Feia dabra, a new species of gobiid fish (Percomorpha: Gobiidae) from Palau

Keywords Ichthyology, Systematics, Gobiidae, Feia dabra new species, Palau Abstract A new species of the Indo-Pacific gobiid Feia, F. dabra, is described from seven collections and 13 specimens collected in 2004 in the Republic of Palau. The new species is most similar to F. ranta from Vietnam, the two species differing from the other two species in the genus in the possession of scales in the predorsal midline and on the pectoral and pelvic fin bases, a diagonal bar across the cheek from the posteroventral corner of the eye, and an eye diameter wide black bar on the body beginning at the first dorsal fin origin. Feia dabra differs from F. ranta in lacking a large, heartshaped blotch on the opercle, having instead a small dark spot or streak on the anteroventral tip of the opercle, in lacking the { -shaped dark bar on the upper base of the pectoral fin (but having a dark blotch in the middle third of the length of the upper pectoral fin rays), in the presence of three (rather than two) papillae in cheek row c, and a straight row r of three papillae on the snout in line with the anteromedial border of the eye (vs. the anterior two papillae in a line, the posteriormost offset laterally), and in having the vertical portion of the anterior preopercular ridge of papillae, row e, well forward of the vertical limb of the preopercle on the cheek (vs. just anterior to the vertical preopercle limb). Feia dabra is currently known only from the Palau Islands. Zusammenfassung Beschrieben wird eine neue Art der indopazifischen Gobiiden, Feia dabra, auf der Grundlage von sieben Sammelfängen und 13 Exemplaren, die 2004 in der Republik Palau gefangen wurden. Die neue Art ähnelt am meisten F. ranta aus Vietnam, wobei diese beiden Arten sich von anderen Arten der Gattung durch das Vorhandensein von Schuppen in der prädorsalen Mittellinie und am Grund der Brust- und Analflossen sowie durch einen diagonalen Streifen auf der Wange von der posteroventralen Augenecke aus und durch einen breiten schwarzen Streifen (Breite etwa wie der Augendurchmesser) auf dem Rumpf, der am Ansatz der ersten Rückenflosse beginnt. Von F. ranta unterscheidet sich F. dabra durch folgende Merkmale: der große, aqua, Journal of Ichthyology and Aquatic Biology Feia dabra, a new species of gobiid fish (Percomorpha: Gobiidae) from Palau Richard Winterbottom Department of Natural History, Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen s Park, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 2C6; and Department of Zoology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3G5, Canada E-mail: rickw@rom.on.ca Accepted: 01.04.2005 herzförmige Fleck auf dem Operculum fehlt; statt dessen gibt es einen kleinen dunklen Fleck oder Strich auf der anteroventralen Spitze des Operculums; der {- förmige dunkle Streifen auf der oberen Basis der Brustflosse fehlt ebenfalls (statt dessen ein dunkler Fleck im mittleren Drittel der oberen Brustflossenstrahlen); eher drei statt zwei Papillen in der Wangenreihe c; außerdem gibt es eine gerade Reihe r von drei Papillen auf der Schnauze in einer Höhe mit dem anteromedialen Rand des Auges (während bei der Vergleichsart sich die vorderen zwei Papillen in einer Linie befinden, die letzte aber seitlich versetzt ist); außerdem befindet sich der vertikale Anteil des vorderen Präoperculum-Grates von Papillen, Reihe e, ein gutes Stück vor dem senkrechten Saum des Präoperculums auf der Wange (bei der Vergleichsart hingegen direkt davor). Feia dabra ist bis heute nur von den Palau-Inseln bekannt. Résumé Une nouvelle espèce de Gobie de l Indo-Pacifique. F. dabra, est décrite sur base de 7 collectes et 13 spécimens, datant de 2004, dans la République de Palau. L espèce nouvelle rappelle surtout F. ranta du Vietnam; les deux espèces se distinguent des deux autres espèces du