Eviota monostigma Fourmanoir 1971

Eviota monostigma Fourmanoir

Eviota monostigma Fourmanoir, 1971:498, fig. 6 [type-locality: New Caledonia].

MATERIAL EXAMINED.—132 specimens from 3 localities, totaling 27 males, 28 females, 77 juveniles; total size range 8.3–27.0; largest male 27.0, largest females 21.0; smallest gravid female 14.3.

Holotype: MNHN 1979–241 (25.0), male; New Caledonia, Point Ma, 27 Dec 1970.

Paratypes: MNHN 1979–242 and 1979–243, 2 (22.0, 27.0), males; same data as holotype.

Other Material: QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA: HERON ISLAND: LACM 32820-6, 1 (15.7), female; Dec 1961, G. Bartholomew. LIZARD ISLAND: USNM 213901, 2 (12.4, 16.6), juv. and female; 1 Feb 1975, D. F. Hoese, 75–38. USNM 213900, 7 (10.1–15.9), 5 juv., 1 male (15.9), 1 female (13.8); 30 Jan 1975, D. F. Hoese, 75–28. ONE TREE ISLAND: USNM 219286, 1 (17.1), male; 7 Dec 1966, V. G. Springer, 66–16. USNM 219287, 1 (18.0), male; 30 Nov 1966, V. G. Springer, 66–13. AMS I.20211-039, 10 (13.5–19.0), 2 males (19.0), 8 females (17.1); 2 Oct 1971, D. F. Hoese, 71-20. AMS I.20210036, 4 (15.4–17.5), 1 male (17.5), 3 females (15.8); 5 Oct 1971, D. F. Hoese, 71-26. AMS I.20212-027, 1 (13.7), female; 6 Oct 1971, D. F. Hoese, 71-27. AMS I.19338-018, 3 (14.3–16.3), females; 26 Nov 1969, F. Talbot, FT-417. BIG HOPE ISLAND (collected by J. Tyler and C. L. Smith in 1969): ANSP 141198, 2 (8.7–11.8), juv.; 27 Jan, TS,A-33. ANSP 141192, 6 (9.0–17.1) 4 juv., 1 male (16.0), 1 female (17.1); 19 Jan, TS,A–21. ANSP 141193, 1 (ca. 11.6), juv.; 19 Jan, TS,A–22. LITTLE HOPE ISLAND (collected by J. Tyler and C. L. Smith in 1969): AMNH 39056, 1 (10.6), juv.; 20 Jan 1969, S69-26. AMNH 39057, 1 (13.2), juv.; 19 Jan 1969, S69-23. USNM 219288, 1 (19.7), male; 20 Jan 1969, S69-27. AMNH 39058, 6 (13.1-18.1), 5 males (18.1), 1 female (17.1); 20 Jan 1969, S69-25. ENDEAVOUR REEF (collected by J. Tyler and C. L. Smith in 1969): AMNH 39059, 4 (9.1–17.5), 3 juv., 1 female (17.5); 5 Jan, S69-5. AMNH 39060, 3 (10.7-11.3), juv.; 6 Jan, S69-6. AMNH 39061, 1 (14.6), female; 7 Jan, S69–6? AMNH 39062, 4 (9.0–14.1), 2 juv., 2 males (14.1); 6 Jan, S69-7. AMNH 39063, 2 (9.0, 10.0), juv.; 13 Jan, S69-13. AMNH 39064, 3 (12.0–17.2), 1 juv., 1 male (17.2), 1 female (15.1); 14 Jan, S69-16. AMNH 39065, 4 (12.5–17.2), 2 juv., 1 male (17.2), 1 female (16.1); 15 Jan, S69-18. AMNH 39066, 4 (9.5–16.2), 3 juv., 1 male (16.2); 16 Jan, S69-19. ANSP 141187, 2 (13.6, 13.4), male and female; 4 Jan, TS, A–3. ANSP 141194, 5 (8.3–12.6), 4 juv., 1 female (12.6); 5 Jan, TS,A–4. ANSP 141188, 2 (10.9, 14.5), juv. and female; 6 Jan, TS,A–5. ANSP 141189, 1 (11.7), juv.; Cook wreck site, 11 Jan, TS,A–11. ANSP 141190, 2 (9.4, 11.3), juv.; 13 Jan, TS,A–12. ANSP 141195, 12 (9.3–15.6), 10 juv., 2 males (15.6); 13 Jan, TS,A–13. ANSP 141196, 2 (10.5, 11.3), juv.; 14 Jan, TS,A–15. ANSP 141191, 13 (9.0–14.9), 11 juv., 2 males (14.9); 15 Jan, TS,A–16. ANSP 141197, 17 (9.0–17.4), 15 juv., 2 males (17.4); 16 Jan, TS,A–17. NEW CALEDONIA: USNM 219290, 1 (21.0), female; Noumea, 15 Apr 1944, Chapman, C-17.

