Redescription of Stolephorus ronquilloi Wongratana, 1983 and Description of Stolephorus hindustanensis, a New Anchovy from the Western Coast of India (Teleostei: Clupeiformes: Engraulidae)

Harutaka Hata,Hiroyuki Motomura

doi:10.3390/taxonomy2010010

Abstract

The new anchovy Stolephorus hindustanensis n. sp., described on the basis of 11 specimens collected from Mumbai, western coast of India, closely resembles Stolephorus ronquilloi Wongratana, 1983 in sharing an indented preopercle posterior margin, long maxilla extending beyond the preopercle posterior margin, double pigmented lines on the dorsum behind the dorsal fin, and lacking a predorsal scute. However, the new species differs from S. ronquilloi in having lower counts of gill rakers on the first and second gill arches, higher counts of total vertebrae, a deeper body, greater distances between the snout tip and anal-fin origin, origins of the dorsal and anal fins, and pelvic-fin insertion and anal-fin origin, and longer pelvic fin, third dorsal-fin ray, third anal-fin ray, and postorbital length.

Highlights

The genus comprises 37 valid species [1–18], seven of which are diagnosed by an indented preopercle posterior margin
As detailed morphological data of S. ronquilloi has never been provided since the original description, the species is redescribed
Standard and head lengths are abbreviated as SL and Head length (HL), respectively

Summary

Introduction

Stolephorus Lacepède, 1803, an Indo-Pacific genus of marine and/or brackish water anchovies (Clupeiformes: Engraulidae), was reviewed by Whitehead et al, (1988), who recognized 18 valid and one undescribed species. The genus comprises 37 valid species [1–18], seven of which (including a number described in recent studies [16,18]) are diagnosed by an indented preopercle posterior margin. 11 specimens with a indented preopercle margin, collected from the western coast of India and found during an ongoing revisionary study of the genus, are described as a new species of Stolephorus. The new species closely resembles Stolephorus ronquilloi Wongratana, 1983, endemic to the Philippines, in sharing the similar coloration and lacking a predorsal scute. As detailed morphological data of S. ronquilloi has never been provided since the original description, the species is redescribed

Materials and Methods