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| Eviota gunawanae Greenfield, Tornabene & Erdmann
in Greenfield, Tornabene, Erdmann & Pada, 2019.
Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation. 32
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Abstract
A new species of dwarfgoby, Eviota gunawanae, with a cephalic sensory-canal pore pattern lacking only the IT and NA pores and with the AITO pore positioned far forward and opening anteriorly, is described from the Fakfak Peninsula in the Bird’s Head Seascape of western New Guinea, West Papua Province, Indonesia. It has a dorsal/anal-fin-ray formula of 8/7, 16 unbranched pectoral-fin rays, the fifth pelvic-fin ray present, very long anterior tubular nares, a distinctive double black spot at the caudal-fin base, and no narrow horizontal line of melanophores crossing the pectoral-fin base. In life, it has a maroon stripe down the midline of the body, with elongate white spots above it posteriorly and two white lines over the abdomen. E. gunawanae is most closely related to E. tetha. The new species appears to represent the eighth known microendemic fish species from this remote reef location in West Papua, highlighting the biodiversity conservation importance of the Fakfak Peninsula’s reefs.
Key words: taxonomy, systematics, ichthyology, coral-reef fishes, gobies, endemism, microendemism, phylogenetics, Bird’s Head Seascape, conservation, Eviota tetha
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| Eviota gunawanae n. sp.
underwater photograph, Fakfak, West Papua Province, Indonesia
(photos: M.V. Erdmann).
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Eviota gunawanae, n. sp. Greenfield, Tornabene & Erdmann
Tiene’s Dwarfgoby
Diagnosis. A species of Eviota with a cephalic sensory-canal pore pattern lacking only IT and NA pores and
with AITO pore positioned far forward and opening anteriorly; very long anterior tubular nares; dorsal/anal-finray formula 8/7; 16 unbranched pectoral-fin rays; fifth pelvic-fin ray about 10% length of the fourth pelvic-fin
ray; a black spot at caudal-fin base in two joined parts extending anteriorly past end of hypural plate; top of head
with scattered melanophores, sometimes arranged in lines, but not as a single line of melanophores extending
posteriorly from PITO pore back onto nape. In life, a maroon stripe down midline of body with elongate white
spots above stripe posteriorly and two white lines over abdomen.
Etymology. The species is named in honor of Dr. Tiene Gunawan, one of Indonesia’s foremost marine
conservationists who has dedicated the past two decades to expanding the marine protected area network of West
Papua and formulating policies to protect the biodiverse marine ecosystems contained therein. Dr. Gunawan also
helped plan and launch the marine biodiversity survey of the Fakfak coastline that led to the discovery of this
species.
Distribution and habitat. Currently known only from Karas Island in the Fakfak Regency, West Papua
Province, Indonesia. It is presumably more widespread along the poorly-explored Fakfak coastline, but unlikely
to be found in the very well-surveyed Raja Ampat Islands to the north. The species was found in a relatively unusual deepwater-reef environment consisting of large foliose and plating corals on a gentle slope from 35–55m
depth, exposed to moderate currents but otherwise protected from wave energy.
David W. Greenfield, Luke Tornabene, Mark V. Erdmann and Defy N. Pada. 2019. Eviota gunawanae, A New Microendemic Dwarfgoby from the Fakfak Peninsula, West Papua, Indonesia (Teleostei: Gobiidae). Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation. 32; 57–67. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.26167
