Pinnichthys saurimimica

Common Name

Lizardfish Goby

Year Described

Gilmore, Van Tassell & Tornabene, 2016

Identification

Dorsal Fin: VII, 12
Anal Fin: 12
Pectoral Fin: 20
Caudal Fin: 17 segmented rays
Vertebrae: 11+16= 27 (total)

Body elongate with a large head. Eye relatively large. Dorsal fin with anterior spines not elongate and last two spines more spaced than the first five. Pelvic fin rays branched except for the last which is shorter than fourth and unbranched. Pelvic fins not fused. Two anal-fin pterygiophores anterior to the first haemal spine. Papillae rows 5i and 5s are connected as a single row. Cephalic lateralis pores absent. Body scaled posterior to pectoral base in a wedge shape (47-53 rows), with extensive cycloid scales anteriorly. Two basicaudal scales present.

Color

Body and head whitish with five yellow blotches on the side. Blotches with heavy concentrations of black melanophores centrally and more obvious than other markings. Back with four paired yellowish bars situated between the lateral blotches, giving the back a banded appearance. Nape with three yellow bars. Eye yellow with a short eye-band. Head with few scattered yellow spots. Dorsal fins and caudal fin pale and unmarked. Pectoral fin clear. Anal fin with a dark distal margin. Pelvic fin dark.

Size

Holotype measures 55.4mm SL.

Habitat

Inhabits deep water (~282m) where is lives on calcareous sand and rubble bottoms.

Range

So far only found off San Salvador, Bahamas.

References

Tornabene, L., J.L. Van Tassell, R.G. Gilmore, D.R. Robertson, F. Young, & C.C. Baldwin. 2016. Molecular phylogeny, analysis of character evolution, and submersible collections enable a new classification of a diverse group of gobies (Teleostei: Gobiidae: Nes subgroup), including nine new species and four new genera. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.