Partial albinism in the Revillagigedo sea chub Kyphosus sectatrix (Perciformes: Kyphosidae) from Clarion Island, Mexico

Abstract

Kyphosus sectatrix has a widespread distribution inhabiting rocky and coral reefs from warm waters around the world, from the West Pacific to the East Pacific (including the Revillagigedo Archipelago), the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. On March 2016, during an expedition to Clarion Island, Revillagigedo Archipelago, we observed an individual of K. sectatrix with abnormal body coloration, entirely white with black eyes, a condition known as partial albinism. This contrasts with the xanthic condition (entirely yellow or with black blotches) commonly observed in K. sectatrix at the Revillagigedo Archipelago. This specimen represents the first documented record of partial albinism in K. sectatrix for the Mexican Pacific.