Two new species of marine goby genus Trimmatom (Teleostei: Gobiidae) from Taiwan with comments on a newly recorded species

Abstract

Two new species of marine goby of the genus Trimmatom Winterbottom & Emery, 1981 are described from coastal waters of Taiwan. Trimmatom novempunctatus sp. nov. is distinguished from all congeneric species by the following unique combination of features: second dorsal fin rays 8-10; anal fin rays 8-9; pectoral fin rays 13-14; longitudinal scale rows 23; transverse scale rows 5; and pelvic fins with the first to third rays each branched once, the fourth ray elongated posteriorly (reaching beyond the last ray of the anal fin) and the fifth ray 6-10% as long as the fourth; distinctive colorations: the dorsum has a medial row of 9 dark spots extending from the first dorsal fin to the upper procurrent caudal fin, and the ventral side of the body has a medial row of 5 dark spots between the anal fin origin and the end of the caudal peduncle. Trimmatom tetramaculatus sp. nov. is similarly distinguished by its unique combination of features: second dorsal fin rays 9; anal fin rays 9; pectoral fin rays 18; longitudinal scale rows 23; transverse scale rows 6; and pelvic fin with the first to fourth rays branched and the fourth ray short; distinctive colorations: a short, light-purplish blue band on both sides of the upper opercle (discontinuous across the nape); and four light-purplish blue saddles along the body's upper side. A new distributional record for Taiwan of another member of this genus, Trimmatom pharus Winterbottom, 2001, is also documented. A brief comparison of related congeneric species will also be addressed.