A new species of cardinalfish from Australia (Percomorpha: Apogonidae: Gymnapogon)

A new species of cardinalfish, Gymnapogon velum, is described from two specimens from Australia, one from the northwest shelf of Western Australia and the other from Queensland. The new species is placed within Gymnapogon based on caudal osteology, one spine present on the preopercle edge, a single rod-like postcleithrum, as well as a scaleless head, body, and fins. It is distinguished by having an elongate body with relatively deep soft dorsal and anal fins, a rounded caudal fin with 15 branched principal caudal-fin rays, 13 soft dorsal-fin rays, 12 or 13 anal-fin rays, 10 or 11 upper and lower procurrent caudal-fin rays, and a single smooth spine on the edge of the preopercle. The high dorsal and anal fin-ray counts separate the new species from all congeners. Gymnapogon annona (Whitley, 1936) is redescribed due to discrepancies between the original description and illustration of the holotype.