Description

SINGLE PAPER

Volume 9, Issue 3 – March 2005

Winterbottom, Richard,  Iwata, Akihisa and Toshikazu Kozawa: Vanderhorstia nannai, a new species of burrow-associated goby from Palau and the Philippines (Pisces: Gobiidae), pp. 109-114

Abstract

A new species of the shrimp-associated gobiid genus Vanderhorstia, V. nannai, is described from four specimens collected in Palau, and from 15 aquarium specimens reputedly from the Philippines. The presence of this species in the latter area is supported by an image of the live fish photographed in situ in the Philippines available on the internet. It is distinguished from its congeners by the elongate 5th and 9th branched caudal fin rays; 16-18 pectoral fin rays; 41-45 lateral scale rows; no scales in the predorsal midline; coloration pale off-white background with six prominent yellow orange spots haloed with blue on the midlateral surface of the body and smaller yellow-orange spots and blue spots and streaks on the head; a single papilla on row cp’; an uninterrupted row b on the cheek; and a total of two to four papillae in a transverse row across the chin (row f).