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A new species of grouper, Epinephelus craigi (Perciformes: Epinephelidae), from the South China Sea

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Abstract

A new species of grouper, Epinephelus craigi. sp. nov., from the South China Sea is described from 17 specimens (104–250 mm SL). The new species is distinguished from Epinephelus stictus (Randall and Allen 1987) with which it has historically been conflated, based on coloration, meristics, morphology, and genetics. Epinephelus craigi sp. nov. has a unique color pattern of irregular squarish, dark brown blotches interrupting lighter brown bars along the lateral midline of the body, and small dots on the dorsal surface of the body. Additionally, E. craigi sp. nov. has a longer upper jaw, shorter snout length, narrower interorbital width, and shorter caudal peduncle than E. stictus. Both E. stictus and the new species are relatively deep-water species, with the new species occurring to at least 93 m. Epinephelus craigi sp. nov. is known from the South China Sea and E. stictus is known from Western Australia and southern Indonesia, suggesting allopatric and anti-equatorial distributions. DNA sequence divergence data of the mitochondrial COI gene further supports the distinction of E. craigi sp. nov. from E. stictus.

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Acknowledgments

We extend our gratitude to M Craig (NOAA NMFS) for mentoring S Tucker, leading to the discovery of this species. Our thanks go to A W-L To for permission for including his images in Fig. 1b and 2 and for providing the holotype; to M Aizawa and K Sakamoto for hosting and coordinating a visit to ZUMT; to G Moore (WAM) for data on the holotype of Epinephelus stictus; and to S Ding and his laboratory for providing data from the types at ZMUA. We are thankful for the artistry and time that E Stump contributed to the illustration of E. craigi (Fig. 3). We thank the following individuals and institutions for providing materials and photographs: B Brown and R Arrindell (AMNH), M Sabaj and M Arce-H (ANSP), J Maclaine (BMNH), A Suzumoto and L O’Hara (BPBM), D Catania and L Rocha (CAS), A Graham (CSIRO), A Bentley and WL Smith (KU), D Pitassy, S Raredon, L Weigt and J Williams (USNM), K Sakamoto (ZUMT). The collection of comparative material from fishing communities in Indonesia was kindly assisted by the help of conservation workers: P Mous, R Pramana, GW Budiartha, E Wibosono (The Nature Conservancy Indonesia Fisheries Conservation Program), and J Pet (People and Nature Consulting). We also thank GN Mahardika, NKD Cahyani, A Wahyu Anggoro, and EM Kurniasih at the Indonesian Biodiversity Research Center for provision of laboratory facilities and for useful guidance and discussion. For the collection of comparative material and genetic work, SJT received funding through the United States Fulbright Student Scholarship and American Institute for Indonesian Studies CAORC Fellowship. Research permits (6/TKPIPA/FRP/SM/VI/2013 and 42/EXT/SIP/FRP/SM/IX/2014) were granted to SJT by RISTEK in Jakarta, Indonesia. We are grateful to D Smith (USNM) for clarification of type designation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0244, USA

    Benjamin W. Frable & H. J. Walker Jr.

  2. Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawai‘i, Kāneʻohe, HI, USA

    Sarah J. Tucker

Authors
  1. Benjamin W. Frable
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  2. Sarah J. Tucker
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  3. H. J. Walker Jr.
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Correspondence to Benjamin W. Frable.

Additional information

This article was registered in the Official Register of Zoological Nomenclature (ZooBank) as 800CC227-148F-432A-8696-8BBD8E346D37.

This article was published as an Online First article on the online publication date shown on this page. The article should be cited by using the doi number.

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Frable, B.W., Tucker, S.J. & Walker, H.J. A new species of grouper, Epinephelus craigi (Perciformes: Epinephelidae), from the South China Sea. Ichthyol Res 66, 215–224 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10228-018-0669-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10228-018-0669-9

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