genre par la présence d écailles sur la ligme médiane prédorsale et à la base des nageories pectorales et pelviennes, par une barre diagonale sur la joue depuis l angle postéroventral de l oeil et par une barre noire, de la largeur du diamètre de l oeil, sur le corps, à partir de la base de la première dorsale. Feia dabra se distingue de F. ranta par l absence d une grande tache cordiforme sur l opercule, et, par contre, par la présence d une petite tache ou bande noire sur l extrémité antéroventrale de l opercule, par l absence de barre enf orme de { sur la base supérieure de la pectorale (mais par la présence d une tache foncée dans le tiers central de la longueur des rayons supérieurs de la pectorale), par la présence de trois (plutôt que deux) papilles sur la rangée c de la joue et par une rangée r droite de trois papilles sur le rostre en parallèle avec la limite antéromédiale de l oeil en opposition aux deux papilles antérieures en linge, la plus postérieure décalée latéralement) et par la localisation de la portion vertical de la rangée préoperculaire antérieure de papilles, la rangée e, bien en avant du limbe vertical du préopercule sur la joue (à l opposé 45 aqua vol. 10 no. 2-2005

Feia dabra, a new species of gobiid fish (Percomorpha: Gobiidae) from Palau d une localisation juste antérieure du limbe vertical du préopercule). L occurrence de Feia dabra n est signalée jusqu ici que pour les îles Palau. Sommario Una nuova specie di ghiozzetti dell Indo-Pacifico del genere Feia, F. dabra, è descritta sulla base di sette collezioni e 13 esemplari raccolti nel 2004 nella Repubblica di Palau. È una specie è molto simile a F. ranta del Vietnam: entrambe differiscono dalle altre due specie dello stesso genere per la presenza di scaglie sulla linea mediana predorsale e alla base delle pettorali e delle pelviche, per una barra diagonale che attraversa la guancia dall angolo posteroventrale dell occhio, e per una barra nera, larga quanto il diametro oculare, sul corpo a cominciare dall origine della prima pinna dorsale. Feia dabra differisce da F. ranta per l assenza della grande macchia cuoriforme sull opercolo, possedendo invece una piccola macchia o stria scura sulla punta anteroventrale dell opercolo, per l assenza della barra scura a forma di { alla base superiore della pettorale (ma possiede una grossa macchia al centro del terzo mediano del raggio superiore della pettorale), per la presenza di tre (anziché due) papille sulla stria c e una stria r di tre papille in linea sul muso allineate con il bordo anteromediale dell occhio (vs le due anteriori in linea, la posteriore spostata lateralmente) e per avere la porzione verticale della cresta di papille preopercolari anteriori, la stria e, molto avanzata rispetto al ramo verticale del preopercolo (vs un po anteriore al ramo verticale del preopercolo). Feia dabra è per ora nota solo dalle Isole Palau. Introduction The small gobiid genus Feia was recently reviewed by Winterbottom (2003), who concluded that there were three species currently assignable to the genus. In that paper, he described a distinctive new species from Vietnam, F. ranta, and mentioned that an apparently similar but probably different species was known from two small specimens in poor condition from the Coral Sea. A recent biodiversity survey of the coral reef and mangrove fishes of Palau in 2004 by the author and collaborators resulted in the collection of 13 specimens of another new species of the genus most closely resembling F. ranta, but apparently also specifically distinct from the Coral Sea specimens. Materials and Methods Specimens were examined using a Zeiss SV8 Zoom stereomicroscope. Morphometric measurements were made to the nearest 0.1 mm using Mitutoyo digital calipers connected via a Micro Ridge Gageway II-M interface to Winwedge 32, with data capture and analysis in Microsoft Excel. Photographs