Striped Barbelgoby

Characterized by pale grey body color with brown saddles on top of head extending ventrally to middle of preopercle, another across nape extending to pectoral region; presence of broad, dark brown lateral stripe from pectoral region to caudal fin base; fully united pelvic fins, frenum present; rounded caudal fin; longitudinal scale series 31-34; presence of barbels on snout, tip of chin, and ventrally below lower jaw; cycloid scales; cheek and opercle without scales; deeply embedded nape scales; absence of nasal and posterior interorbital sensory pores; depth of body 6.4 in SL (Ref. 90102).

Dorsal spines (total): 6 - 7; Dorsal soft rays (total): 10; Analspines: 1; Analsoft rays: 9 - 10

Inhabits intertidal zone and shallow reefs next to shore in 0-15 m (Ref. 90102).

Gobiopsis malekulae (Herre)

Ctenogobius malekulae Herre, 1935:423 [type-locality: Bushman Bay, Malekula Island, New Hebrides]; 1936:367, fig. 25 [New Hebrides].

Herreogobius malekulae.—Koumans, 1940:139 [New Hebrides].—1953b:145, fig. 34 [New Hebrides].

DIAGNOSIS.—Sensory pore SOT present, NA, PITO, AT, PT, and POP pores absent; a row of papillae from snout to SOT pore; trunk with a dark, wide, uniform midlateral stripe; only one trunk saddle; scales cycloid, 31–34 in horizontal series; barbels present in all defined positions except the posterior gular; jaw very short, about 10–11 percent of SL; dark head wedge descends to middle of preopercle; light base of pectoral fin not divided by dark wedge.

DESCRIPTION.—Dorsal fin rays VI–I, 10(8); anal fin rays I, 9(7), I, 10(1); pectoral fin rays 16 (1), 17 (10); pelvic fin rays I, 5(5); segmented caudal fin rays 17(7); branched caudal fin rays 15(6); lateral scale rows 31–34(3); transverse scale rows 15–17(2); predorsal scales 9–10(2).

Scales cycloid, primary radii in anterior field about 13–14; scale eccentric; focal area narrow; posterior field small with 9-10 short radii.

Vertebrae 10+16(7), 10+17(1); pterygiophore formula 3 (22110) in 7 specimens and 3 (221100) in 1.

Head length 294 (279–310) 4; snout length 67 (61–75) 4; greatest diameter of orbit 33 (30–35) 4; bony interorbital width 44 (43–45) 4; pectoral fin length 270 (262–275) 3; pelvic fin length 196 (188–205) 3; caudal fin length 284 (280–288) 2; predorsal length 381 (367–389) 4; greatest depth of body 157 (157) 2; least depth of peduncle 118 (117–118) 2; postanal length 362 (357–367) 2; lower jaw length 108 (100–115) 6; pelvic fin insertion to anal fin origin 361 (354–365) 3.

Apparently a small species, largest male 22.9 mm, largest female 23.0 mm. Body fairly slender, head moderately wide, fleshy interorbital width about 1.5 times diameter of orbit but less than length of snout; lower jaw very short, 10–11 percent of SL; origin of second dorsal fin just anterior to vertical from anal opening; depressed pectoral fin extending to about the vertical from end of base of first dorsal fin, pectoral fin longer than deep, the outer margin round to moderately acute; pelvic fins short, about one-half length of distance from pelvic fin insertion to anal fin origin.

Number of teeth on outer row, upper jaw about 13–15, lower jaw about 8.

The cephalic sensory pore and canal system is greatly reduced (Plate 5; Tables 1, 2) compared with these structures exhibited by the other species having pores. The NA and PITO pores, the AT and PT pores, and the POP pores, and the associated canals linking these pores are absent. The SOT pores are located close together near the midline, more so than on any other species. In smaller specimens of G. malekulae the SOT pores are more widely separated.

