Description

SINGLE PAPER

Volume 16, Issue 4 – 15 October 2010

Luke Tornabene, Carole Baldwin, Lee A. Weigt and Frank Pezold: Exploring the diversity of western Atlantic Bathygobius (Teleostei: Gobiidae) with cytochrome c oxidase-I, with descriptions of two new species, pp. 41-170

Abstract

Bathygobius is currently represented by three species in the western Atlantic (B. soporator, B. curacao and B. mystacium) based on diagnostic morphological features. Our combined genetic and morphological analyses indicate that there are at least six species of Bathygobius comprising eight genetic lineages in the western Atlantic. Two lineages are identified as B. curacao and B. mystacium. Four lineages possess characters that would previously have led to their identification as B. soporator. Two of those are morphologically indistinguishable and are recognized here tentatively as a single species, B. soporator. A third “B. soporator” lineage is distinct, and Gobius lacertus is resurrected here as Bathygobius lacertus for that lineage. The fourth “B. soporator” lineage is also distinct and is described as a new species. Two other closely related genetic lineages are morphologically indistinguishable and are treated as a single new species. Redescriptions of B. soporator, B. mystacium and B. curacao are provided. Comments are made on the identification of larval Bathygobius from Belize.