Editorial Type:
Article Category: Research Article
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Online Publication Date: 20 Sept 2021

A New Genus and Species of Pygmy Pipehorse from Taitokerau Northland, Aotearoa New Zealand, with a Redescription of Acentronura Kaup, 1853 and Idiotropiscis Whitley, 1947 (Teleostei, Syngnathidae)

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Page Range: 806 – 835
DOI: 10.1643/i2020136
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Cylix tupareomanaia, new genus and species, is described from three specimens (35.5–55.5 mm SL), collected from rocky reefs at 12–17 m depth from Taitokerau Northland, New Zealand. The new taxon shares morphological synapomorphies with the superficially similar Australian endemic Idiotropiscis and Indo-Pacific Acentronura, including head angled ventrally approximately 25° from the principal body axis, enclosed brood pouch, brood pouch plates, prehensile tail, and absence of caudal fin. Cylix tupareomanaia, new genus and species, however, is distinguishable from all other members of the Syngnathidae by the following combination of bony autapomorphic characters: a cup-like crest present anterodorsally on the supraoccipital; and large conspicuous midventral conical spines on the cleithral symphysis and first trunk ring between the pectoral-fin bases. The new species can be further differentiated by genetic divergence in the mitochondrial COX1 gene from Acentronura breviperula, A. tentaculata, Idiotropiscis australe, and I. lumnitzeri (estimated uncorrected p-distances of 19.5%, 20.4%, 17.9%, and 18.4%, respectively). A phylogenetic hypothesis from the analysis of two nuclear loci, 18S and TMO-4C4, supports the placement of C. tupareomanaia, new genus and species, as the sister taxon to a clade comprising the genera Acentronura and Idiotropiscis. Cylix tupareomanaia, new genus and species, represents the eighth member within the pygmy pipehorse clade to be described from the Indo-Pacific and the first new genus and species of syngnathid to be reported from New Zealand since 1921.

Ānei rā he puninga, he momo manaia iti hou. He uri nō Te Taitamawāhine, nō Te Taitokerau, arā, nō Aotearoa. Ko Cylix tupareomanaia tōna īngoa. He īngoa i tuku mai ā Ngāti Wai. Ka whakaahuatia tēnei manaia iti mai i ngā tīpako e toru (35.5–55.5 mitamano te roa paerewa). I kohia mai i te ākau tokatoka o te Te Taitokerau, 12–17 mita te hōhonu. He āhua ōrite ētahi o ngā āhuatanga o tēnei rōpū hou ki ngā puninga manaia taketake, ko Acentronura, nō Te Pāpaka-a-Māui/Ahitereiria, me tāna whanaunga, ko Acentronura, nō te rohe kotahi o Īnia me Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa. Engari, ka taea te wetewetekia a Cylix tupareomania pun. mo. hou mai i te āta tītiro ki ngā āhuatanga rerekē o ngā kōiwi, pērā i te putanga kōiwi mai i te angaanga, me kī, he tūpare. Ka taea te wetewetekia hoki mai i ngā rerekētanga o ngā ira pata pūngao, arā ko te ira COX1 o ngā momo manaia it ko Acentronura breviperula, rātou ko A. tentacula, ko Idiotropicis australe, ko I. lumnitzeri. Ka tautoko hoki te mātai iranga o ngā wāhi ira, 18S me TMO-4C4 ki tēnei whakapae whakapapa pori, hei rōpū whanaunga a C. tupareomanaia, momo hou, ki ngā puninga Acentronura, nga puninga Idiotropicis hoki, arā, kotahi te tupuna o ēnei manaia katoa. Ko Cylix tupareomania, momo hou, te momo manaia iti tuawaru nō te tupuna manaia kotahi, nō te rohe kotahi o Īnia me Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa kua whakaahuatia pēnei. Me kī, ko te tau 1921 kē te tau ki mua ka puta he pūrongo pēnei o tētahi puninga hou, momo hou hoki o te whānau manaia.

Copyright: © 2021 by the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists
Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.

Cylix tupareomanaia. (A) AIM MA122274, female, holotype shortly after death, 31.4 mm SL; Waiatapaua Bay, Whangaruru, Northland, New Zealand (photograph © Auckland Museum). (B) NMNZ P.056154, female, paratype, shortly after death, 35.5 mm SL; Cavalli Islands, Northland, New Zealand (photograph © Irene Middleton).

Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.