of the head, stained with cyanine blue to emphasise the papillae. (Saruwatari et al., 1997) were taken with a Nikon D100 through a phototube attachment to the Zeiss microscope. Three or four photographs were taken of the same view at differing levels of focus. In the resulting images, the portions that were in best focus were cut and pasted onto the best image to construct a composite with all or most of the salient structures in focus, using PhotoShop 7.0. Counts and measurements follow Winterbottom (2003), as does the terminology for the papillae-bearing structures of the head, nomenclature of papillae themselves from Sanzo (1911). The dorsal pterygiophore formula follows the format use by Birdsong et al. (1988). Scales and fin ray counts were facilitated by staining the specimens in cyanine blue (Saruwatari et al., 1997). Values for the holotype are given in bold for meristic values and in parentheses for morphometric ratios where appropriate, specimen length given as standard length (SL). Feia dabra n. sp. Dabra goby (Fig. 1-2) All specimens collected in Palau using rotenone powder by R. Winterbottom and party in 2004. Holotype: ROM 75909, 17.7 mm SL female, lagoon S. of Koror on W. side of Ngeruktabel Is., reef slope and a 3 m cliff with shallow caves ending in a sloping sand bottom, with Porites, Montepora, Lobata, favids, cactus and star corals, 11-18 m, (7 17 07.5 N, 134 25 34.5 E), 3 June. Paratypes: ROM 75919, 1 (18.3), lagoon S. of Koror, passage between two islands on W. side of Ngeruktabel Is., wall of Porites rus descending to sand/silt slope with numerous small coral clumps, other corals mostly Montepora with some branching Acropora and Porites, 0-7.6 m, (7 16 34.9 N, 134 25 11.5 E), 3 June. ROM 75949, 2 (15.4-15.7), E. side of Nikko Bay just W. of Kaibakku Is., steep lagoon slope (about 80 ) levelling to slope of 20 at 15 m, huge variety of hard corals (Acropora, Porites, Pocillopora, Montepora, Favonia, favids, bubble, lettuce and star corals), 9-17 m, (7 19 22.8 N, 134 29 59.4 E), 4 June. ROM 76591, 1 (10.7), Lighthouse Reef off E. side of Ngeruktabel Is., gulley in beach rock with lots of Acropora rubble, Seriatopora, Pocillopora, Halimeda and lots of fungids, 6-9.5 m, (7 16 36.7 N, 134 27 38.7 E), 22 May. ROM 76592, 3 (17.2-18.3), lagoon S. of Koror off W. coast of Ngeruktabel Is. between two small islands, rock and coral wall rising from sand/coral base, many staghorn and favid corals, Porites and Montepora, 6-14 m, (7 17 11.7 N, 134 25 34.5 E), 26 May. ROM 76593, 1 (12.8), lagoon behind Augulpelu Reef N. of the Short Drop-off, coral rubble reef slope (30 ) with sand channel on one side, large clump of Seriatopora and much brown algae, 3-15 m, (7 16 01.0 N, 134 32 23.4 E), 28 May. ROM 76594, 1 (9.9), outer reef off W. coast of Babeldaob N. of main pass, 30 reef slope along shallow channel, some rubble with sand and shell fragments, lots of Acropora, Porites, Pocilliopora and galaxiids, some Halimeda, aqua vol. 10 no. 2-2005 46

Richard Winterbottom 15-23.5 m (7 33 47.7 N, 134 28 09.3 E), 30 May. ROM 76630, 17.7, collected with the holotype. ROM 1761CS, 2 (11.7-19.0), collected with the holotype. Diagnosis Feia dabra is most easily distinguished from its congeners in having a strong dark bar on the body, beginning just anterior to the origin of the first dorsal fin and passing ventrally just behind the base of the pectoral fin, about equal in width to the eye diameter; a dark anteroventrally-directed wedge-shaped bar from the eye to the jaws; a similar, but better developed posteroventrally-directed bar from the eye to the vicinity of the vertical limb of the preopercle; a small, dark blotch spot or bar on the anteroventral margin of the opercle; a black blotch at the middle length of the upper pectoral fin rays; predorsal scales and scales on pectoral and pelvic fin bases and usually one or two scales on