Bravo'S Bearded Goby

Characterized by overall pale grey body color, presence of three brown saddles below base of dorsal fins (joined at midbody and usually forming continuous midlateral stripe), narrow extensions of dorsal saddles on lower side; base of caudal fin with vertically ovate spot; fully united pelvic fins, frenum present; rounded caudal fin; longitudinal scale series 28-38; presence of barbels on snout, tip of chin, and ventrally below lower jaw; cycloid scales; cheek and opercle without scales; deeply embedded nape scales; presence of sensory pores on head, including two preopercular pores; depth of body 5.6-5.8 in SL (Ref. 90102).

Dorsal spines (total): 7; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9 - 11; Analspines: 1; Analsoft rays: 8 - 10

Occurs among live and dead corals on sand in tidepools and on shallow reefs.

Found among live and dead corals on sand, in tide pools and on shallow reefs to as deep as 5 m (Ref. 1602). Cryptic (Ref. 90102).

Gobiopsis bravoi (Herre)

Macgregorella bravoi Herre, 1940:363, pl. 5 [type-locality: Nasugbu, Batangas Province. Luzon].—Koumans, 1953b: 390.

DIAGNOSIS.—Sensory pores NA, PITO and SOT present, 2 POP pores, AT and PT pores absent; head with many barbels, postmandibular barbel present, posterior gular barbels almost always present, the intermandibular row long, modally 7 barbels on each side, barbels of the anterior cheek tuft modally 5; head broad, eyes small, interorbital wide, diameter of orbit less than or equal to width of bony interorbital; scales, cycloid, 28–38 in lateral series; jaw short, its length about 12–16 percent of SL; dark head wedge descends to lower preopercle, obscured in large specimens; light base of pectoral fin not divided by dark wedge; trunk with 4 dark saddles joined at midbody, forming a wavy midlateral stripe, with broad extensions below stripe, head and trunk mottled.

DESCRIPTION.—Dorsal fin rays VI–I,9(1), VI–I,10 (22), VI–I,11(1); anal fin rays I,8(1), I,9(21), I,10(2); pectoral fin rays 18(11), 19 (32), 20(3); pelvic fin rays I,5(20); segmented caudal fin rays 17(15); branched caudal fin rays 15(11), 16 (4); lateral scale rows 28–38(8); transverse scale rows 12–17(6); predorsal scales 9–12(3).

Scales cycloid; primary radii in anterior field 10–18; radii of anterior field converge rather sharply forming a focal area moderate to narrow in width; radii in posterior field short, 5–11; the posterior field in some specimens barely discernible.

Vertebrae 10+16(23).

Head length 314 (281–338) 9; snout length 83 (65–93) 9; postorbital length 190 (176–204) 9; greatest diameter of orbit 41 (36–47) 9; bony interorbital width 46 (43–54) 9; pectoral fin length 262 (243–283) 5; pelvic fin length 204 (176–221) 13; caudal fin length 251 (229–291) 7; predorsal length 398 (369–425) 9; greatest depth of body 173 (150–189) 9; least depth of peduncle 127 (121–136) 13; postanal length 359 (324–385) 13; lower jaw length 150 (124–164) 8; pelvic fin insertion to anal fin origin 354 (337–372) 13.

Species attaining an intermediate size for the genus, largest male 34.1 mm SL, largest female 32.3 mm SL, a gravid female 28.4 mm SL. Body stout, trunk deep, head broad (Plates 6a,b, 11d). Snout slightly longer than fleshy interorbital width; fleshy interorbital width about 1.5 times diameter of orbit; length of lower jaw short, 12–16 percent of SL, angle of jaw beneath vertical from about middle of eye; caudal peduncle deep, least depth 33.5–37.5 percent of postanal length (Figure 5); origin of second dorsal fin over anal opening; depressed pectoral fin extends posteriorly to vertical from end of base of first dorsal fin, the length twice depth at base, the posterior margin moderately acute; pelvic fin short, averages about 57 percent of length of distance from pelvic fin insertion to anal fin origin (Figure 3).

Number of teeth on outer row of upper jaw about 14–16, on lower jaw about 8–10.

The AT and PT cephalic sensory pores are absent. A double IT pore on one side of one specimen was found and one specimen lacked the SOT pore on one side (Tables 1, 2).

The cutaneous papillae system is pattern 3 (Plate 6a,b).

Barbels present and comparatively well developed in all defined positions. The ranges and means for barbels in particular positions are: anterior cheek tuft 4–6 (4.93); intermandibular 2–8 (6.09); posterior mandibular 2–6 (3.43); postmandibular 1 (1.00); posterior gular 0–4 (2.14); anterior internasals 2–4 (3.00); posterior internasals 1–3 (2.29). Lower barbel on anterior cheek tuft not elongate, but about equal to or slightly longer than others on tuft.

COLOR IN PRESERVATION.—The predominant color pattern consists of 4 dark trunk saddles that arc and join at midbody forming a wavy midlateral stripe usually with broad projections from the stripe to the ventrolateral area (Plate 11b).

