Eviota maculosa, a new dwarfgoby from the Western Pacific Ocean (Teleostei: Gobiidae)

A new species of dwarfgoby, Eviota maculosa n. sp., is described from reefs in the Western Pacific Ocean. Specimens from West Papua (Fakfak), Sulawesi, and Pohnpei match the DNA sequences of the type population from Teluk Saleh, Sumbawa, Indonesia. The new species is most similar to E. punctulata, described from Fiji, but can be distinguished by pigmentation patterns on the fins. Phylogenetic analyses using both mitochondrial and nuclear genes confirm that the new species is part of a species complex with E. punctulata, E. tigrina, and two additional undescribed species from Samoa and Tonga. Within this complex, the new species and E. punctulata and E. tigrina share the synapomorphy of having multiple rows of tricuspid teeth in both the upper and lower jaws, which is unique within Eviota and rare in gobiids in general.