Cylix tupareomanaia. (A) AIM MA122274, female, preserved holotype, 31.4 mm SL; Waiatapaua Bay, Whangaruru, Northland, New Zealand (photograph © Auckland Museum). (B) NMNZ P.056154, female, preserved paratype, 35.5 mm SL; Cavalli Islands, Northland, New Zealand (photograph © Auckland Museum). (C) NMNZ P.046322, male, preserved paratype, 55.5 mm SL; east of Oturori Rock, Bay of Islands, Northland, New Zealand (photograph Graham Short).

Fig. 3.
Fig. 3.

Head of Cylix tupareomanaia (AIM MA122274, female, preserved holotype, 31.4 mm SL) in lateral (A), dorsal (B), and ventral (C) view highlighting positions of diagnostic characters, including the cup-like supraoccipital crest present on the supraoccipital, and large medioventral conical spines on the cleithral symphysis and the first trunk ring between the pectoral-fin bases. Abbreviations: CL, cleithral spines; CSS, medioventral conical spine on the cleithral symphysis; DHS, double head spine; FS, frontal spine; LHS, lateral head spine; MVFTRS, medioventral first trunk ring spine between the pectoral-fin bases; ORE, orbital rim extension; PLS, posterolateral spine on pectoral-fin base; PNPC, posterior nuchal plate crest; SC, supraoccipital crest; SnS, snout spines.

Fig. 4.
Fig. 4.

μCT scan of Cylix tupareomanaia, NMNZ P.046322, male, paratype, 55.5 mm SL. (A, B) Anterolateral view of the head highlighting the bifurcated and cup-like crest present on the supraoccipital, continuous cleithral ring, and the strongly elevated ventrolateral bulge of the pectoral-fin base. (C) Anterodorsal aspect of the neurocranium highlighting the bifurcated and cup-like pentamerous bony crest present on the supraoccipital. Abbreviations: FS, frontal spine; PFB, pectoral-fin base; SC, supraoccipital crest; SCL, supracleithrum.

Fig. 5.
Fig. 5.

μCT scan of the ventral aspect of first trunk ring of Cylix tupareomanaia, NMNZ P.046322, male, paratype, 55.5 mm SL, in ventral aspect highlighting positions of large medioventral conical spines on the cleithral symphysis and the first trunk ring between the pectoral-fin bases. Abbreviations: CL, cleithral spines; CSS, medioventral conical spine on the cleithral symphysis; MVFTRS, medioventral first trunk ring spine between the pectoral-fin bases; PLS, posterolateral spine on pectoral-fin base.

Fig. 6.
Fig. 6.

Cylix tupareomanaia in situ. (A) AIM MA122274, female, holotype, Waiatapaua Bay, Whangaruru, Northland, New Zealand, 12 m depth (photograph © Shane Housham). (B) Waiatapaua Bay, Whangaruru, Northland, New Zealand, 12 m depth (photograph © Shane Housham). (C) Waiatapaua Bay, Whangaruru, Northland, New Zealand, 12 m depth (photograph © Richard Smith). (D) Waiatapaua Bay, Whangaruru, Northland, New Zealand, 12 m depth (photograph © Irene Middleton). (E) Waiatapaua Bay, Whangaruru, Northland, New Zealand, 12 m depth (photograph © Irene Middleton). (F) Poor Knights Islands, Northland, New Zealand, at 10 m depth (photograph © Kent Erickson).

Fig. 7.
Fig. 7.

Distribution of Cylix tupareomanaia in Taitokerau Northland, North Island, New Zealand. Square = type locality of holotype AIM MA122274 at Waiatapaua Bay, Whangaruru. Star = locality of paratype NMNZ P.056154, Cavalli Islands. Circle = locality of paratype NMNZ P.046322, east of Oturori Rock, Bay of Islands. Arrow = specimen photographed at Poor Knights Islands.

Fig. 8.
Fig. 8.

Lateral view of preserved specimens of Acentronura spp. redescribed in this study. (A) A. breviperula, CAS 247135, female, 40.1 mm SL. (B) A. gracilissima, CAS-SU 6681, male, 70.4 mm SL. (C) A. tentaculata, CAS 247139, male, 50.8 mm SL. (D) A. tentaculata, CAS 247139, female, 53.9 mm SL.

Fig. 9.
Fig. 9.

