Rhomboid Chromis

description

Description. Dorsal-fin rays XIII, 12 (two paratypes XIII, 11); anal-fin rays II, 12 (one paratype II, 11 and two paratypes II, 13); all dorsal and anal-fin rays branched, the last to base in some specimens; pectoral-fin rays 18 (one paratype 17 and other 19), the upper and lowermost unbranched; pelvic-fin rays I, 5; principal caudal-fin rays 8 + 7 = 15 (one paratype 7 + 6 = 13 and other 7 + 7 = 14); upper and lower procurrent caudal-fin rays 3; upper and lower rudimentary (spiniform) caudal-fin rays 2 and 3 respectively (three paratypes 2 and 2 and one 3 and 2); tubed lateral-line scales 14 | 14 (other paratypes 13 | 13, 13 | 14 and 14 | 15); posterior midlateral scales with a pore 8 | 8 (three paratypes 7 | 7 and one 7 | 8); scales above dorsal fin to origin of dorsal fin 3 | 3 (one paratype 2 | 2); scales below lateral line to origin of anal fin 8 | 8; circumpeduncular scales 12 (12); gill rakers from two paratypes 9 + 18 = 27 and 6 + 19 = 25; vertebrae 26 (11 precaudal + 15 caudal). Body depth 1.5 (paratypes 1.5 - 1.6) in SL, and width 3.5 (3.2 - 3.4) in body depth; head length 3.3 (2.7 - 3.3) in SL; dorsal profile of head with slight convexity anterior to eye, slight concavity

Three new species of Chromis (Teleostei, Pomacentridae) from mesophotic coral ecosystems of the Philippines

diagnosis

Diagnosis. The following combination of characters distinguishes Chromis bowesi sp. n. from all of its congeners: dorsal-fin rays XIII, 11 - 12; anal-fin rays II, 11 - 13; pectoral-fin rays 17 - 19; procurrent caudal-fin rays 3; tubed lateral-line scales 13 - 15; gill rakers 6 - 9 + 18 - 19 (total 25 - 27); body depth 1.5 - 1.6 in SL; color of adults when fresh brownish grey in the dorsal side to whitish on the ventral side, with alternating dark and light stripes in the sides of body.

Three new species of Chromis (Teleostei, Pomacentridae) from mesophotic coral ecosystems of the Philippines

distribution

Distribution and habitat. Chromis bowesi sp. n. was found in many localities of the Verde Island Passage, such as in Verde Island, Puerto Galera Bay, and Batangas Bay. The five specimens were recorded over low to moderate complexity habitats between 80 and 120 m depth. Specimens identified as Chromis earina were collected by Nishiyama et al. (2012) in Iou-jima Island, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan, between 70 and 80 m depth, but their mtDNA COI sequence and color description match Chromis bowesi, therefore this species is distributed at least to southern Japan. We also sequenced the holotype of Chromis earina and its sequence is clearly distinct from C. bowesi.

Three new species of Chromis (Teleostei, Pomacentridae) from mesophotic coral ecosystems of the Philippines

etymology

Etymology. In honor of the late William K Bowes Jr, lead donor of the Hope for Reefs initiative from the California Academy of Sciences, we name Chromis bowesi sp. n. A pioneering venture capitalist and visionary Bay Area philanthropist, Bill Bowes was devoted to advancing science and generously supported groundbreaking research spanning across biotech, medical, and other scientific disciplines. The name is a noun in the genitive case.

Three new species of Chromis (Teleostei, Pomacentridae) from mesophotic coral ecosystems of the Philippines