Checklist of the marine and estuarine fishes of Madang District, <br />Papua New Guinea, western Pacific Ocean, with 820 new records

Abstract

A checklist of the marine and estuarine fishes of Madang District is presented, combining both previous and new records. After the recent PAPUA NIUGINI 2012 expedition, a total of 1337 species in 129 families have been recorded from the region. One species and one family is not native (Cichlidae: Oreochromis mossambicus), but has been introduced. The native fish fauna of Madang therefore consists of 1336 species in 128 families. The largest families are the Gobiidae, Labridae, Pomacentridae, Apogonidae, Serranidae, Blenniidae, Chaetodontidae, Syngnathidae and Muraenidae, Scorpaenidae and Lutjanidae, Myctophidae, Acanthuridae, Scaridae, Holocentridae, Carangidae, Pomacanthidae and Tetraodontidae, and Caesionidae. A total of 820 fish species (61.4 % of the total marine and estuarine fish fauna) are recorded from Madang for the first time. The fish fauna of Madang includes a total of 187 species of transitional waters and 1326 species in marine habitats. A total of 156 species of the marine or estuarine species also occurs in freshwater. Zoogeographically, 1271 species have a wide distribution range, most frequently a broad Indo-West Pacific distribution. Among the remaining species, only 8 are endemic to Madang District. Anthropogenic threats to the fish fauna and habitats of Madang District include extensive fishing in Madang Lagoon, sometimes with destructive fishing practices; the discharge of untreated sewage of human settlements, mining and industrial developments into the lagoon and nearby oceanic habitats; and destruction of mangrove habitats by extensive construction work on the shores. These anthropogenic threats may call for conservation and monitoring measures in the near future.

Thrissina encrasicholoides (Actinopterygii: Clupeiformes: Engraulidae): first record from Taiwan and northernmost record of the species

“…Thrissina encrasicholoides has been recorded from Sri Lanka, south-eastern India (Vishakhapatnam), Andaman Islands, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea (Madang District), the Philippines and Queensland, Australia (Nelson 1981, Whitehead et al 1988, Krishnan and Mishra 1994, Wongratana et al 1999, Fricke et al 2014. It is newly reported here from southwestern Taiwan.…”

“…Nelson (1983) also regarded Engraulis duodecim, described by Cope (1867) from a specimen supposedly collected from Beasley's Point, New Jersey, USA, as a junior synonym of T. encrasicholoides, pointing out the erroneous collection locality. Thereafter, Krishnan and Mishra (1994) reported the species from the Andaman Islands (specimens deposited in the Marine Biological Station, Zoological Survey of India, Madras) and Fricke et al (2014) reported a specimen (AMS I.16747-004) collected from Madang District, Papua New Guinea. Because there appear to be no further significant distribution records of T. encrasicholoides, the presently described specimens from south-western Taiwan are considered to represent the first record of the species from Taiwan and the northernmost records of the species.…”

Pterocaesio tessellata (Actinopterygii: Perciformes: Caesionidae) from Taiwan: extended distribution range

“…Distribution. Pterocaesio tessellata is currently known from the eastern Indian to the western Pacific oceans, westward to Sri Lanka, eastward to Vanuatu, and north to the Philippines (Carpenter 1987, 2001, Allen and Erdmann 2012, Tatsukawa 2017, and now from southwestern Taiwan (presently reported study).…”

“…66, fig. A;Carpenter 2000: 618;Carpenter 2001Carpenter : 2939Allen and Adrim 2003: 39;Peristiwady et al 2003: 92;Adrim et al 2004: 121;Iwatsuki 2009: 147, unnumbered fig. ;Allen and Erdmann 2012: 466, unnumbered fig.…”

Just off the beach: intrageneric distinctiveness of the bandtail goatfishUpeneus taeniopterus(Mullidae) based on a comprehensive alpha-taxonomy and barcoding approach

“…The latter location is in close proximity to deep oceanic waters, which also applies to the adjacent coast of eastern Papua New Guinea. For the latter, however, U. taeniopterus has not yet been reported (e.g., Fricke et al 2014).…”