Lateral view of μCT scanned skeletons of preserved specimens of Acentronura spp. redescribed in this study. (A) A. breviperula, CAS 247135, female, 40.1 mm SL. (B) A. gracilissima, CAS-SU 6681, male, 70.4 mm SL. (C) A. tentaculata, CAS 247139, male, 50.8 mm SL. (D) A. tentaculata, CAS 247139, female, 53.9 mm SL.

Fig. 10.
Fig. 10.

Dorsal view of μCT scanned neurocranium of (A) Acentronura breviperula, CAS 247135, female; (B) Acentronura gracilissima, CAS 247139, male; (C) Acentronura tentaculata, CAS-SU 6681, male. Abbreviations: BLP, bilateral lobed protuberances; SC, supraoccipital crest.

Fig. 11.
Fig. 11.

X-ray radiography of (A) A. breviperula, BMNH 1890.1.14.51, male, holotype; (B) A. tentaculata, BMNH 1869.6.21.7, male, holotype; (C) I. larsonae, NTM S.10805-001, male, holotype, 55.5 mm SL (Photograph credits for A. breviperula and A. tentaculata to Oliver Crimmen and Ralf Britz, © The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London; I. larsonae to Michael Hammer, © Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory).

Fig. 12.
Fig. 12.

Lateral view of preserved specimens of Idiotropiscis spp. redescribed in this study. (A) I. australe, WAM P.33543-001, male, 54.7 mm SL. (B) I. larsonae, NTM S.10805-001, male, holotype, 33.5 SL. (C) I. larsonae, GCRL 21518, female, paratype, 33.0 mm SL. (D) I. lumnitzeri, CAS HH-0423, male, 69.9 mm SL. (E) I. lumnitzeri, AMS I.45395-001, female, 54.0 mm SL.

Fig. 13.
Fig. 13.

Lateral view of μCT scanned skeletons of preserved specimens of Idiotropiscis spp. redescribed in this study. (A) I. australe, WAM P.33543-001, male, 54.7 mm SL. (B) I. larsonae, GCRL 21518, female, paratype, 33.0 mm SL. (C) I. lumnitzeri, CAS HH-0423, male, 69.9 mm SL. (D) I. lumnitzeri, AMS I.45395-001, female, 54.0 mm SL.

Fig. 14.
Fig. 14.

Dorsal view of μCT scanned neurocranium of the head of (A) Idiotropiscis australe, WAM P.33543-001, male; (B) Idiotropiscis larsonae, GCRL 21518, male; (C) Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, CAS HH-0423, male. Abbreviations: BLP, bilateral lobed protuberances; SC, supraoccipital crest.

Fig. 15.
Fig. 15.

μCT scanned skeleton of Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri, CAS HH-0423, male, 69.9 mm SL. (A) Osteocranium in lateral view highlighting the ventral cleithral cheek spine and small spine posteroventral of pectoral-fin base. (B) Subdorsal-fin base in lateral view highlighting the one upper and one lower subdorsal spines. Abbreviations: CS, cleithral spine; LSDS, lower subdorsal spine; PLS, posterolateral spine on pectoral-fin base; USDS, upper subdorsal spine.

Fig. 16.
Fig. 16.

Lateral view of μCT scanned neurocranium of (A) Cylix tupareomanaia, NMNZ P.046322; (B) Hippocampus barbouri, USNM 220605. Abbreviations: ANP, anterior nuchal plate; CO, coronet on anterior nuchal plate; PNP, posterior nuchal plate; SC, supracleithrum; SOC, supraoccipital.

Fig. 17.
Fig. 17.

Phylogenetic hypothesis using nuclear gene sequences TMO-4C4 and 18S retrieved with Maximum Likelihood (ML), Maximum Parsimony (MP), and Bayesian Inference (MrBayes), representing 17 species from clade 6 from the analysis of Hamilton et al. (2017) and the new taxon. Tree rooted with the southern Australian trunk-brooder pipefish Heraldia nocturna. Nodal support at the generic level is shown in ML/MP/MrBayes order. See Data Accessibility for tree file.

Contributor Notes

1 Department of Ichthyology, California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, California 94118; Email: gshort@calacademy.org. Send reprint requests to this address.
2 Ichthyology, Australian Museum Research Institute, Sydney NSW 2010, Australia.
3 Research Associate, Ichthyology, Burke Museum, Seattle, Washington.
4 Auckland War Memorial Museum Tāmaki Paenga Hira, Auckland 1142, New Zealand; Email: ttrnski@aucklandmuseum.com.

Associate Editor: M. T. Craig.

Received: 05 Oct 2020
Accepted: 15 Mar 2021
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