Editorial Type:
Article Category: Research Article
 | 
Online Publication Date: 14 Sept 2023

Review of Australian Species of Paracheilinus Fourmanoir (Teleostei: Labridae), with Description of a New Species from the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea

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Page Range: 397 – 415
DOI: 10.1643/i2023019
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Australian species of the cirrhilabrin labrid genus Paracheilinus are reviewed. Four species of Paracheilinus are reported from Australian waters: P. amanda, new species, from Flora, Holmes, and Osprey Reefs, Coral Sea, off northeast Queensland, and Harrier Reef, Great Barrier Reef; P. filamentosus from Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef; P. flavianalis from Evans and Flinders Shoals, Timor Sea, off northeast Darwin, Northern Territory, and Ashmore, Scott, Seringapatam, and Hibernia Reefs in the north-western shelf of Western Australia; and P. nursalim from Flinders Shoal, Timor Sea, off northern Darwin, Northern Territory. Paracheilinus amanda, new species, has previously been confused for P. rubricaudalis from Melanesia, but molecular analysis of mitochondrial COI recovers both species as reciprocally monophyletic lineages, differing from each other by 1–1.2% in genetic distance. They further differ in aspects of live coloration of terminal phase (TP) males. Both species are allopatric and do not overlap in distribution. The new species is described on the basis of six specimens: the holotype and two paratypes from Harrier Reef, Great Barrier Reef, one paratype from Flora Reef, Coral Sea, and from two paratypes collected off Hula in southern Papua New Guinea, along the north-western margin of the Coral Sea. The discovery of P. nursalim in Australia represents a new and significant range extension from previous locality records of West Papua and Ambon Bay. Paracheilinus is rediagnosed, and keys, diagnoses, photographs, and Australian distribution records are presented for all species herein.

Copyright: © 2023 by the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists
Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.

Schematic diagrams illustrating the body stripe pattern in species of Paracheilinus. (A1) Pattern A; (A2) Pattern A’. Note spot-band pattern derived from Pattern A; (B) Pattern B. Note caudal-fin markings, which do not typically vary for species sharing Pattern B; (C) Pattern C. Note “shepherd’s crook” marking at pectoral-fin base. Illustration by J. W. Soong.

Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.

Paracheilinus paineorum (non-Australian species) demonstrating filamentous prolongation of segmented dorsal- and anal-fin rays. In this specimen, nearly all dorsal-fin rays are unbranched. Note that the bifurcation at the tip of the first dorsal filament is not supported by branching of the segmented ray (it appears to be a result of a tear in the surrounding membrane). Note the presence of aberrant anal-fin filaments. Underwater photograph taken in Lembeh Strait, Indonesia, by N. DeLoach.

Fig. 3.
Fig. 3.

Paracheilinus amanda, new species, aquarium specimen from Harrier Reef, the Great Barrier Reef. Specimen not retained. Photograph by K. Endoh.

Fig. 4.
Fig. 4.

X-ray of Paracheilinus amanda, new species, AMS I.50116-001, paratype, showing aberrant branching of lowermost principal caudal ray.

Fig. 5.
Fig. 5.

A selection of Paracheilinus in life. (A1) P. amanda, new species, ZRC 64175, male paratype, 47.6 mm SL, off Hula, southern Papua New Guinea, Coral Sea; (A2) P. amanda, new species, underwater photograph from Osprey Reef, Coral Sea; (B) P. carpenteri, underwater photograph from Mabini, Batangas, Philippines. Note the darkened posterior dorsal- and caudal-fin bases and the presence of a second stripe behind the pectoral fin; (C) P. flavianalis, underwater photograph from Bali, Indonesia; (D) P. mccoskeri, underwater photograph from Khao Lak, Thailand; (E) P. rubricaudalis, underwater photograph from Mborokua, Solomon Islands. Note the reduced markings on caudal fin. Photographs by H. H. Tan (A1); T. Yamazumi (A2); T. Cameron (B); V. Chalias (C); T. Kawamoto (D); and N. DeLoach (E).

Fig. 6.
Fig. 6.

(A) Maximum-likelihood phylogenetic relationships for select species of Paracheilinus inferred using mitochondrial COI. Support values at nodes correspond to SH-aLRT and UFBS support values, respectively. Scale bar indicates the number of substitutions per site. Outgroup taxa were pruned from the tree (see Allen et al., 2016). See Data Accessibility for tree file. (B) Median-joining haplotype network inferred using mitochondrial COI. Each circle represents a haplotype, and its size is proportional to its total frequency. Each black crossbar represents a single nucleotide change. (C) Geographical distribution for select species of Paracheilinus. Members of the P. mccoskeri species complex are represented by colored circles. Distribution records for P. carpenteri and P. mccoskeri are not shown in full—the former extends into southern Japan (indicated by the green broken arrow), and the latter extends into the western Indian Ocean (indicated by the purple broken arrow). Bicolored symbols indicate sympatry in that locality. Colored stars indicate distribution records for P. filamentosus and P. nursalim in Australia.

Fig. 7.
Fig. 7.

Paracheilinus amanda, new species (above right), aquarium specimen from Harrier Reef, Great Barrier Reef; P. rubricaudalis (middle right) underwater photograph from Solomon Islands; and P. flavianalis (below right), underwater photograph from Bali. The purpling of median-fin rays in preserved specimens are shown in the lettered insets. (A) Paracheilinus amanda, QM I.39758, holotype; (B–C) Paracheilinus rubricaudalis, WAM P.33979.001; (D) Paracheilinus flavianalis, NTM S.18121-011. Live photographs of P. amanda, P. rubricaudalis, and P. flavianalis by F. Walsh, D. Brown, and K. Nishiyama, respectively. Live specimens not retained. Photographs of preserved specimens by T. Miskiewicz and Y. K. Tea.

Fig. 8.
Fig. 8.

Select individuals of Paracheilinus flavianalis demonstrating variability in the number of dorsal-fin filaments, coloration of anal fin, and spot band pattern on the anal fin. (A) Underwater photograph from Triton Bay, Indonesia; (B) underwater photograph from Wakatobi, Sulawesi, Indonesia; (C–D) underwater photographs from Bali, Indonesia. Photographs by R. Smith (A); J. Castellano (B); W. Osborn (C); and R. H. Kuiter (D).

Fig. 9.
Fig. 9.

Paracheilinus flavianalis, underwater photograph from Hibernia Reef, Timor Sea, north-western shelf of Western Australia. Note sympatric Cirrhilabrus morrisoni and habitat consisting of extensive Halimeda growth. Photograph by G. R. Allen.

Fig. 10.
Fig. 10.

Paracheilinus filamentosus, AMS I.40666-002, 46.6 mm SL, freshly euthanized male, Lizard Island, northern Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Photograph by J. Leis.

Fig. 11.
Fig. 11.

Paracheilinus filamentosus, images of live and preserved specimens. (A) Male in resting colors, underwater photograph from Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands; (B) flashing male in nuptial colors, underwater photograph from Nggatokae, western Solomon Islands; (C) flashing male in nuptial colors, underwater photograph from the Solomon Islands; (D) AMS I.17479-001, 51.7 mm SL, male paratype, Tassafaronga Point, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands. Note purple spines and rays in preservation; (E) harem comprising one TP male (middle) and several females and immature males, underwater photograph from Lovukol, central Solomon Islands. Photographs by M. Rosenstein (A–C, E) and Y. K. Tea (D).

Fig. 12.
Fig. 12.

Paracheilinus nursalim, images of live and preserved specimens from Flinders Shoal, Timor Sea, off Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia (A–C) and West Papua, Indonesia (D–F). (A) Flashing male in nuptial colors, aquarium specimen. Specimen not retained. (B) Male in resting colors, aquarium specimen. Specimen not retained. (C) Male in preservation, NTM S.18257-001, 53.1 mm SL, Flinders Shoal, Timor Sea. (D) Flashing male in nuptial colors, underwater photograph from Triton Bay, West Papua, Indonesia. (E) Male in resting colors, underwater photograph from Triton Bay, West Papua, Indonesia. (F) AMS I.44190-001, 46.0 mm SL, male paratype, FakFak Peninsula, West Papua, Indonesia. Photographs by K. Kohen (A); Y. K. Tea (B–C; F); E. Cheng (D); and L. Cheng (E).

Contributor Notes

1  Ichthyology, Australian Museum Research Institute, 1 William Street, Sydney, New South Wales 2010, Australia; Email: yi-kai.tea@austmus.gov.au. Send correspondence to this address.
2  School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia.
3  P.O. Box 389, Kuranda, Queensland 4881, Australia.

Associate Editor: M. T. Craig.

Received: 10 Mar 2023
Accepted: 27 May 2023
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