Briggsia hastingsi Craig & Randall, 2009, new species

Briggsia hastingsi, new species

Figures 1–3; Table 1

Holotype: BPBM 36539, 22 mm SL, Oman, southeastern coast, Rahah Bay, 16°57°N, 54°49’E, 2 m, quinaldine, John P. Hoover, 8 February 1993.

Diagnosis: A species of aspasimine gobiesocid with dorsal and anal fins posterior on body, each with 4 rays; pectoral rays 23; caudal fin broad and rounded, with 10 principal rays; gill rakers on first gill arch 9, on third arch 10; head large, its length 2.5 in SL; body depth 6.1 in SL; disc double and well-separated; disc length 3.9 in SL; disc width 4.4 in SL; color in alcohol uniform tan; color when fresh dark reddish gray with numerous blue dots on side of body except posteriorly, and a few on postorbital head; a dark purplish brown stripe from front of snout, continuing posterior to eye; head ventral to stripe yellowish white; a distinct orange ring around pupil.

Description: Dorsal rays 4; anal rays 4; pectoral rays 23; principal caudal rays 10; upper procurrent caudal rays 6; lower procurrent caudal rays 5; gill rakers on second gill arch 9; gill rakers on third gill arch 10; vertebrae 29.

Body depth 6.1 in SL; body rounded anteriorly, progressively more compressed posteriorly; head length 2.5 in SL; head width 2.5 in SL; snout length 2.6 in HL; eye diameter 6.35 in HL; caudal-peduncle depth 1.1 in its length.

Disc double, well-separated, and of moderate size; disc length 3.9 in SL; disc width 4.4 in SL; anus about half way between origin of anal fin and posterior edge of disc. Disc region “A” (sensu Briggs, 1955) with several rows of flattened papillae; disc region “B” with three rows of flattened papillae; disc region “C” with four rows of flattened papillae; a small, oval region slightly posterior to disc region “A” with two circular pads formed by flattened papillae (Fig. 2)

Mouth slightly inferior, oblique, and moderately large, the upper-jaw length 6.3 in SL; front of jaws with a sandpaper-like pad of small teeth, followed by two or three well-developed canines and two rows of incisors.

Nostrils well separated and distinctly tubular; five pairs of cephalic sensory pores; nasal sensory canals 2, postorbital canals 1, lachrymal canals 2 (Fig. 3).

Origins of dorsal and anal fins in vertical alignment; postdorsal-caudal distance 8.3 in SL; dorsal-caudal distance 5.3 in SL; no fleshy pad at base of pectoral fin.

Color of holotype in alcohol uniform tan. Color when fresh: body and dorsal part of head reddish gray; numerous blue dots on side of body except posteriorly; a few blue dots on postorbital head; a dark purplish brown stripe from upper lip to eye, continuing obliquely downward a short distance behind eye; head below stripe abruptly yellowish white; a short blue line at ventral edge of dark stripe posterior to eye; eye colored like adjacent head except for a bright orange ring around pupil; dorsal and anal fins translucent with vague pale spots; caudal fin with reddish rays and clear membranes, the upper and lower rays with a row of pale spots; paired fins pale.

Etymology: This species name hastingsi is named in honor of Dr. Philip A. Hastings, the thesis advisor of the first author, who initially aroused the first author’s curiosity in clingfishes.

Remarks: Randall (1996) published a book entitled Coastal Fishes of Oman. Fish collections for this volume include a single specimen of a clingfish taken in 1993 that he was unable to identify to genus or species. We are aware of no additional material of this species, which is so distinctive that we no longer hesitate to describe it from a single specimen.

Shiogaki & Dotsu (1983) reported on the head sensory canal pores of the Gobieosocidae and proposed that the orientation and number of these pores may be useful to differentiate clingfish genera. The pattern observed in B. hastingsi (nasal canals 2, postorbital canals 1, lachrymal canals 2) would indicate a close relationship with species of the genera Pherallodus and Parvicrepis of the subfamily Diplocrepinae. Species of the Diplocrepinae, however, have gill membranes that are free from the isthmus, thus B. hastingsi with its attached gill membranes is placed in the Aspaminae, following Briggs (1955). Briggs (1993) described a new genus and species, Posidonichthys hutchinsi, which also possesses three gills, a double disc, and gill membranes that are attached to the isthmus, indicating its placement within the Aspasminae. However, Briggs noted several characters in the general osteology of P. hutchinsi that suggest a close relationship to the Diplocrepinae. The relationship of these two subfamilies is in need of further study.

Body Depth 6.1

Body Width 4.6

Head Length 2.5

Head Width 3.9

Snout Length 6.5

Orbit Diameter 16.0

Interorbital Width 13.9

Upper-jaw Length 6.3

Caudal-peduncle Depth 16.0

Caudal-peduncle Length 13.9

Predorsal Length 1.2

Preanal Length 1.3

Longest Dorsal-fin Ray 18.9

Longest Anal-fin Ray 20.8

Caudal-fin Length 7.7

Pectoral-fin Length 10.4

Dorsal-caudal Distance 5.3

Postdorsal-caudal Distance 8.3

Disc Length 3.9

Disc Width 4.4