Biology:Exyrias akihito
| Exyrias akihito | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Gobiiformes |
| Family: | Gobiidae |
| Genus: | Exyrias |
| Species: | E. akihito
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| Binomial name | |
| Exyrias akihito G. R. Allen & J. E. Randall, 2005
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Exyrias akihito is a species of marine goby. Since the recent description of this species it has been found to have a wide distribution in the western Pacific including the Great Barrier Reef, New Guinea, Indonesia, the Philippines and the Yaeyama Islands, Japan . One individual was photographed in Palau, and on January 13, 2005 one was caught in the lagoon of Majuro Atoll in the Marshall Islands. This animal had only 9 soft rays in its dorsal fin instead of the normal 10, a congenital abnormality known to occasionally occur in gobies and other fish.[1]
Members of this species used to be assigned to the widespread species Exyrias belissimus but it differs from that species in a number of respects, notably in the very long dorsal fin spines and the paler coloration with numerous yellow or orange spots on all parts. It also differs in habitat preference: E. belissimus is a bottom-dwelling species of turbid waters while E. akihito prefers clear water and is usually found on coral rubble or sandy patches near coral reefs at a depth of 10–43 m.[1]
The species was named in honour of Emperor Akihito of Japan, who is a keen ichthyologist with a special interest in gobies. Type material for the new species was in part procured by the Imperial Household Agency's Biological Laboratory.[2]
See also
- Akihito, genus of the family Gobiidae named after Akihito
Footnotes
References
- Allen, Gerald R. & Randall, John E. (2005): Exyrias akihito, a new species of coral-reef goby (Gobiidae) from the western pacific. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 53(2): 231–235. PDF fulltext
- Randall, John E. (2008): Two new species and three new records of gobiid fishes from the Marshall Islands. Micronesica 40(1/2): 285–303. PDF fulltext
External links
- Photos of Exyrias akihito on Sealife Collection
Wikidata ☰ Q3027409 entry
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