Records of the Western Australian Museum 17: 283-286 (1995). 
Chrysiptera kuiteri, a new species of Damselfish (Pomacentridae) from 
Indonesia and Sri Lanka 
Gerald R. Allen 1 and Arjan Rajasuriya 2 
1 Department of Aquatic Vertebrates, Western Australian Museum, Francis Street, Perth, Western Australia 6000 
2 National Aquatic Resources Agency, Crow Island, Mattakkuliya, Colombo-15, Sri Lanka 
Abstract - A new species of pomacentrid, Chrysiptera kuiteri, is described 
from three specimens. The first specimen was collected during 1991 off 
northern Bali, Indonesia. Two additional specimens were captured at north¬ 
western Sri Lanka in 1994. It is closely related to C. tricincta (Allen and 
Randall) from the western Pacific. The new species differs, however, by 
having wider dark bars on the body, mainly white pelvic fins, and 20-22 gill 
rakers on the first arch (23-26 in C. tricincta). 
INTRODUCTION 
Damselfishes (Pomacentridae) are among the 
most speciose and conspicuous of all fish groups 
associated with tropical and subtropical reefs. The 
family was reviewed by Allen (1991), who 
recognized 322 species in 28 genera. Since the 
publication of this work seven additional species 
have been described (Allen 1992, 1993, 1994; Allen 
and Adrim 1992; Allen and Smith 1992). 
The present paper describes a new species 
belonging to Chrysiptera Swainson as defined by 
Allen (1991). The genus contains 26 species that 
range widely in the tropical Indo-west and central 
Pacific region. They are small (usually less than 70 
mm SL), frequently colourful fishes inhabiting 
coral reefs and adjacent sand-rubble habitats. The 
new species was first collected at the Indonesian 
island of Bali in 1991. Additional specimens were 
obtained more recently by the second author at Sri 
Lanka. 
The methods of counting and measuring are the 
same as those described by Allen (1972), except 
that the length of the dorsal and anal spines are 
measured proximally from the base of the spine 
rather than from the point where the spine emerges 
from the scaly sheath. Gill-raker count is a total of 
upper and lower-limb elements on the first 
branchial arch. The last dorsal and anal soft ray is 
split at the base and is counted as a single element. 
The fraction "1/2" appearing in the scale count 
above the lateral line refers to a small truncated 
scale at the base of the dorsal fin. 
Counts and proportions appearing in 
parentheses apply to the paratypes. Proportional 
measurements expressed in thousandths of the 
standard length are provided in Table 1. A 
summary of counts for fin rays, lateral-line scales 
and gill rakers on the first arch appears in Table 2. 
Type specimens have been deposited at the 
National Aquatic Resources Agency, Colombo, Sri 
Lanka (NARA); Pusat Penelitian dan 
Pengembangan Oseanologi, Jakarta, Indonesia 
(NCIP); and the Western Australian Museum, 
Perth (WAM). 
SYSTEMATICS 
Chrysiptera kuiteri sp. nov. 
Figure 1; Table 1 
Holotype 
NCIP 6131, 42.8 mm SL, near shipwreck off 
Tulamben, NE coast of Bali, Indonesia 
(approximately 8°18'S, 115°37'E), 20m, hand net, R. 
Kuiter, October 1991. 
Paratypes 
NARA (F).0015, 32.6 mm SL, off Kandakuliya, 
northwest Sri Lanka, (approximately 8°14.7'N, 
79°40.3’E), 18.5 m, hand net, A. Rajasuriya, 16 
March 1994; WAM P.30827-001, 36.2 mm SL, 
collected with NARA paratype. 
Diagnosis 
A species of the pomacentrid genus Chrysiptera 
with the following combination of characters: 
dorsal rays XIII, 11; anal rays 11,12; pectoral rays 17 
(17 or 18); gill rakers on first branchial arch 6 or 7 
+ 14 or 15, total rakers 20-22; tubed lateral-line 
scales 16-18; colour in life white with three broad 
black bars, the first through eye, the second at level 
of spinous dorsal fin, and the third at level of soft 
dorsal fin; pelvic fins mainly white. 
