Two new species of Varicus from Caribbean deep reefs, with comments on the related genus Pinnichthys (Teleostei, Gobiidae, Gobiosomatini, Nes subgroup).

ABSTRACT: Tropical deep reefs (~40-300 m) are diverse ecosystems that serve as habitats for diverse communities of reef-associated fishes. Deep-reef fish communities are taxonomically and ecologically distinct from those on shallow reefs, but like those on shallow reefs, they are home to a species-rich assemblage of small, cryptobenthic reef fishes, including many species from the family Gobiidae (gobies). Here we describe two new species of deep-reef gobies, Varicusprometheussp. nov. and V.roatanensissp. nov., that were collected using the submersible Idabel from rariphotic reefs off the island of Roatan (Honduras) in the Caribbean. The new species are the 11^th and 12^th species of the genus Varicus, and their placement in the genus is

SUBMITTER: Fuentes KM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10534247 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature