A New Cryptic Species of Splitfin Fish from Taiwan with Revision of the Genus Synagrops (Acropomatiformes: Synagropidae)
Dominique P. Mediodia
Biodiversity Program, Taiwan International Graduate Program, Academia Sinica and National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
Department of Life Science, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei 11677, Taiwan
Institute of Marine Fisheries and Oceanology, College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of the Philippines Visayas, Philippines
Chia-Hao Chang
Department of Science Education, National Taipei University of Education, Taipei 10671, Taiwan
Hsuan-Ching Ho
Department and Graduate Institute of Aquaculture, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Kaohsiung 807618 Taiwan
Graduate Institute of Marine Biology, National Dong Hwa University, Hualien 974301, Taiwan
Tomáš Přikryl
Institute of Geology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Department of Paleobiology and Paleoecology, Czech Republic
Chien-Hsiang Lin
Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:98DE6CDB-52C4-4337-A74C-6F2CA0523C83
Communicated by Hin-Kiu Mok
A new species of splitfin fish, Synagrops atrumoris sp. nov., from Dongsha Island, Taiwan, South China Sea, is described based on its morphological characteristics, including osteology and otolith morphology, and DNA sequence. Synagrops atrumoris sp. nov. is closely similar to Synagrops japonicus and can be distinguished by its black mouth cavity covering the lower portion of the tongue, posteriorly enlarged and complex basioccipital fossae, and a triangular otolith with a strong postero-dorsal angle, as well as a strong genetic difference. In addition, the taxonomy of the genus Synagrops was revised. Available published data, together with our results, suggest that S. bellus is a synonym of S. japonicus.
