Ichthyological Bulletin of the JLB Smith Institute of Ichthyology; No. 58

The following 84 gobioid fishes are reported from the Maldive Islands (those preceded by asterisk represent new records). GOBIIDAE: Amblyeleotris aurora (Polunin & Lubbock), *A. diagonalis Polunin and Lubbock, *A. periophthalma (Bleeker), *A. steinitzi (Klausewitz), A. wheeleri (Polunin & Lubbock), * Amblygobius hectori (Smith), A. semicinctus (Bennett), * Asterropteryx semipunctatus Ruppell, *A. spinosus (Goren), *Bathygobius calitus (Bennett), B. cocosensis (Bleeker), *B. cyclopterus (Valenciennes), * Cabillus tongarevae (Fowler), * Callogobius centrolepis Weber, *C. sclateri (Steindachner), *C. sp., Cryptocentrus fasciatus (Playfair & Gunther), *Ctenogobiops crocineus Smith, C. feroculus Lubbock & Polunin, * Eviota albolineata Jewett & Lachner, *E. guttata Lachner & Karnella, *E. nebulosa Smith, *E. nigripinna Lachner & Karnella, *E. prasina (Kluzinger), *E. sebreei Jordan & Seale, *E. zebrina Lachner & Karnella, *E. sp., * Flabelligobius latruncularius (Klausewitz), * Fusigobius duospilus Hoese & Reader, *F. neophytus (Gunther), *F. sp. 1 (sp. A of Winterpottom & Emery, 1986), *F. sp. 2 (sp. B of Winterbottom & Emery, 1986), *Gnatholepis anjerensis (Bleeker), *G. scapulostigma Herre, *Gobiodon citrinus (Ruppell), *G. sp. (Chagos specimens identified as G. rivulatus by Winterbottom & Emery, 1986), *Hetereleotris zanzibarensis (Smith), *Istigobius decoratus (Herre), *Macrodontogobius wilburi Herre, Oplopomus caninoides (Bleeker) (reported from Maldives by Regan, 1908), O. Oplopomus (Valenciennes) (reported from Maldives by Regan, 1908, as Hoplopomus acanthistius), *Opua maculipinnis, n. sp. (Opua E.K. Jordan is regarded as a senior synonym of Oplopomops Smith; the new species is characterized as follows: no dorsal spines filamentous, the third longest; 10 soft rays in second dorsal and anal fins; 27 scales in longitudinal series on body, 9 prodorsal scales; body depth 4.9 in SL, a midlateral row of five dusky blotches on body each containing a pair of dark brown spots, a large dusky spot under eye, and a large black spot posteriorly in first dorsal fin), *Palutrus reticularis Smith,* Papillogobius reichei (Bleeker), *Paragobiodon lacuniculus (Kendall and Goldsborough), *P. modestus (Regan), *Pleurosicya michelli Fourmanoir, *Priolepis cinctus (Regan), *P. nocturnus (Smith), *P. semidoliatus (Valenciennes), P. sp., Stonogobiops dracula Lubbock & Polunin, * Sueviota lachneri Winterbottom & Hoese, *Trimma emeryi Winterbottom, *T. flammeum (Smith), *T. naudei Smith, *T. striata (Herre), *T. taylori Lobel, *T. tevegae Cohen & Davis, *T sp. 1, *T. sp. 2, *T. sp. 3, *T. sp. 4 (these four species of trimma to be described by R. Winterbottom), *Trimmatom nanus Winterbottom & Emery, Valenciennea helsdingenii (Bleeker), V. puellaris (Tomiyama), V. sexguttata (Valenciennes), V. strigata (Broussonet), V. sp. (to be named by Hoese and Larson, in press), Vanderhorstia ambanoro (Fourmanoir),* V. ornatissima Smith, V. prealta Lachner & McKinney. ELEOTRIDIDAE: Eleotris melanosoma Bleeker. MICRODESMIDAE: * Gunnellichthys curiosus Dawson, *G. monostigma Smith, G. viridescens Dawson, *Ne- mateleotris decora Randall & Allen, N. magnifica Fowler, Ptereleotris evides (Jordan & Hubbs), P. heteroptera Bleeker, *P. microlepis (Bleeker), *P. zebra (Fowler), *P. sp. (probably either P. hanae or P. arabica; specimen needed). XENISTHMIDAE: Xenisthmus polyzonatus (Klunzinger).Digitised by Rhodes University Library on behalf of SAIA

