DESCRIPTIONS OF THREE NEW PSEUDOCHROMID FISHES OF THE GENUS PSEUDOPLESIOPS FROM AUSTRALIA AND SURROUNDING REGIONS

WA Museum Records and Supplements | Updated 1 decade ago

Abstract
Three new pseudochromid fishes are described from the tropical eastern Indian and western Pacific Oceans. Pseudoplesiops howensis is described from 22 specimens collected at Lord Howe Island in 1973. It is closely related to P. knighti, also described herein, but differs in predorsal scalation and coloration. The latter species is described from 55 specimens, mainly collected on the northern Great Barrier Reef, but it also occurs off north-western Australia, at Manus Islands, and possibly at the Molucca Islands. Pseudoplesiops multisquamatus, the third new species, differs from other members of the genus on the basis of its high (usually more than 60) number of scales in a horizontal series. It is described from 44 specimens collected mainly below 30-40 m depth at the Fiji Islands, New Britain, Manus Island, Coral Sea, northern Great Barrier Reef, off north-western Australia, Christmas Island, and the Cocos-Keeling Islands.