Liopropomaincandescens sp. nov. (﻿Epinephelidae, Liopropominae), a new species of basslet from mesophotic coral ecosystems of Pohnpei, Micronesia.

Hudson T Pinheiro,Bart Shepherd,Brian D Greene,Luiz A Rocha

doi:10.3897/zookeys.863.33778

Liopropomaincandescens sp. nov. (Epinephelidae, Liopropominae), a new species of basslet from mesophotic coral ecosystems of Pohnpei, Micronesia.

Hudson T Pinheiro, Bart Shepherd + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.863.33778

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Abstract

A new species of the genus Liopropoma Gill found on the lower mesophotic coral ecosystem of Pohnpei, Micronesia, is herein described. Liopropomaincandescenssp. nov. differs from its congeners in coloration, number of lateral-line scales, number of pectoral fin rays, body depth, and snout length. Liopropomaincandescenssp. nov. is the 31st species in the genus. It was collected from a small rocky crevice in a steep slope at 130 m depth. Water temperature was 20 °C and benthic habitat was dominated by gorgonians, sponges and tunicates.

Highlights

Despite significant recent growth on research in mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs, 30–150 m depth), exploration at these depths is still yielding high rates of new species discovery worldwide (Rocha et al 2017, Pinheiro et al 2018, Pyle et al 2018, Shepherd et al 2018a, Arango et al 2019)
The serranid genus Liopropoma Gill is a typical inhabitant of MCEs, with the most recent species being described from the Caribbean (Baldwin and Robertson 2014; Baldwin and Johnson 2014)
During our latest expedition to Pohnpei in August of 2017, we discovered a new species of Liopropoma at 130 m depth at Ahnd (Ant) Atoll

Summary

Introduction

Despite significant recent growth on research in mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs, 30–150 m depth), exploration at these depths is still yielding high rates of new species discovery worldwide (Rocha et al 2017, Pinheiro et al 2018, Pyle et al 2018, Shepherd et al 2018a, Arango et al 2019). The serranid genus Liopropoma Gill is a typical inhabitant of MCEs, with the most recent species being described from the Caribbean (Baldwin and Robertson 2014; Baldwin and Johnson 2014). It is characterized by VIII, 11–14 dorsal fin rays, III, 8–11 anal rays, weak ctenoid scales on the body, a complete lateral line (highly arched over pectoral fin) with 44–66 pored scales, and a band of villiform teeth in both jaws lacking canines (Kon et al 1999). We describe Liopropoma incandescens sp. nov. as the 31st species of the genus

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