Plectranthias maculicauda

• Main Authors: Gill, Anthony C., Pogonoski, John J., Moore, Glenn I., Johnson, Jeffrey W.
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: unknown
• Published: 2021
• Subjects: Biodiversity; Taxonomy; Animalia; Chordata; Actinopterygii; Perciformes; Serranidae; Plectranthias; Plectranthias maculicauda; New Zealand; North Cape; Randall; Solitary Island; Bass Point; Green Cape
• Online Access: https://zenodo.org/record/4474401; https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4474401

Plectranthias maculicauda (Regan) Figures 32–33; Tables 1–16, 19, 21 Common name: Spot-tail Perchlet Serranops maculicauda Regan 1914: 15 (type locality: off North Cape, Aupori Peninsula, North Island, New Zealand). Plectranthias maculicauda.— Randall 1980: 151 (New South Wales).— Paxton et al. 1989: 507 (checklist).— Allen et al. 2006: 990 (checklist).— Williams et al. 2006: appendix 8: 29 (colour photos).— Anderson 2018: 30 (checklist).— Parenti & Randall 2020: 27 (checklist). Plectranthias cf. maculicauda.— Kuiter 2004: 113 (regarded as distinct from New Zealand populations; colour figure, New South Wales). Diagnosis. A species of Plectranthias with the following combination of characters: dorsal rays X,15; pectoral rays 15, rarely 14 or 16; lateral line complete with 32–35 tubed scales; no antrorse serrations on lower edge of preopercle; scales with basal cteni; melanophores on caudal peduncle form a large (larger than pupil) dark spot mid-laterally. Remarks. Regan (1914) described Serranops maculicauda from nine syntypes collected off North Cape, New Zealand. Randall (1980) examined four of the syntypes and compared them with nine specimens from off New South Wales. He noted that the New Zealand specimens had more gill rakers than the New South Wales (7–8+17 versus 6–7+15). Kuiter (2004) recognised two species, based in part on Randall’s observed gill-raker count differences, and in part on apparent differences in live coloration. We refrain from further comment pending the completion of more detailed comparisons in progress by C.D. Roberts & A.C. Gill. We add the following new observations: scales with basal cteni; vertebrae 10+16; supraneurals 3; predorsal formula 0/0+0/2/1+1; dorsal pterygiophores in interneural spaces 9–13 1/1/1/1+1/1 or 1/1/1/1+1/1+1; 0–2 trisegmental pterygiophores associated with dorsal fin; terminal dorsal pterygiophore in interneural space 17–18; 1–5 trisegmental pterygiophores associated with anal fin; terminal anal pterygiophore in interhaemal space 4–6; ribs present on ...