the upper opercle; three papillae in cheek row c; three papillae in row r in a straight line on the snout anterior of the anteromedial margin of the eye, and the vertical portion of the anterior preopercular papillae ridge, row e, situated on the cheek well anterior to the vertical limb of the preopercle. Description Dorsal fin V-VI + I 7-10 (once V + I 10, usually VI + I 8-9), all segmented rays branched; anal fin I 7-8-9 (once 7, once 9), all rays segmented and branched; pectoral fin 15-16-17 (mean = 15.6), usually all but ventralmost ray branched; pelvic fin I 5, complete frenum and basal membrane, first four rays with 2-3 sequential branches, 1-2 dichotomous branches in fifth ray, fourth and fifth rays longest, reaching posteriorly to just anterior to anus or short distance behind this; branched caudal fin rays 7-9 + 7-8 (mean = 7.3 + 7.1); segmented caudal fin rays 16-17 (mean = 16.8); 5-6 dorsal and 4-6 ventral procurrent (unsegmented) caudal fin rays (mean = 5.5 and 4.5). Scales large, cycloid anteriorly on head and on body, becoming ctenoid posteriorly below middle of first A B C Fig. 1. Left lateral view of freshly collected Feia dabra n. sp. A) ROM 75919, 18.3 mm SL female; B) ROM 76591, 10.7 mm SL female; and C) ROM 76594, 9.9 mm SL unsexed. Photos by R. Winterbottom. 47 aqua vol. 10 no. 2-2005

Feia dabra, a new species of gobiid fish (Percomorpha: Gobiidae) from Palau or anterior part of second dorsal fin, last row of scales cycloid or ctenoid, in two small specimens (10.7 and12.8 mm SL) cteni on these scales greatly hypertrophied and up to 0.75 length of exposed portion of scale body; 9-11 (mean = 9.4) predorsal scales, scales in first row largest and about 1.5 times diameter of those in second and subsequent rows; usually one to two scales on upper part of opercle; pectoral fin base with 2-4 scales in vertical row; 3 irregular rows of scales on the pelvic fin base, lateral scales rows 22-25 (mean = 23.3); anterior transverse scale rows 7-10 (mean = 9.4); posterior transverse scales 7-9 (mean = 8.0). Fig. 2. Head of Feia dabra n. sp., stained with cyanine blue to highlight papillae. A) Left lateral view (ROM 75909, 17.7 mm SL female holotype); B) Dorsal view (ROM 75909, 17.7 mm SL female holotype); C) Ventral view (ROM 76630, 17.7 mm SL female paratype. Photos by R. Winterbottom. Cephalic sensory canal pores absent, sensory papillae either single in short rows or arranged in ridges (sensu Winterbottom, 2003); ridges bearing papillae present in temporal region behind eye, opercle, middle row on cheek and following posterodorsal margin of upper jaw, curved preopercular/mandibular series (Fig. 2 A and B) and symphyseal rows, in which left and right rows form a V, the base the V open and pointing posteriorly (row f, Fig. 2 C). Vertical portion of anterior preopercular papillae ridge, row e, situated on cheek well anterior to vertical limb of preopercle, three papillae in cheek row c (Fig. 2 A), and three papillae in a straight line on the snout (row r, Fig. 2 B). Gill rakers relatively short, 1-3 + 9-11 (mean = 1.9 + 10.6) on outer surface of first gill arch; gill rakers on medial surface of first arch small and rounded with short brush-like teeth, counts usually mirror values for outer rakers; gill opening extending ventrally to below vertical papillae ridge on opercle. Tongue truncate with rounded edges, epaxial musculature reaching to below anterior margin of first predorsal scale on head with attachment being in a virtually straight line across region behind eye. Anterior nasal opening a short narrow tube extending a little beyond upper lip, posterior opening a pore about one-third pupil width in diameter with a well developed rim, nasal sac somewhat elevated, and confined to anterior half of snout. Upper jaw with outer row of curved, slightly spaced caniniform teeth reaching to bend of premaxilla, and an irregular