RESEARCH ARTICLE

Valenciennea yanoi, a new gobiid fish from the Ryukyu Islands, Japan (Teleostei: Gobiidae)

Toshiyuki Suzuki, Hiroshi Senou & John E. Randall

Abstract

The gobiid fish Valenciennea yanoi n. sp. is described from two specimens collected in 13–20 m at Iriomote Island, Ryukyu Islands, Japan. Diagnostic features include the combination of a low first dorsal fin with a rounded margin, no black spot on the dorsal fin, 12 second-dorsal and anal-fin soft rays, no black spot and no yellow stripe on the snout, no black spot on the upper part of the eye, three narrow vivid sky-blue stripes on the lateral side of the head, and two broad orange and yellow stripes on the body reaching to the rear margin of the caudal fin. The new species is most similar to Valenciennea parva Hoese & Larson, 1994, but differs by lacking black spots on the snout and eye and by having broader orange and yellow stripes which reach the rear margin of the caudal fin.