Ichthyological Bulletin of the J.L.B. Smith Institute of Ichthyology; No. 59

A historical resume of fish collecting in the Maldive Islands is presented, beginning with the collection o f J. Stanley Gardiner in 1899-1900. Specimens of Maldives fishes have been examined at the Marine Research Section of the Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture, Republic of Maldives and the five museums which house most of the fishes that have been collected in the islands: the Natural History Museum, London; Bernice P. Bishop Museum, Honolulu; California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco; Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago; and the Senckenberg Museum, Frankfurt. A total of 899 species of epipelagic and shore fishes are recorded from the Maldives; 201 of these are new records for the islands. Thirty-two of the 899 are recorded by generic name only. Some of these could not be identified to species due to poor condition or to their being juveniles, but most appear to be undescribed.Rhodes University Libraries (Digitisation

Ichthyological Bulletin of the J.L.B. Smith Institute of Ichthyology; No. 45

Fifteen species of the labrid fish genus Halichoeres occur in the western Indian Ocean (west of the southern tip of India): hortulanus (centiquadrus of many authors), scapularis, (ziczac is a synonym), marginatus (lamarii, ianthinus and virescens are synonyms), dussumieri (nigrescens of many authors; javanicus, dubius and dianthus are synonyms), pardaleocephalus (first western Indian Ocean record), hoevenii (vrolikii is a synonym), nebulosus (previously confused with margaritaceus which does not occur in the Indian Ocean), zeylonicus (bimaculatus of most authors is a synonym), lapillus, and six new species (stigmaticus, pelicieri, cosmetus, iridis, trispilus, and leucoxanthus). H. stigmaticus from the Persian Gulf is distinctive in having 28 lateral-line scales, 6 or 7 suborbital pores, and a U-shaped black mark on side above pectoral fin tips in males; H. pelicieri from Mauritius is a close relative of H. zeylonicus, differing chiefly in the colour of males (pelicieri with a broad blackish zone in dorsal fin and no large black spot on upper side); H. cosmetus, wide-ranging in the western Indian Ocean and a close relative of H. ornatissimus of the Pacific and Cocos-Keeling Islands, is alternately striped with bluish gray to green and salmon pink or yellow; H. iridis, also a species of the western Indian Ocean, has a dark brown body except for a red band along the back and an orange-yellow head with green bands; H. trispilus, known only from Mauritius and the Maldives, is pale pink with a diagonal row of three dark brown spots on upper caudal base and usually three black dots on back; H. leucoxanthus, known only from the Maldives, southwest Thailand and Java, is yellow dorsally and abruptly white on ventral half of body with a dark spot behind the eye, a black spot on upper caudal base, and three others in the dorsal fin.Rhodes University Libraries (Digitisation

Ichthyological Bulletin of the J.L.B. Smith Institute of Ichthyology; No. 49

Two genera of Squirrelfishes of the subfamily Holocentrinae are found in the Indo-Pacific region: Neoniphon (Flammeo of recent authors) and Sargocentron (Adioryx of most recent authors). A total of 19 species of these two genera occur in the Indian Ocean west of the southern tip of India: Neoniphon argenteus, N. aurolineatus (Flammeo scythrops Jordan & Evermann and Holocentrus anjouanae Fourmanoir are junior synonyms), N. opercularis, N. aurolineatus, Sargocentron caudimaculatum, S. diadema, S. ittodai (first records for the Red Sea and western Indian Ocean), S. macrosquamis (recently described from the Red Sea and Amirante Group, Seychelles, the range here extended to Kenya, Mozambique, Mauritius, and the Chagos Archipelago), S. melanospilos (usually misidentified as cornutum which is known only from the Indo-Malayan region), S. microstoma (known in the region only from Maldive Islands and Astove Island), S. praslin (usually not distinguished by authors from S. rubrum; Holocentrum marginatum Cuvier is a synonym), S. punctatissimum (has priority over lacteoguttatum due to selection by first revisor, Bleeker, 1873), S. rubrum, S. seychellense (an insular western Indian Ocean species), S. spiniferum (Holocentrum melanotopte- rus Bleeker is a junior synonym), S. tiere (Holocentrum elongatum Steindachner is a junior synonym), S. tiereoides (a new western Indian Ocean record), S. violaceum, and a new species, S. inaequalis (closely allied to macrosquamis Go- lani, 1984, differing in variable Spination of preopercle, modally one fewer pectoral ray, fewer average number of lateral-line scales and a more elongate body). S. inaequalis is described from a total of 7 specimens from the Chagos Archipelago, Seychelles and Comoro Islands. S. melanospilos is recorded for the first time from the Red Sea where it appears to be subspecifically distinct from populations elsewhere in the Indo-Pacific region (no subspecific name proposed). Holocentrum macropus Gunther, allegedly collected at Mauritius, is a misidentification of the Atlantic Holocentrus ascensionis (Osbeck). A lectotype is selected for S. microstoma. Neotypes are designated for S. praslin and S. rubrum. Colour photographs of fresh specimens of all of the species except S. macrosquamis are presented.Rhodes University Libraries (Digitisation

