Description

SINGLE PAPER

Volume 18, Issue 3 – 15 July 2012

Gerald R. Allen and Joshua A. Drew: A new species of Damselfish (Pomacentrus: Pomacentridae) from Fiji and Tonga, 171-180

Abstract
Pomacentrus maafu is described from 195 specimens, 10.1-65.8 mm SL, collected at Fiji and Tonga. DNA analysis reveals it is the sister species to Pomacentrus moluccensis from the Western Pacific. The two species are indistinguishable on the basis of meristic and morphometric data, but are easily distinguished by colour pattern differences. The new species is mainly brown on the body with variable amounts of yellow on the head and adjacent anterior body, and it also has a yellow caudal fin and peduncle. In contrast, P. moluccensis is entirely bright yellow. Results of DNA analysis show that the two species are genetically distinct, with a divergence of 8.2% at the mitochondrial control region locus which is indicative of species-level differentiation among the Pomacentridae. The new species forms small aggregations around branching and tabular acroporid corals at depths of about 2-15 m.