inner row of smaller (half size of outer) pointed teeth; lower jaw with outer row of 4-8 large, curved, slightly spaced canines reaching laterally to bend of dentary, an inner row of small, straight or slightly curved pointed teeth with 2-3 innermost curved, spaced caniniform teeth, a little longer than those of outer row, at bend of dentary; no vomerine or palatine teeth. As percentage of SL: head length 33.2-37.5 (34.8 in holotype, mean = 34.6); eye diameter 7.5-8.2 (7.5, mean = 7.9); head width 20.1-26.0 (25.6, mean = 22.6); bony interorbital width 1.4-3.1 (3.1, mean = 2.2); head depth 15.4-19.7 (17.2, mean = 16.9); body depth at pelvic fin origin 16.6-20.8 (18.4, mean = 18.4); predorsal length 37.9-41.6 (39.7, mean = 40.1); prepelvic length 31.5-36.8 (33.8, mean = 33.1); preanal length 59.7-64.8 (62.7, mean = 62.5); first dorsal fin origin to second dorsal fin origin 18.3-22.1 (20.5, mean = 20.4); caudal peduncle length 23.1-27.0 (24.8, mean = 24.6); caudal peduncle depth 11.5-14.3 (13.1, mean = 12.8); length of second dorsal fin base 14.7-21.8 (19.9, mean = 18.8); length of anal fin base 14.3-17.0 (15.8, mean = 15.8); length of third dorsal spine 12.9-14.9 (14.0, mean = 13.8); length of third last segmented ray in second dorsal fin 14.3-17.8 (15.7, mean = 16.3); length of third last segmented ray in anal fin 16.2-19.1 (17.9, mean = 17.3); pelvic fin length 20.0-24.5 (22.0, mean = 22.2); pectoral fin length 22.6-32.3 (22.6, mean = 27.2); caudal fin length 24.6-29.5 (28.1, mean = 27.4). Osteological features: (based on two specimens, aqua vol. 10 no. 2-2005 48

Table I. Selected characters of the four species of Feia. Richard Winterbottom Character dabra ranta nympha nota Pectoral rays 15-17 15-16 14-15 16 Pelvic fraenum Complete Complete Weak/moderate None Basal membrane Full Full Almost complete Reduced but present Scale type(s) Anterior 1/3 cycloid Anterior 2/3 cycloid All cycloid Most ctenoid Anterior extent of scales Just behind eye Just behind eye At/posterior to origin Pectoral axil D2 Lateral scales 22-25 25 14-25 26-27 Tip of tongue Rounded/truncate { -shaped Rounded/truncate Bilobed Anterior preopercle row Well in front of Close to Well in front of Close to preopercle preopercle preopercle preopercle Ridges On preopercle, On preopercle, On preopercle, None cheek, opercle, cheek, opercle, cheek chin, and nape chin, and nape Ventral extent of gill Below vertical papillae Below vertical papillae Just anterior to Below vertical papillae opening row on opercle row on opercle pectoral fin base row on opercle Epaxialis attachment to skull Straight across { -shaped Bilobed Convex dorsum Nasal sac Anterior half of snout Anterior half of snout Anterior half of snout Snout tip almost to eye Colour pattern: of head Bars from eye, small Bars from eye, blotch Mottled Mottled blotch on subopercle on opercle of pectoral fin Blotch on fin rays Vertical dark bar Diffuse Diffuse on base of caudal fin Strong to weak bar Strongly demarcated Diffuse basal bar Greyish-brown bar bar 11.7 and 19.0, ROM 1761CS). Vertebrae 10 + 16 = 26 (including ural complex), dorsal pterygiophore formula 3(2,2,1,1), two anal fin pterygiophores anterior to first haemal spine; one epural; epineurals on vertebrae 1-12, short neural spine on pu2. Colour in life: (based on three 35 mm colour slides of the freshly collected specimens Fig. 1, A-C). The largest specimen (18.3 mm SL female, ROM 75919, Fig 1 A): head and body dirty off-white with slight yellowish cast posteriorly from below middle of first dorsal fin. Head with a short, dark, half-pupil diameter bar from anteroventral corner of eye to end of snout behind middle length of upper jaw, a thin incomplete vertical bar of brown chromatophores below anterior margin of eye, a diagonal, pupil width dark bar from posteroventral margin of eye across cheek to angle of preopercle, an elongate diagonal dark spot in