ホシマダラハゼ (新称) Ophiocara porocephalaとタメトモハゼOphieleotris aporosについて

抄録

Ophieleotris aporos was originally described by Bleeker (1854: 59) as Eleotris aporos.After Gill (1863: 270) established the genus Ophiocara based on Eleotris ophicephalusValenciennes, a synonym of Ophiocara porocephala (Valenciennes), E.aporos wasassigned to the genus Ophiocara by Bleeker (1877: 27).Aurich (1938: 132) established a new genus Ophieleotris for O.aporos based on the study of sensory canal pores, arrangement of pit organs and other characteristics. However, his genus has not been used by others but Whitley (1964: 55), as far as it is known to us.
Our study on comparative morphology on O.porocephala and O.aporos with other species, listed on p.74, has revealed further different characteristics between two species and other species, some of which can be used for separating O.aporos from the genus Ophiocara and for recognizing the genus Ophieleotris for O.aporos.
The characteristics of the two species are listed in Table 1.The most importantcharacteristics of the two genera, Ophiocara and Ophieleotris, in comparison with othergenera listed on p.74 are: 1) The presence of a process on the inner side of themaxillary in Ophiocara (Fig.1A) and the absence in Ophieleotris (Fig.1B).2) Thepresence of oculoscapular canal from nasal to posttemporal with the pores A to Lexcept for G, of preopercular canal with the pores M to Q and three supratemporalsin Ophiocara (Fig.2A);the absence of oculoscapular canal and supratemporals andthe presence of short preopercular canal with the pores N'and O'in Ophieleotris (Fig.2B). 3) 17 segmented caudal fin rays in Ophiocara and 15 segmented caudal finrays in Ophieleotris.4) 26 (or rarely 27) vertebrae and the first and second pterygiophoresof the first dorsal fin are inserted between the third and fourth vertebrae in Ophiocara (Fig.3A);25 vertebrae and the first pterygiophore between the third and fourthvertebrae (Fig.3B) or the first two or three pterygiophores between the fourth andfifth vertebrae in Ophieleotris (Fig.3C).5) The presence of a short, low longitudinalridge on frontal in Ophieleotris (Fig.4A);the absence of the ridge in Ophiocara (Fig.4B).6) The size of a scale of interorbital space of Ophiocara smaller than thatof caudal peduncle;the size of a scale of interorbital space of Ophieleotris larger thanthat of caudal peduncle and the largest of all the genera;the size of a scale of caudalpeduncle of both genera is not different.Although O. porocephala has no suborbitalwhose presence is thought to be an unspecialized characteristic, it has common characteristicsin 1) to 4) with the species with a suborbital, except for the loss of thepore G.Thus O.porocephala closely resembles the species with a suborbital whichare thought to be the most unspecialized species. As for O.aporos, when compared with them, it has no characteristics which are as unspecialized as those found in O.porocephala.