orangish, rusty, golden or reddish on males, and greenish, tan, or very dark on females. Dorsum with interspaces between saddle-like bars varies from greenish to tan. Lower part of body usually with reticulation of same color as saddles, often with dark dots and/or irregular blotches. Two large, conspicuous, somewhat rectangular bright white blotches usually restricted to upper lip. Eye reddish with a conspicuous white area on lower border. A dark somewhat triangular spot behind eye, often with an iridescent blue lower margin. Top of head often with greenish, red and/or blue reticulation. Dorsal fin transparent, the spines and rays often have orange, yellow or red dots; anterior 3–4 spines usually more pigmented, including the connecting membrane. Anal fin with lower border reddish or with rays peppered with reddish or orange dots. Pectoral fins light yellow to light green; pelvic fin white, posterior third or half often yellowish. Females from Rocas Atoll may display a very dark saddle-like bar pattern, from brown to almost black, not yet observed in females from Fernando de Noronha. Young usually have saddle-like bars less distinct and the body red or orange vermiculation much more conspicuous than those of adults.
Etymology: the specific name honors Liana Mendes, our ichthyologist friend, who studied the natural history of blennioid fishes at Fernando de Noronha Archipelago.
Distribution and habitat: Malacoctenus lianae sp. n. is known only from the insular complex Fernando de Noronha Archipelago - Atol das Rocas, and St. Peter´s Rocks. This scaly blenny is associated with shallow reefs where it preys on small benthic invertebrates.
description: Published as part of Carvalho-Filho, Alfredo, Sazima, Ivan, Lima, Sergio Maia Queiroz, Almeida, Daniel, Mendes, Liana, Dias, Ricardo Marques, Britto, Marcelo R. & Gasparini, João Luiz, 2020, Review of the genus Malacoctenus (Actinopterygii: Labrisomidae) from the Southwestern Atlantic, with description of two new species, pp. 499-520 in Zootaxa 4819 (3) on pages 500-503, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4819.3.4, http://zenodo.org/record/4397065