Ichthyological Bulletin of the J.L.B. Smith Institute of Ichthyology; No. 47

The following 26 previously described species of Parrotfishes of the subfamily Scarinae are found in the Indian Ocean west of the southern tip of India (listed in the parentheses are the range, when restricted to some part of the western Indian Ocean, and junior synonyms not previously documented): Bolbometopon muricatum (Valenciennes) (Callyodon shimoniensis Smith is a synonym); Cetoscarus bicolor (Rüppell) (Scarus roseiceps Valenciennes is a synonym); Hipposcarus harid (Forsskal) [H. longiceps (Valenciennes) is a closely related allopatric species from the Pacific]; Scarus arabicus (Steindachner) (southern Arabian Peninsula and Gulf of Oman; only two specimens known); Scarus capistratoides Bleeker; Scarus caudofasciatus (Gunther) (Callyodon rubrofasciatus Smith is a synonym); Scarus collana Rüppell (a Red Sea endemic; Pseudoscarus ismailius Kossmann and Rauber and S. ghardaqensis Bebars are synonyms); Scarus cyanescens Valenciennes (Pseudoscarus chloromelas Playfair and Gunther is a synonym); Scarus enneacanthus Lacepede; Scarus falcipinnis (Playfair) (Callyodon pindae Smith and C. improvisus Smith are synonyms); Scarus ferrugineus Forsskal (Red Sea and Gulf of Aden; Pseudoscarus augustinus Kossmann and Rauber is a synonym); Scarus festivus Valenciennes (Callyodon lunula Snyder is a synonym); Scarus frenatus Lacepede; Scarus fuscopurpureus (Klunzinger) (Red Sea to Gulf of Oman; Pseudoscarus collana var. eques an Steindachner is a synonym); Scarus ghobban Forsskal (5. lacerta Valenciennes, Callyodon speigleri Smith, and S. fehlmanni Schultz are synonyms), Scarus gibbus Rüppell (Pseudoscarus frontalis Macleay is a synonym and a homonym); Scarus globiceps Valenciennes (S. lepidus Jenyns is a synonym); Scarus niger Forsskal (Pseudoscarus madagascariensis Steindachner is a synonym); Scarus prasiognathos Valenciennes (Maldive Islands appear to the westernmost record; S. chlorodon Jenyns, 5. Singaporensis Bleeker and S. janthochir Bleeker are synonyms); Scarus psittacus Forsskal (5. hertit [Ehrenberg] Valenciennes in C. & V., S. venosus Valenciennes, and S. taeniurus Valenciennes are synonyms); Scarus rubroviolaceus Bleeker (.Pseudoscarus rostratus Gunther is a synonym and a homonym); Scarus russelii Valenciennes (Xanothon fowled Smith is a synonym; initial phase often misidentified as S. venosus)’, Scarus scaber Valenciennes; Scarus sordidus Forsskal (S. spilurus Valenciennes is a synonym, and S. purpureus Valenciennes a synonym and homonym); Scarus tricolor Bleeker (Callyodon mus Smith and C. urbanus Smith are synonyms; initial phase often misidentified as S. Lepidus and the terminal phase as S. pectoralis or S. cyanognathos)’, Scarus viridifucatus (Smith) (Callyodon malindiensis Smith is a synonym), a close relative of S. spinus of the Pacific. Three new species of Scarus are described: S. atrilunula, from Kenya, is in the sordidus complex (initial phase was misidentified as rhoduropterus and the terminal male as capistratoides by Smith, 1956, 1959; S. genazonatus from the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, also related to S. sordidus, differing chiefly in colour (the most distinctive colour marking of the terminal male is a broad stripe on lower cheek); and S. persicus from the Persian Gulf appears to be related to S. ferrugineus (initial phase light brownish-grey with two rows of small whitish spots on side, and median fin and pelvic fins edged in blue; terminal male similar to that of ferrugineus but with a blackish bar in middle of body). Colour photographs of fresh specimens of all 29 species are presented. Initial and terminal-phase adults are illustrated for most species, and juveniles for some.Rhodes University Libraries (Digitisation