Head dorsally from tip of snout to interpreopercular line dark brown, mottled in larger specimens, forming a dark brown bar behind the eye that descends as a wedge to lower preopercle, wedge sharply defined in smaller specimens, obscure in larger specimens, brown coloration more intense behind the eyes; light band on head just posterior to brown bar traverses interopercular area, pale to slightly brown in smaller specimens and brownish pigmented or slightly mottled in larger specimens; cheek and tip of snout with some pigmentation in larger specimens, lower head pale.

First dark trunk saddle slightly wider than interorbital, extends from just before upper pectoral base to area before first dorsal fin and descends to level of upper base of pectoral fin; second saddle, somewhat narrower than first, passes through midbase of first dorsal fin; third saddle, as wide as second, passes through anterior base of second dorsal; fourth saddle, narrower than third, passes through end of base of second dorsal; the saddles arc and join laterally, just above midside of body, and usually broad projections from about the middle of the arcs descend ventrolaterally on belly and ventrally on caudal peduncle, projections often broken up into scattered, brown patches; a deep, dark brown bar at base of caudal, its depth equal to that of peduncle, the midportion broadened into a wedge, directed anteriorly and confluent with wavy lateral stripe; breast, belly, and lower peduncle pale; spaces between dark saddles dusky brown, sometimes mottled.

The holotype, a male, and the largest two paratypes, males, 29.4 and 31.7 mm SL, are heavily mottled, somewhat obscuring the weak saddles (Plate 11a,d). Other specimens of both sexes have well developed saddles, not appreciably obscured by mottling. The smaller specimens have little or no mottling, the dark head band and wedge, the trunk saddles, the wavy lateral stripe and its ventral projections, the basal caudal bar, the sickle-shaped pectoral mark and the dark marks on first and second dorsal fins are sharply defined.

The pectoral fin proximally with a sharp, dark brown sickle-shaped mark, touching upper pectoral base, and confluent with first dorsal saddle, the large light base not divided into two parts by dark wedge from sickle-shaped mark, some dark scattered spots on rays of upper and outer half of fin, often weakly developed or obscure, remainder of fin clear; pelvic and anal fins clear; first dorsal fin with a small dark spot at anterior base, midportion with dark area where it is traversed by second saddle, the outer portion of fin dusky to clear; second dorsal fin with a small, light anterior spot, two dark basal marks where the third and fourth saddles traverse the fin, a small dark basal spot between the two dark latter marks, the middle and outer part of fin with dark horizontal stripes formed by elongate spots on rays, remainder of fin clear; caudal fin with dark elongate spots on rays, irregularly arranged, diffuse in some specimens, almost obscure in smaller specimens.

GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION.—Known from Okinawa (questionable identification), 2 areas of the Philippines, off western New Guinea, the Moluccas, and Palau (questionable identification) (Figure 6).

ECOLOGY.—Taken in areas of dead and live coral interspersed with sand, sometimes taken in tide pools; depths of capture range from one-half to 5 m.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.—8 males (26.2–34.1), 12 females (20.9–32.3), 3 unsexed specimens (11.8–16.1).

PHILIPPINES: SU 33120, holotype, male (31.1), Nasugbu, Batangas Province, Luzon, A.W.C.T. Herre, 11 Dec 1936; SU 33121, paratypes, males (29.4, 31.7), females (24.4, 26.3), same data as SU 33120; CAS 33619, (20.9), Ayuguitan area, 14 km N of Dumaguete, Negros Oriental, 09°27′N, 123°14′E, GVP Reg. No. 1598, 7 Apr 1958; CAS 33620, 3 (16.1–34.1), same locality as CAS 33619, GVF Reg. No. 1600, 19 Apr 1958; CAS 33621, (11.8, 29.9), same locality as CAS 33619, GVF Reg. No. 1602, 2 May 1958; USNM 216190, 4 (24.9–29.0), 2 cleared and stained, presumably Dumaguete Beach, Negros Oriental, GVF Reg. No. 1605, 7 Jun 1958; CAS 33623, (27.0, 27.7), Dumaguete Beach. Negros Oriental, 09°19′N, 123°19′E, GVF Reg. No. 1608, 8 Jun 1958; CAS 33624, 3 (25.9–26.2), ca. 9 km N of Dumaguete, Negros Oriental, 09°26′(or 27′)N, 123°18′E, GVF Reg. No. 1623, date of collection unknown.

INDONESIA: USNM 211923, (14.3), ca. 3°35'S, ca. 128° 36′E, SE tip of Haria Bay, Saparua, V. G. Springer sta 74-5, 5 Mar 1974.

NEW GUINEA: SU 28066, (22.9, 32.3), Waigiu, A.W.C.T. Herre.

The following specimens are tentatively identified as G. bravoi.

PALAU ISLANDS: CAS 33612, (20.5), Anguar Island, off southern corner of Ngatchab beach, 06°53′52″N, 134°07′ 58″E, GVF Reg. No. 1423, 21 Oct 1957.

RYUKYU Islands: USNM 132806. (30.6), tide pool near Hiza Onna, Okinawa, J. R. Simon sta S-14, 8 Sep 1945.

Gobiopsis bravoi, or Bravo's bearded goby, is a species of goby found in the Western Pacific Ocean from the Philippines, Irian Jaya, and possibly Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands and Palau.