Blacktail triplefin
Encyclopedia
The Blacktail triplefin (Enneapterygius bahasa), also known as the Blacktail threefin in Australia
, is a species of threefin blenny
in the genus Enneapterygius
. It was described by German ichthyologist Ronald Fricke in 1997, and earns its common name
from its black caudal fins. It is known from reef
s in the western Pacific Ocean
.
(USNM 259168) collected from Queensland
, Australia, and 77 paratype
specimens from its other known locale. He gave it the species name bahasa, referring to the official Indonesian language
, often called "Bahasa Indonesia".
, being most closely related to the Australian Clea's triplefin
(E. clea) and the Redtail triplefin (E. rubicauda) from the western Pacific. The bodies of the blennies are predominantly reddish in colour, with white spots on the bodies and white streaks around the eyes; the males have blackish faces and tails (from which the common name is derived), a trait which is not shared with the females. On average, the females have stouter bodies, shorter snouts and higher vertical fins than the males.
s in the western Pacific Ocean
, and swims at depths ranging from 0 –. It has been recorded from Japan
, Taiwan
, Indonesia
, the Philippines
, Papua New Guinea
, Guam
, Palau
, and Australia
.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, is a species of threefin blenny
Threefin blenny
Threefin or triplefin blennies are blennioids, small perciform marine fish of the family Tripterygiidae. Found in tropical and temperate waters of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans, the family contains approximately 150 species in 30 genera...
in the genus Enneapterygius
Enneapterygius
Enneapterygius is a genus of triplefins in the family Tripterygiidae.-Species:* Yellow triplefin, Enneapterygius abeli .* Highfin triplefin, Enneapterygius altipinnis Clark, 1980....
. It was described by German ichthyologist Ronald Fricke in 1997, and earns its common name
Common name
A common name of a taxon or organism is a name in general use within a community; it is often contrasted with the scientific name for the same organism...
from its black caudal fins. It is known from reef
Reef
In nautical terminology, a reef is a rock, sandbar, or other feature lying beneath the surface of the water ....
s in the western Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
.
Etymology
The blacktail triplefin was described by Ronald Fricke in 1997, from a male holotypeHolotype
A holotype is a single physical example of an organism, known to have been used when the species was formally described. It is either the single such physical example or one of several such, but explicitly designated as the holotype...
(USNM 259168) collected from Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia, and 77 paratype
Paratype
Paratype is a technical term used in the scientific naming of species and other taxa of organisms. The exact meaning of the term paratype when it is used in zoology is not the same as the meaning when it is used in botany...
specimens from its other known locale. He gave it the species name bahasa, referring to the official Indonesian language
Indonesian language
Indonesian is the official language of Indonesia. Indonesian is a normative form of the Riau Islands dialect of Malay, an Austronesian language which has been used as a lingua franca in the Indonesian archipelago for centuries....
, often called "Bahasa Indonesia".
Description
Male blacktail triplefins can reach a maximum length of 3.2 centimetres (1.3 in). Fricke described the blacktail triplefin as being a medium-sized member of the "Enneapterygius hemimelas" species groupSpecies group
A species group is an informal taxonomic rank into which an assemblage of closely related species within a genus are grouped because of their morphological similarities and their identity as a biological unit with a single monophyletic origin.-Use:...
, being most closely related to the Australian Clea's triplefin
Clea's triplefin
The Clea's triplefin is a species of threefin blenny in the genus Enneapterygius, described by German ichthyologist Ronald Fricke in 1997. It is endemic to Queensland, Australia.-Etymology:...
(E. clea) and the Redtail triplefin (E. rubicauda) from the western Pacific. The bodies of the blennies are predominantly reddish in colour, with white spots on the bodies and white streaks around the eyes; the males have blackish faces and tails (from which the common name is derived), a trait which is not shared with the females. On average, the females have stouter bodies, shorter snouts and higher vertical fins than the males.
Distribution
It is a tropical blenny found mainly in the flats and crests of reefReef
In nautical terminology, a reef is a rock, sandbar, or other feature lying beneath the surface of the water ....
s in the western Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
, and swims at depths ranging from 0 –. It has been recorded from Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
, Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
, Palau
Palau
Palau , officially the Republic of Palau , is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Philippines and south of Tokyo. In 1978, after three decades as being part of the United Nations trusteeship, Palau chose independence instead of becoming part of the Federated States of Micronesia, a...
, and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
External links
- Enneapterygius bahasa at www.biologie.uni-ulm.de
- Enneapterygius bahasa at www.fishwise.co.za
- Enneapterygius bahasa at World Register of Marine SpeciesWorld Register of Marine SpeciesThe World Register of Marine Species is a database that hopes to provide an authoritative and comprehensive list of names of marine organisms. The content of the registry is edited and maintained by scientific specialists on each group of organism. These taxonomists control the quality of the...
- Enneapterygius bahasa at ITISItisItis may refer to* Integrated Taxonomic Information System, a partnership designed to provide consistent and reliable information on the taxonomy of biological species...