Ichthyological Bulletin J.L.B. Smith Institute of Ichthyology; No. 68

An annotated checklist of the species of the fish families Labridae and Scaridae is presented; 541 valid species are recognized, including 68 genera and 453 species of labrids and 10 genera and 88 species of scarids. Thirty undescribed species of wrasses and two undescribed parrotfish species are also included. A list of nominal species is given, with their present assignments; nominal species of uncertain status are placed as incertae sedis and listed separately. A list of nomina nuda is also provided. The valid genera and species are listed alphabetically, with their synonyms and distributions. Examination of the original descriptions and type material (when extant) of previously unplaced nominal species of labroid fishes led to identification of 69 new synonyms. The generic names Artisia de Beaufort, 1939 and Emmeekia Jordan & Evermann, 1896 are here recognized as new synonyms of Halichoeres Ruppell, 1835. For the Labridae, 65 new synonyms of valid species are listed. Labrus psittaculus Richardson, 1840, a valid species of Pseudolabrus, is a primary homonym of Labrus psittaculus Lacepede, 1801; the next available name for this species is Labrichthys rubicunda Macleay, 1881 and the new combination Pseudolabrus rubicundus is proposed. The following new combinations are included: Pseudojulis inornatus Gilbert, 1890 is a valid species of Pseudojuloides; Xyrichtys perlas Wellington et al., 1994 is a valid species of Novaculichthys. For Scaridae, Sparus abildgaardi Bloch, 1791 is a senior synonym of Sparisoma chrysopterum (Bloch & Schneider, 1801), but a request of the International Commission has been made to reject abildgaardi in order to conserve S. chrysopterum; and Scarus visayanus Herre, 1933 is a new synonym of Scarus tricolor Bleeker, 1847. Pseudoscarus microcheilos Bleeker, 1861 is a synonym of Chlorurus strongylocephalus (Bleeker, 1854).Rhodes University Libraries (Digitisation

New records of fishes from the Maldive Islands, with notes on other species

Part 1: We report here information on the occurrence of the deep demersal fish species known to date from the Maldivian Exclusive Economic Zone below a depth of 180 m. Collections of Maldivian deep demersal fishes are held by The Natural History Museum, London (BMNH); the Bernice P. Bishop Museum, Honolulu; the Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago; the Marine Research Section, Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture, Male, Republic of Maldives; the South African Museum, Cape Town; and the Zoological Survey of India, at the Indian Museum, Calcutta. Specimens from all of these institutions have been studied by the authors. In addition, the authors carried out sampling of the slope shark fishery during March - April 1996, which resulted in a significant new collection of shark material. A total of 99 deep demersal species are reported here which includes 36 new records for the Maldives. The six most speciose families are the Macrouridae (7 species), Congridae (5), Lutjanidae (5), Squalidae (4), Ogocephalidae (4) and Halosauridae (4).Part 2: Seventy-eight fish species are recorded from the Maldives for the first time. A further 30, which have been recorded in the literature but not included in previous reviews of Maldivian fishes, are listed. The total known shore and epipelagic fish fauna of the Maldives now stands at 1007 species. The total known demersal and epipelagic fish fauna is raised to 1090.Rhodes University Libraries (Digitisation

