Redescription of a Sanddiver, Trichonotus blochii (Actinopterygii: Perciformes: Trichonotidae), with Confirmation of Its Validity

Abstract

A trichonotid sanddiver, Trichonotus blochii Castelnau, 1875, known only from its short original description, is redescribed on the basis of the holotype and 11 additional specimens from northern Australia. This species differs from its congeners by displaying the following combination of characters: dorsal fin soft rays 43-46; anal fin soft rays 39-41; lateral line scales 57-60; gill rakers 4-6+17-21; vertebrae 55; infraorbital and supraorbital canals separated anterior to eye; elongated dorsal fin spines 4-6 in males; caudal fin with 2 black stripes in males.