Gerres phaiya: A New Species of Gerreid Fish (Teleostei: Perciformes: Gerreidae) from India, with Comments on Gerres poieti and the Gerres erythrourus Complex

Abstract

Two species of gerreid fishes have been confused under the name Gerres poieti Cuvier, 1829, a name originally assigned to the gerreid fish from Indonesia illustrated and named “ikan-poeti” in Renard, 1719. A year later, Cuvier published a description of Gerres poeti (incorrect subsequent spelling) based on a 150 mm SL fish from Mahé, southwest coast of India, which he stated was the same species as Renard's ikan poeti. Iwatsuki et al. recognized Renard's fish as Gerres longirostris (Lacepède, 1801); consequently, Gerres poieti Cuvier, 1829, becomes a synonym of G. longirostris. Despite several discrepancies between Cuvier's description of the Indian fish and Renard's illustration of ikan poeti, the name poieti (or poeti) has been used as the valid name for both G. longirostris and an undescribed species from the southwest coast of India. The Indian species misidentified as Gerres poeti (sic) by Cuvier in 1830 is here described as a new species, Gerres phaiya, of the Gerres erythrourus species complex. This new species is characterized by an exceptionally robust second anal fin spine (ratio of greatest width of second spine/greatest width of third spine = 1.5–2.4), three supraneural bones (0/0 0/2/), dorsal fin with nine spines and 10 rays, 36–40 lateral line scales, four or 4.5 scales between fifth dorsal fin spine base and lateral line, 12–15 total gill rakers on first gill arch, caudal fin lobes rounded posteriorly, body depth 46–52% SL, and the silvery body often with 6–10 dusky vertical bars. Additional data are given for G. erythrourus (Bloch, 1791).