Meet the New Damselfish Species from Mauritius and Réunion

02 Jul, 2018

Chromis torquata, the new Chromis/Damselfish species from Mauritus and Réunion. Image credit: Gerald R. Allen/aqua

Dr. Gerald R. Allen’s latest species description brings a new Chromis to our attention. His discovery is chronicled in the journal article, Chromis torquata, a new species of damselfish (Pomacentridae) from Mauritius and Réunion, which was published in the latest edition of aqua, the journal of ichthyology (Volume 24, issue 1). The paper’s abstract is below.

Abstract

A new species of pomacentrid fish, Chromis torquata, is described from six specimens, 22.0-91.9 mm SL collected in 30 m at Mauritius in the southwestern Indian Ocean. It also occurs at nearby Réunion, based on photographic evidence. The new species belongs to the C. xanthura complex, which also contains C. anadema (Japan and Micronesia to Marquesas and Pitcairn Island), C. opercularis (East Africa to Christmas Island, Indian Ocean), and C. xanthura (Indonesia to Japan, eastward to Fiji and Tonga).

Diagnostic features for the new species include usual counts of XIII, 11 dorsal rays, II, 11 anal rays, 19 pectoral rays, 3 spiniform caudal rays, 17-19 tubed lateral-line scales, and a distinctive colour pattern that includes a broad dark band immediately behind the head, extending downward to the body side of the pectoral-fin axil. The maximum width of the dark band is equal to or greater than the horizontal eye diameter in C. torquata, but the similarly-positioned band of the other species in the complex is clearly less than the eye diameter.

The new species also differs in having the entire iris orange-yellow, compared with a narrow rim of yellow around the pupil in the other three species.

Find the Paper

The full species description is available for purchase at https://aqua-aquapress.com/product/241_chromis-torquata/

Related Terms:

• Term: pectoral
• Term: caudal
• Term: dorsal
• Term: rays

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