line with dorsal margin of previous bar across posterior preopercle and anteroventral margin of opercle, vertical ridges of papillae on preopercle and those of opercle highlighted by iridiocytes. Margins of lips strongly lined with melanophores and brown chromatophores, nape with scattered, occasionally densely concentrated, dark pigmentation. A prominent, dark, vertical, tapering bar made up of melanophores and brown chromatophores, beginning just anterior to first dorsal fin origin and ending at base of fifth spine, eye diameter in width at its dorsal margin, ending on abdomen at level of lower margin of pectoral fin base, scale pockets more strongly outlined than centres, dark pigmentation continuing dorsal into first dorsal fin. Four black saddles across dorsum, first at bases of first two rays of second dorsal fin, second at bases of rays six and seven, third at mid-peduncle, and fourth at bases of anterior few dorsal procurrent caudal fin rays; saddles decreasing in size posteriorly. Three small dark spots in ventral midline, first just posterior to last anal fin ray, second at mid-peduncle a little posterior to its dorsal counterpart, third at bases of anterior ventral procurrent caudal fin rays. Base of caudal fin with vertical intermittent short lines of brown chromatophores, almost but not quite forming a vertical bar. Base of pectoral fin, proximal third of dorsal pectoral rays grading to full length of ventral pectoral rays off-white to white, a dark brown blotch in middle third of upper pectoral rays aligned with anterior margin of dark body bar beneath it, distal third of these rays hyaline, base of fin with a few dark brown chromatophores. Scattered melanophores and brown and yellow chromatophores on fin rays and in membranes of dorsal, caudal and anal fins, pelvic fins hyaline. The 10.7 mm SL female specimen (ROM 76591 Fig 1 B) differs in having unpigmented lips, less pigment on nape, a small and rounded dark spot on anteroventral opercle (just anterior to vertical opercular papillae ridge); a more strongly developed vertical body bar that widens but becomes less intense ventrally and which reaches ventral midline; body and dorsal fins posterior to bar yellow; basal third of caudal fin darkly pigmented, most intense along its anterior, vertical margin; 49 aqua vol. 10 no. 2-2005

Feia dabra, a new species of gobiid fish (Percomorpha: Gobiidae) from Palau only first dark saddle across dorsum apparent and very small, confined to the base of first dorsal fin ray; midventral margin of caudal peduncle dusky with a few scattered dark pigment cells; anal fin with diffuse light yellow basal stripe, followed by black stripe in midregion of fin, distal third hyaline. The 9.9 mm SL unsexed specimen (ROM 76594 Fig. 1C) is generally very similar to the 10.7 mm SL specimen, but lacks yellow pigmentation on posterior half of body. Etymology The name dabra is an arbitrary combination of letters, and coincidentally combines the first few letters of the given names of my son, David Winterbottom, and of Bradley Hubley (Royal Ontario Museum), both of whom contributed immeasurably to the success and wellbeing of the Palau biodiversity expedition team. Distribution Presently known only from the reefs of the Republic of Palau. Discussion The new species differs from Feia nympha and F. nota in most of the same characters that distinguishes F. ranta from those species a dark bar over the body beginning at the dorsal fin origin, a dark diagonal bar passing posteroventrally from the posteroventral margin of the eye, predorsal scales, and scales on the pectoral and pelvic fin bases. It differs from F. ranta in lacking the large heart-shaped blotch on the opercle but possessing a dark spot or bar on the anteroventral margin of the opercle; and lacking the { -shaped bar at the base of the upper half of the pectoral fin, instead having a dark