A new species of pomacentrus (actinopterygii: Pomacentridae) from micronesia, with comments on its phylogenetic relationships

Abstract

Background: Many widely distributed coral reef fishes exhibit cryptic lineages across their distribution. Previous study revealed a cryptic lineage of Pomacentrus coelestis mainly distributed in the area of Micronesia. Herein, we attempted to use molecular and morphological approaches to descript a new species of Pomacentrus. Results: The morphological comparisons have been conducted between cryptic species and P. coelestis. Pomacentrus micronesicus sp. nov. is characterized by 13 to 16 (typically 15) anal fin rays (vs. 13 to 15, typically 14 rays in P. coelestis) and 15 or 16 rakers on the lower limb of the first gill arch (vs. 13 or 14 rakers in P. coelestis). Divergence in cytochrome oxidase subunit I sequences of 4.3% is also indicative of species-level separation of P. micronesicus and P. coelestis. Conclusions: P. micronesicus sp. nov. is described from the Marshall Islands, Micronesia on the basis of 21 specimens. Both morphological and genetic evidences support its distinction as a separate species from P. coelestis. © 2013 Liu et al.