Two new species of Plectranthias (Teleostei, Serranidae, Anthiadinae) from mesophotic coral ecosystems in the tropical Central Pacific

By

Shepherd, Bart
Phelps, Tyler
Pinheiro, Hudson Tercio
Rocha, Claudia
Rocha, Luiz

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2020

Original Publication

ZooKeys

Volume

941

Pages

145--161

Subjects

Biodiversity , closed-circuit rebreather , coral-reef twilight zone , Ichthyology , perchlet , Reef fish , taxonomy

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.941.50243

 

Abstract

Two new species of Plectranthias perchlets are described, collected from mesophotic coral ecosystems in French Polynesia and the Republic of the Marshall Islands, in the tropical Central Pacific. Plectranthias polygoniussp. nov. was collected at a depth of 105 m in Tahiti, French Polynesia, and 120 m in Maloelap Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands. It was also observed in Moorea and Rangiroa (French Polynesia), and at Majuro and Erikub Atolls, Republic of the Marshall Islands. Plectranthias hinanosp. nov. was collected at a depth of 90–98 m in Tahiti, French Polynesia, and observed in Moorea. The barcode fragment of the cytochrome oxidase I gene of Plectranthias polygoniussp. nov. does not closely match any published sequence of Plectranthias, with approximately 15% uncorrected divergence from several species. Plectranthias polygoniussp. nov. can be distinguished from all of its congeners by coloration and morphology. The barcode fragment of the COI gene of Plectranthias hinanosp. nov. is closest to Plectranthias bennetti, with 5.4% uncorrected divergence. Plectranthias hinanosp. nov. is also distinguished from all of its congeners by morphology, and a coloration that includes two indistinct black spots along the base of the dorsal-fin, and transparent yellow dorsal and anal fin membranes. With this publication, the genus Plectranthias now comprises 58 valid species, with representatives from tropical to temperate waters of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans. These two new discoveries add to the growing body of research highlighting the rich biodiversity of mesophotic ecosystems.