spot on the upper pectoral fin rays well removed from the bases of the rays; in usually having one or two cycloid scales on the upper margin of the opercle; in having three (rather than two) papillae in the cheek row c below row b (a single papilla); a row (r) of three papillae in a straight line on the snout from the anterodorsomedial margin of the orbit (vs. the posteriormost papilla offset laterally from the other two more anterior ones); in having the symphyseal longitudinal rows (f) converging gradually posteriorly and separated by a gap (vs. converging more sharply and almost meeting in the midline); and in having the vertical position of the anterior preopercular papillae ridge, row e, situated well forward on the cheek (vs. just anterior to the vertical limb of the preopercle). Senou et al. (2004: 436) provide a photograph identified as Feia sp., which appears to differ from F. dabra and F. ranta in possessing a tiny dark spot on the upper opercle, just anterior to the pectoral fin base, and in having the continuity between the dark body bar and the first dorsal fin broken at the base of the fin. In the possession of a dark blotch in the middle of the upper pectoral fin rays, it appears to be more similar to F. dabra than to F. ranta. Although Gill and Mooi (1999) suggested that there may be several species presently described under the name Feia nympha in Pacific seas, these all appear to be similar in general appearance to that species. The redescription of F. nympha based on specimens from Japan by Ikeda et al. (2000) essentially matches that given in Lachner and McKinney (1979), although the latter report a tremendous range in the number of lateral scale rows (14-25 vs. 12-16 in Ikeda et al., 2000.) that has not yet been found in any of the other species of the genus. Acknowledgements A special thank you to Wouter Holleman, who arranged for, and was chief coordinator of, the Palau Expedition, to Andrew Bauman and Youlsau Bells of the Palau Office of Environmental Response and Coordination, Steven Victor of the Palau International Coral Reef Centre, Pat and Lori Colin of the Coral Reef Research Foundation, and to Bradley Hubley and David Winterbottom who helped make and process all the collections, and cheerfully kept us all both fed and amused. I would also like to thank the Department of Museum Volunteers and the Royal Ontario Museum Foundation for grants in aid of fieldwork, and the people of Canada via my NSERC Discovery Grant OGP 7619. References Birdsong, R., Murdy, E. O. & F. L. Pezold. 1988. A study of the vertebral column and median fin osteology in gobioid fishes with comments on gobioid relationships. Bulletin of Marine Sciences 42(2): 174-214. Gill, A. T. & R. D. Mooi. 1999. Feia nota, a new species of gobiid fish from Western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum 19: 365-370. Ikeda, Y., Ono, A., Sakamoto, K. & T. Suzuki. 2000. New record of the gobiid fish Feia nympha from Japan and comments on its unique cephalic sensory papillae rows. Biogeography 2: 45-50. Lachner, E. A. & J. F. McKinney. 1979. Two new gobiid fishes of the genus Gobiopsis and a redescription of Feia nympha Smith. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology 299: 1-18. Sanzo, L. 1911. Distribuzione delle papille cutanee (organi ciatiformi) e suo valore sistematico nei Gobi. Mitteilungen aus der Zoologischen Station zu Neapel 20(2): 251-328. Saruwatari, T., Lopez J. A. & T. W. Pietsch. 1997. Cyanine blue: a versatile and harmless stain for specimen observation. Copeia 1997(4): 840-841. Senou, H., Suzuki, T., Shibukawa, K. & K. Yano. 2004. A Photographic Guide to the Gobioid Fishes of Japan. Heibonsha Co., Japan. Winterbottom, R. 2003. Feia ranta, a new species of gobiid fish (Actinopterygii; Perciformes) from Vietnam. aqua, Journal of Ichthyology and Aquatic Biology 7(3): 97-102. aqua vol. 10 no. 2-2005 50