Ichthyological Bulletin J.L.B. Smith Institute of Ichthyology; No. 69

The gobiid fish genus Gnatholepis Bleeker is characterised as follows: dorsal-fin rays VI+I,10-12, the spines slender, none filamentous; anal-fin rays I,11-12; pectoral-fin rays 14-19, none free of membrane; pelvic disc with a frenum; scales on body largely ctenoid, 28-31 in longitudinal series; gill-rakers short, 1 + 3-4; anterior interorbital pores 2; sensory papillae on cheek primarily in a pattern of 4 or 5 vertical rows; body moderately elongate, the depth 3.8-5.4 in SL; head and body compressed; dorsal profile of head initially near-vertical, often with a slight anterior protuberance above upper lip; lower lip with a ventral flap on side of jaw; mouth inferior, the gape slightly oblique; teeth anteriorly in jaws in several rows, the outer row in upper jaw as slender well spaced canines (outer row of teeth at front of lower jaw may or may not be caniniform); tongue bilobed; gill opening ending slightly below level of lower edge of pectoral-fin base; caudal fin rounded, usually longer than head; a dark line extending ventrally from eye, sometimes with one or more side branches. Of the 21 nominal Indo-Pacific species that have been described in Gnatholepis, only 5 are recognised as valid. G. anjerensis (Bleeker), for which a neotype is described, occurs from East Africa and the Red Sea to the Hawaiian Islands and French Polynesia [synonyms include G. deltoides (Seale), G. knighti Jordan and Evermann, and G. corlettei (Herre)]. G. cauerensis (Bleeker) is provisionally divided into 4 subspecies, mainly by modal differences in pectoral-ray counts and slight colour variation: G.cauerensis cauerensis from East Africa to the Society Islands (G. scapulostigma Herre and G. inconsequens Whitley are synonyms); G. c. australis from Rarotonga, Cook Islands to the Pitcairn Islands; G. c. hawaiiensis from the Hawaiian Islands; and G. c. pascuensisfrom at Easter Island. G. davaoensis Seale, also provided with a neotype and description, ranges from the Ryukyu Islands to the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia (G. gemmus Herre is a synonym). G. gymnocara, n. sp., is described from 26 specimens from shallow water of Queensland and the Northern Territory, Australia; it is unique in having 12 anal-fin soft-rays, prepectoral scales, no scales on cheek and opercle, median predorsal zone naked or with only a few small scales across its anterior part, and a large black spot on fourth interspinous membrane of dorsal fin in males. Gnatholepis sp., also a new species from northern Australia, will be described by Helen K. Larson; it is distinct in having 10 dorsal soft-rays, 15-17 pectoral-fin rays, no scales on cheek, opercle, median predorsal zone, or prepectoral area; and the last 2 to 4 mid-lateral blotches of the male dark brown to black. The count of pectoral-fin rays is the most useful meristic character to separate the species and subspecies of Gnatholepis: G. anjerensis, with 14-17 rays, has a strongly modal count of 16; G. cauerensis cauerensis and G. c. hawaiiensis have 16-19 rays (strongly modal 17); G. c. australis has 17-19 rays (modally 18); G. c. pascuensis has 18 or 19 rays, modally 19; G. davaoensis has 15-17 rays, modally 17.Rhodes University Libraries (Digitisation

Two new species and a new genus of cardinalfishes (Perciformes, Aponigidae) from Rapa, South Pacific Ocean. American Museum novitates ; ; no. 2926.

9 p. : ill. ; 26 cm.Bibliography: p. 9

Special Publication (J.L.B. Smith Institute of Ichthyology) no.46

Online version of original print edition of the Special Publication of the J.L.B. Smith Institute of Ichthyology; No. 46The Indian Ocean angelfish from southern Africa heretofore identified as Pomacanthus striatus (Riippell, 1836) is Pomacanthus rhomboides (Gilchrist and Thompson, 1908). P. striatus is shown to be the young of P. maculosus (Forsskål, 1775) which is not known from South Africa; it occurs in the Red Sea, Persian Gulf, and along the East African coast to at least 13°S. Holacanthus coeruleus Cuvier, described from a juvenile specimen from the Red Sea, is a junior synonym of Pomacanthus asfur (Forsskål), not P. semicirculatus (Cuvier), thus casting doubt on the record of the letter from the Red Sea