Plectranthias mcgroutheri

distribution

Distribution: known only from specimens collected off Western Australia.

Additions and emendations to the annotated checklist of anthiadine fishes (Percoidei: Serranidae)

materials_examined

Holotype: AMS I. 22828 - 010, 74.0 mm SL. Type locality: Australia, North West Shelf, 190 km northwest of Port Hedland, 19 ° 01 ′ S, 117 ° 12 ′ E, depth 200 – 202 meters. Illustrations: Gill, Pogonoski, Moore, & Johnson, 2021: 82, fig. 34. Counts: D: X, 16. A: III, 7. P: 14. C: 17 (9 + 8). V: 26 (10 + 16). S: 3. GR: 15 to 19 (5 or 6 + 10 to 13). LL: 27 to 30. CP: 13 to 15.

Additions and emendations to the annotated checklist of anthiadine fishes (Percoidei: Serranidae)

description

Comparisons. Plectranthias mcgroutheri is similar to P. knappi Randall, 1996 from the Visayan Sea, Philippines, and keys to that species using Randall’s (1996) key. It is also close to P. maekawa Wada, Senou & Motomura, 2018 from the Tokara Islands, Ryukyu Islands, Japan. The three species are unique within the genus in having the following combination of characters: segmented dorsal rays 16 (15 – 16 in P. maekawa); third dorsal spine longest; pectoral rays 14, most rays branched; lateral line complete, consisting of 27 – 30 tubed scales; no scales on maxilla, mandibles or lower part of snout; and lower part of preopercle with two enlarged antrorse serrations. Comparisons between the three species are difficult as P. knappi remains known only from the 66 mm SL holotype and P. maekawa is known only from the 58.2 mm SL holotype and two paratypes (62.3 – 65.7 mm SL). However, the three species appear to differ substantially in various morphometric details (Table 27). In addition to those characters, P. knappi appears to have a longer dorsal-fin base than the other two species. Randall’s (1996) value of 33.5 % SL for the dorsal-fin base of P. knappi is obviously in error. His figure 2

Review of Australian species of Plectranthias Bleeker and Selenanthias Tanaka (Teleostei: Serranidae: Anthiadinae), with descriptions of four new species

description

Description. Dorsal rays X, 16, all segmented rays branched; anal rays III, 7, all segmented rays branched; pectoral rays 14 / 14, all rays unbranched; pelvic fin I, 5, all segmented rays branched; upper procurrent caudal-fin rays 7 (6 – 7); lower procurrent caudal-fin rays 7 (5 – 7); principal caudal-fin rays 9 + 8; branched caudal fin rays? +? (8 + 7); total caudal-fin rays 31 (29 – 31); lateral line complete with 28 / 30 (27 – 30) scales; scales above lateral line to origin of dorsal fin 3 / 3 (3 – 4); scales above lateral line to base of fifth dorsal spine 2 / 2 (2 – 4); scales below lateral line to origin of anal fin 11 / 11 (11 – 12); diagonal rows of scales on cheek 9 (7 – 9), including 1 (1 – 2) over preopercular canal; predorsal scales 24 (21 – 28), extending to middle to anterior nostrils; circumpeduncular scales 14 (13 – 15); gill rakers 5 + 10 (5 – 6 + 10 – 13 = 15 – 19), the upper 4 (4 – 5) and lower 3 (2 – 5) rudiments; pseudobranchial filaments 18 (15 – 20); branchiostegal rays 7. Vertebrae 10 + 16; supraneurals 3; predorsal formula 0 / 0 + 0 / 2 / 1 + 1; dorsal pterygiophores in interneural spaces 9 – 13 1 / 1 / 1 + 1 / 1 + 1 / 1 + 1 (1 / 1 / 1 + 1 / 1 + 1 / 1 or 1

Review of Australian species of Plectranthias Bleeker and Selenanthias Tanaka (Teleostei: Serranidae: Anthiadinae), with descriptions of four new species