The cutaneous papillae system represents our Gobiopsis pattern 2 (Plate 5) which is characterized by having the nasal row continuous to the SOT pore. The lateral cephalic row originates at the IT pore and extends uninterrupted posteriorly to about the upper gill opening. The papillae of the second cheek row are coarse and more widely separated anteriorly than those of the other species. The third cheek row is greatly reduced, having only 1 or 3 papillae. There is additionally a vertical row of 2 papillae as in G. arenaria at the midpreopercular margin, above and disjunct, but in line with the outer preoperculo-mandibular row and more posterior and disjunct from the upper preopercular row.

The barbels in G. malekulae are comparatively well developed, only the posterior gular group is absent. The number of barbels in the groups are: intermandibular, 1–3 (mean 2.00); posterior mandibular 1–3 (2.63); postmandibular 1 (1.00); anterior cheek tuft 3–4 (3.56); anterior internasals 1–2 (1.18); posterior internasals 1 (1.00). The lower barbel on the anterior cheek tuft is not elongate but is about equal to or slightly longer than others on the tuft.

COLOR IN PRESERVATION.—Trunk with a prominent, dark lateral stripe located dorsolaterally anteriorly on trunk and laterally on caudal peduncle; stripe wide, greater than one-half depth of caudal peduncle; stripe begins at upper base of pectoral fin where it unites with the broad, predorsal saddle that extends between the upper pectoral fin bases; Herre (1936:367, fig. 25) does not show the predorsal saddle or barbels; trunk stripe terminates at base of caudal fin where it is somewhat constricted and confluent with the dark, deep bar at base of caudal fin, which is as deep as caudal peduncle; middorsal area posterior to predorsal saddle pale to slightly dusky, lacking saddles characteristic of other species of Gobiopsis. Head with dark mark from interorbital area to line between preopercular margins and descending laterally to midpreopercle as a dark head wedge; a light band on head between upper preopercular margins and upper edge of gill openings; snout slightly pigmented; margins of upper and lower jaws, chin, opercular area, breast, belly, and lower caudal peduncle below the dark lateral stripe, pale or light.

Pectoral fin with lower two-thirds light; sickle-shaped mark on upper pectoral fin does not divide the light base, but extends to upper fin base, remainder of fin clear; pelvic fin clear; first dorsal fin with a dark narrow stripe on lower portion of fin, remainder of fin clear; second dorsal fin with dark pigment on lower part of first 3 rays, remainder of fin clear; anal fin clear; caudal fin clear other than dark basal bar. Pigment on most of our specimens is greatly faded, including the wide, dark lateral trunk stripe.

GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION.—Known from the type-locality (New Hebrides) and from islands in the northern and southern Philippines. Koumans (1953a) reports this species from Misool in the Moluccas.

ECOLOGY.—Specimens from the Albatross stations in the Philippines came from tide pools and were collected with copper sulphate. The GVF collection from the Philippines was made with rotenone poison at a depth of 1 m on a sand bottom at edge of open sea, 10-15 m from shore at low tide.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.—Males, 2 (20.0–22.9); females, 3 (22.623.0); unsexed, 3 (14.4–18.0).

PHILIPPINES: CAS 33627, (23.0), Apo Island, 4 miles E of Zamboanguita town, Negros Oriental, 09°05′N, 123°16′E, GVF Reg. No. 2670, 11 May 1960; SU 40135, (15.1), Dumaguete, Negros Oriental, collected by A. W. Herre, 22 Dec 1936; USNM 135755, (18.0), Batan Is., Albatross Exp., 22 Jul 1909; USNM 135756, 3 (14.4–22.6), Maculabo Is., E of Luzon, Albatross Exp., 14 Jun 1909.

NEW HEBRIDES: FMNH 17385, holotype, male (22.9), Bushman Bay, Malekula Is., A.W.C.T. Herre, 4 Apr 1929; SU 24434, paratype, female (23.0), same data as FMNH 17385.

Gobiopsis malekulae, the striped barbelgoby, is a species of goby found in the Western Central Pacific Ocean.