Slender Fairy-basslet

Tosana niwae Smith & Pope 1906

Tosana niwae Smith & Pope, 1906 Anthias albofasciatus Fowler & Bean, 1930 Holotype: USNM 55618, 83.3 mm SL, 110 mm TL. Type locality: Urado Bay, Kochi Prefecture, Japan. Illustrations: Katayama, 1960: pl. 19; Kuiter, 2004:85, bottom fig.; Gill, Anderson, & Williams, 2019: figs. 1–4. Counts: D: X, 13 to15 (usually X, 14). A: III, 6 or 7 (usually III, 7). P: 15 or 16 (usually 16). C: 15 (8 + 7). V: 26 (10 + 16). S: 2. GR: 34 to 37 (10 to 12 + 23 to 26). LL: 33 to 38. CP: 21 or 22. Distribution: western Pacific; possibly also from the Persian Gulf off Bahrain (Randall, 1995:125, noted that Al-Baharna, 1986, reported this species in her Fishes of Bahrain without any information on locality or depth).

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

description

Results Photos and radiographs of the holotypes of Anthias albofasciatus and Tosana niwae are provided in Figures 1 and 2, respectively. Counts and measurements for the two holotypes are given in Tables 1 – 2, along with data from 12 non-type specimens from the South China Sea and southeastern Japan. The specimens share unusually variable branching of pectoral-fin rays. Heemstra & Randall (1999) incorrectly reported Tosana Smith & Pope (1906) as having entirely unbranched pectoral rays in their key to Western Central Pacific serranids. Katayama (1960) correctly noted that pectoral ray branching is variable, though usually a few rays in the middle of the fin are unbranched. The presence of unbranched rays in the middle of the pectoral fin has been used to distinguish Tosana from the related Pseudanthias. However, both holotypes have inconspicuously branched middle rays. Moreover, the first author has noted variation in certain specimens of an undescribed species of Tosana from eastern Australia that approaches the typical condition found in Pseudanthias (i. e, with only the uppermost two and lowermost one pectoral rays unbranched). We are not aware of similar variable pectoral-ray b

Anthias albofasciatus Fowler and Bean, 1930, a junior synonym of Tosana niwae Smith and Pope, 1906 (Teleostei: Serranidae: Anthiadinae)

diagnosis

peduncle length was measured from the base of the last anal ray to the ventral edge of the caudal peduncle at the vertical through the lower hypurals. Where possible, pectoral ray branching patterns were recorded bilaterally. Lower case Roman and Arabic numerals refer to unbranched and branched rays, respectively. Patterns are reported from the uppermost to the lowermost rays. Other methods of counting and measuring follow Anderson & Heemstra (2012). Comparisons with T. niwae are based on literature accounts (notably, Katayama 1959, 1960; Katayama in

Anthias albofasciatus Fowler and Bean, 1930, a junior synonym of Tosana niwae Smith and Pope, 1906 (Teleostei: Serranidae: Anthiadinae)

discussion

Fowler & Bean (1930) described the preserved coloration of A. albofasciatus as follows: “ Uniformly light brown, lower sides and under surface silvery white. Diffuse, obscure median pale lateral band from eye to caudal base. Iris silvery white. Fins all pale brown. Caudal with median rays grayish terminally. ” In our preserved material of T. niwae, there is no indication of a mid-lateral stripe, and the only noteworthy pigmentation is a series of short greyish brown bars on the upper body (one per scale). In life, however, most individuals are pale pink to pale yellow, white ventrally, with a broad pale yellow to yellow-brown stripe extending from behind the eye to the upper caudal-fin base (Figure 4 A; Masuda et al. 1984: pl. 121 M). This corresponds well with the “ pale lateral band ” noted by Fowler and Bean. Larger individuals (presumably males) of T. niwae are more brightly coloured: the upper part of the body is orange to red, edged dorsally in pink, there are alternating mauve / pink and yellow stripes on the head, the yellow body stripe is brighter (at least anteriorly) and punctuated with one or two orange to red blotches, and the soft dorsal is edged in iridescent blue wi

Anthias albofasciatus Fowler and Bean, 1930, a junior synonym of Tosana niwae Smith and Pope, 1906 (Teleostei: Serranidae: Anthiadinae)