Bull. nat. Hist. Mus. Lond. (Zool.) 67(2):191—207 
Xx (Byos <!. 3) 
. Issued 29 November 2001 

Revision of the western Indian Ocean fish 
subfamily Anisochrominae (Perciformes, 
Pseudochromidae) 


ANTHONY C. GILL 
Fish Research Group, Department of Zoology, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 
SBD, U.K. 
RONALD FRICKE 
Ichthyology, Staatliches Museum fiir Naturkunde, Schloss Rosenstein, Rosenstein 1, D-70191 Stuttgart, 
Germany. 
CONTENTS 
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IVa te tal Spa UB CLOGS ncn ccssausest tent ee rucest an ceii'e ceive danstaas Sad vines vas nisi dba dkessuanouys Mas cwodesasanacsvsbencadearissdsvvenantcsicssSdehsinacsscenisinesnerese 192 
SV SLE IMAL CS peeecmatteetensatecte «<2 eee suns costeaisc sate Ste ate aac tssvsseus-sesazabasivsadecss-hepesatestasscnupzecevossnéeaisivscsuneu:vonasnuisenrasassosdpindeeassnssacennenteaess 193 
PNT SOCIO MMITACHS TN Lene Mes setae ateece ceases castes eeare cuascnu dss eee dian eae dase cutest ua shissenseraveceanesnsaresti ss vdeur isa aden tne speseesuscc tae vees 193 
PAILS OGIIROTI1USHS UML ease veces Canc ois ca eae e coe sect ea sae ivte <a cava Suet las aves Sues V ont 65 GnadSe du Suds vnat ns oAWics dave se vocuncestesus dat cndevedacstes sets 193 
PAILS OG IVROUMIS  RETLY CLE; SUUMIULN ces test cavencscctecnrectave setts cette cosuckenesxcusasSevacsteersvaviceds esse vassceces dees cece scesecuassessascasmescevae siesstaccaserteee 195 
PATIL OG MFOMIUSIITLES CONEMLEILSIS SPSL ON sae cok se ete cet rece cee cacee esac sca ance cerereeee nese facennocscss ark vacucsessny roesnve hesacresstereonreeneret here 197 
LATS OC OMMSy SU AUS SES PMI CLs SUM UN Gol LAS EL cesea-sncs-xscecvetscesessecesteresceast=onrsardavceietcecctavarecesraceccecicesfacrencecereesecesneceenerer: 200 
ING yaLOISPECIES ANIISOGILTOMIIS eretcac vee sstctr ecto rts raes teria os caesar onbncnccescesestererenee re ecens torte se ate te recadrenes ts dior tick eicnievitoniore ener toeiees 202 
PXGDOWIEG SEMICOIS) se cstececeres.csteereerseeee eee area decnetcsnteteutvsarsartewescaecdnces csteneavieasersetetsdctacerevaccuvctettvacevetascvaees ads cesiuereessletcesteren teas 202 
IRE LCREN CES ieee weer cdirc sores tasusca centr any ede sar Sv aaeee ten tea cess Seabee aa ridyosaxdoeceae eds tes eS o tees oho eoes doves vows egudesededidh vabedustucsesuevituedetecieatens 203 
Synopsis. Monophyly of the Anisochrominae is supported by eight autapomorphies: ectopterygoid and mesopterygoid well 
separated from palatine; preopercle well separated from skull; dorsal insertion of posterior mandibulohyoid ligament; dentary not 
forked; medial origin of A, section of adductor mandibulae; high number of epineural bones; low number of circumpeduncular 
scales; and low number of lower-limb gill rakers. The subfamily includes a single genus, Anisochromis, with three species, which 
are distinguished on the basis of various meristic and male coloration characters: A. kenyae Smith from east Africa, the Comoros 
Islands and Madagascar; A. mascarenensis sp.nov. from Réunion and Mauritius; and A. straussi Springer, Smith and Fraser from 
Saint Brandon’s Shoals. 
INTRODUCTION 
The family Anisochromidae was erected by Smith (1954) to accom- 
modate a new genus and species, Anisochromis kenyae, from the 
east coast of Africa. He noted that the species exhibited pronounced 
sexual dichromatism, and proposed a close relationship of the new 
family to the Pseudochromidae. He distinguished the two families 
on the basis of differences in number of vertebrae, head scalation, 
number of lateral lines, gill membrane development, palatine denti- 
tion, fin spine development, fin-ray branching, number of pectoral-fin 
rays, and pelvic-fin position. 
Springer et al. (1977) described a second species of Anisochromis, 
A. straussi, from Saint Brandon’s Shoals (= Cargados Carajos) in the 
southwestern Indian Ocean, which they differentiated from A. kenyae 
on the basis of coloration and numbers of dorsal-fin rays, anal-fin 
rays, vertebrae and tubed lateral-line scales. They noted that the 
species is dimorphic, but that eggs were present in both colour 
forms. They therefore examined gonads of the species histologically, 
and concluded it is a protogynous hermaphrodite. They also inves- 
tigated the systematic relationships of the Anisochromidae, and 
proposed that the family is the sister group of the Pseudoplesiopidae, 
© The Natural History Museum, 2001 
and that the two families form a monophyletic group with the 
Pseudochromidae. They therefore synonymised the three families 
under the oldest available name, Pseudochromidae. They noted that 
Anisochromis possessed the following autapomorphies: dorsal- and 
anal-fin spines very weak (versus weak to strong); no scales on head 
(versus head scaled); palatine teeth absent (versus present); fewer 
than four gill rakers on lower limb of first gill arch (versus more than 
seven); branchiostegal membranes with ventroposterior margins 
fused across ventral surface of head (versus separate 
ventroposteriorly); ectopterygoid and mesopterygoid well sepa- 
rated from palatine (versus articulate closely with palatine); and 
ligament from (anterior) ceratohyal attaches to dentary on coronoid 
process (versus at symphysis). 
Godkin & Winterbottom (1985) provided evidence for classifica- 
tion of the Congrogadidae, previously placed in the Blennioidei or 
Trachinoidei, in the Pseudochromidae as the sister group of 
Anisochromis. They relegated the Congrogadidae to subfamilial 
status, along with the Anisochrominae, Pseudochrominae and 
Pseudoplesiopinae. They identified a new autapomorphy for 
Anisochromis (A, section of the adductor mandibulae originates 
from the preopercle medial to the dorsolateral fibres of the A, 
section), but noted that several of those reported by Springer et al. 
