Upeneus itoui Yamashita, Golani & Motomura 2011
Creators: name: Uiblein, Franz
name: Motomura, Hiroyuki
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2021
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Actinopterygii
Perciformes
Mullidae
Upeneus
Upeneus itoui

description: Upeneus itoui Yamashita, Golani & Motomura, 2011
Itou’s Goatfish
Sakuya-himeji (standard Japanese name)
(Figures 1D, E, 2–6; Tables 1–3)
Upeneus itoui Yamashita, Golani & Motomura, 2011: Uiblein & Lisher 2013; Tashiro et al. 2014; Uiblein et al. 2017a, 2020a.
Material examined. Paratypes (n = 6, 87– 134 mm SL). S Japan, Kagoshima Prefecture: KAUM–I. 10384, 87 mm SL, Minamisatsuma, Kasasa, Kataura, off E of Sakinoyama, 31°25.44’ N, 130°11.49’ E, 27 m depth, set net; KAUM–I. 13595, 118 mm SL, same sampling data (photo of fresh PT, Figure 1 E); KAUM–I. 13591, 104 mm SL, Minamisatsuma, Kasasa, NE of Matsu-shima Island, 31°25.06’ N, 130°12.32’ E, 20 m depth, set net (photo of fresh PT, Figure 1D); KAUM–I. 13594, 108 mm SL, Minamisatsuma, Kasasa, Kataura, off Kouzaki-yama, 31°26.00’ N, 130°10.05’ E, 36 m depth, set net; KAUM–I. 13715, 134 mm SL, Ibusuki, Kaimonkawajiri, 1 km SW of Kawajiri Fishing Port, 31°10’ N 130°32’ E, 40 m depth, set net; MNHN 2010-1050, 114 mm SL, Minamisatsuma, Kasasa, Kataura, off E of Sakinoyama, 31°25.44’ N, 130°11.49’ E, 27 m depth, set net.
Non-types (n = 14, 88– 139 mm SL). KAUM–I. 14661, 111 mm SL, Ibusuki, Kaimonkawajiri, 1 km SW of Kawajiri Fishing Port, 31°10’ N 130°32’ E, 40 m depth, set net; KAUM–I. 27549, 111 mm SL, same sampling data; KAUM–I. 35617, 139 mm SL, Minamisatsuma, Kasasa, Kataura, off E of Sakinoyama, 31°25.44’ N, 130 11.49’ E, 27 m depth, set net; KAUM–I. 56303, 115 mm SL, same sampling data; KAUM–I. 97832, 98 mm SL, same locality and catch data; KAUM–I. 131500, 133 mm SL, same sampling data; KAUM–I. 35944, 133 mm SL, Kimotsuki, Uchinoura Bay, 31°17’ N, 131°05’ E, set net; KAUM–I. 123984, 117 mm SL, same sampling data; KAUM–I. 54077, 99 mm SL, Osumi Islands, Tanega-shima Island, Kumage-gun, Nakatane, off Kumano, 30°28.13’ N, 130°58.32’ E, 25 m depth, set net; KAUM–I. 59466, 101 mm SL, same sampling data; KAUM–I. 56749, 115 mm SL, Kimotsuki, Uchinoura Bay, 31°24.28’ N 131°02.55’ E, 40-45 m depth, set net; KAUM–I. 73580, 88 mm SL, Minamisatsuma, Kasasa, NE of Matsu-shima Island, 31°25.06’ N, 130°12.32’ E, 20 m depth, set net; KAUM–I. 110071, 131 mm SL, same sampling data; KAUM–I. 86533, 134 mm SL, Kimotsuki, Kishira, off Funama Fishing Port, 31°10’ N, 130°59’ E, set net.
Diagnosis. Dorsal fins VII + 9; pectoral fins 13–14(15); gill rakers 6–7 + 16–18 = 22–25; body elongate and laterally slightly compressed; measurements as % SL: depth at first dorsal-fin origin 21–24; body depth at anal-fin origin 19–22; caudal-peduncle depth 9.0–10; caudal-peduncle width 3.9–4.6; maximum head depth 17–19; head depth through eye 13–15; head length 27–29; snout length 10–12; orbit length 5.4–6.4; upper-jaw length 9.8–11; barbel length 17–18; caudal-fin length 27–30; anal-fin height 15–17; pelvic-fin length 18–21; pectoral-fin length 19–21; first dorsal-fin height 18–21, dorsal-fin spines proportionally decreasing in height; second dorsal-fin height 15–17; total oblique bars on caudal fin 11 – 18, upper caudal-fin lobe with 5–7 mostly straight red or red-brown bars; lower caudal-fin lobe with 6–11 red or red-brown bars that are only faintly visible along ventral-lobe margin, becoming more conspicuous along central lobe; several of these bars and especially three of the most proximal ones reach dorsal-lobe margin, becoming pale reddish grey; lower caudal-fin lobe in life with a red or red-brown stripe of about orbit diameter in maximum width, covering bars only partly, that fades away post mortem; bars are mostly retained in the first years after preservation, but may be lost later; dorsal fins in fresh fish with 3–4 thin red or brown stripes, may be retained in preservative; barbels white or creamy white when fresh; body colour in freshly deceased fish dark red or dark brown dorsally and pale red or rose with red blotches or spots on lower half, ventral margin silvery white; a rather conspicuous dark brown, dark red or red mid-lateral body stripe of about pupil diameter in width at eye level from behind eye to caudal-fin base and in front of eye to nose tip, not retained in preservative; head below and behind eye silvery white, often covered with red patches or blotches; body and head dorsally grey or grey brown and ventrally often silvery white when preserved.
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* counts at left and right body side, respectively.
Distribution and size. Known from S Japan, including Kagoshima, Miyazaki, Kochi and Ehime Prefectures and Okinawa-jima Island, Ryukyu Islands, and Taiwan; occurs on sandy bottoms; depth 4–40 m; attains 144 mm SL.
Remarks. Upeneus ituoi is a rather common species which is often caught by set net in S Japan and has local commercial value. It co-occurs frequently with U. tragula Richardson, 1846 (Yamashita et al. 2011). Two specimens have been collected off Tanega-shima Island, Osumi Islands in the same area as the HT of U. elongatus (Tashiro et al. 2014).
description: Published as part of Uiblein, Franz & Motomura, Hiroyuki, 2021, Three new goatfishes of the genus Upeneus from the Eastern Indian Ocean and Western Pacific, with an updated taxonomic account for U. itoui (Mullidae: japonicus-species group), pp. 298-324 in Zootaxa 4938 (3) on pages 310-313, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4938.3.2, http://zenodo.org/record/4569653