DIAGNOSIS.—Pectoral rays more often simple than branched, except rays 12 and 13, occasionally all rays unbranched; rays 1–10 never branched; first dorsal spine filamentous in males, rarely in females; fifth pelvic fin ray rudimentary or absent; a dark crescent or semicircular mark at base of pectoral fin.

DESCRIPTION.—Dorsal fin rays VI–I,8(21), VI–I,9(1); anal fin rays I,8(21), I,9(1); pectoral fin rays 15(6), 16(11), 17(3); pectoral rays more often simple than branched except rays 12 and 13; rays 1–10 never branched; all rays unbranched in some specimens; pelvic fin rays I,4(2), I,4 + a rudiment(18), I,4 1/10(1); fourth ray of pelvic fin with 2–5 branches, averaging 3.7; segments between consecutive branches of fourth pelvic fin ray number 2–9, with a mode of 4; pelvic fin membrane reduced; branched caudal fin rays 11(2), 12(7), 13(5), 14(2), 15(1); segmented caudal fin rays 17(23); lateral scale rows 23(10), 24(6), 25(1); transverse scale rows 5(2), 6(10). Scales with 20–37 ctenii, 6–16 radii; breast scaleless.

First dorsal spine of male may be elongate or filamentous, the longest extending to end of second dorsal fin base; males as small as 13 mm SL have a filamentous dorsal spine; only one female, 16.6 mm SL, from Lizard Island had the first dorsal spine elongate, reaching base of second dorsal ray; pelvic fin most often reaches or extends beyond anal fin origin.

The cephalic sensory pore system is pattern 1. Cutaneous papilla system is pattern A.

Genital papilla in male simple, flat, wider at or near base, usually reaching anal spine or barely beyond; in female, papilla bulbous, short with 4 to 8 fingerlike projections at tip, usually not reaching anal spine.

Gravid females range in length from 14.3–15.7 mm SL (5).

Vertebrae, 10(9) precaudal, 16(9) caudal, total 26.

COLOR IN PRESERVATION.—Head and trunk covered with uniformly spaced fine brown spots giving the body an overall brown to dusky appearance. Head with 2–3 short dark streaks along dorsal midline between rear margin of eyes and origin of spinous dorsal; radiating from the eye is a small dark spot at approximately a 4 o'clock position, sometimes also one at about 2 o'clock, a dark bar from eye at 6 o'clock to rictus of jaw, sometimes reduced, appearing only as a spot at rictus, and a dark bar from margin of eye at about 7 o'clock extending across lips to chin; anterior nares dark; narrow dark bar along vertical edge, and small dark spot along lower edge of preopercle, diffuse to prominent; sometimes an elongate horizontal spot anterior to upper edge of gill opening; prominent dark crescent to semicircular shaped mark on basal region of pectoral fin, part on rayed portion and part on fleshy base, covering entire height of fin base; about 7 dark spots along dorsal midline from origin of spinous dorsal fin to caudal peduncle, typically poorly developed; similar, but more subcutaneous, spots along ventral midline from anal fin origin posteriorly to caudal peduncle, numbering up to 7; the subcutaneous bars that are frequently associated with ventral midline spots in Eviota are obscure; scale pockets edged in brown; pectoral fins clear to somewhat dusky in midportion; pelvic fins clear, dorsal, anal, and caudal fins uniformly dark to dusky, caudal often lighter, anal sometimes with clear outer margin; in smaller specimens the dorsal fins have a light spot in central region and tips of fins with a narrow clear margin. Females from the Australian populations tend to be lighter on the body than their male counterparts, but have more prominent head and midline body marks.

GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION.—Known from the Great Barrier Reef and New Caledonia (Figure 7).