Taxonomic review of the “ posteli-species group ” of goatfishes (genus Parupeneus, Mullidae), with description of a new species from the northern Red Sea Author Uiblein, Franz text Cybium 2021 45 1 63 77 http://dx.doi.org/10.26028/cybium/2021-451-008 journal article 10.26028/cybium/2021-451-008 2101-0315 10493568 C05E4557-5693-40F2-88A1-B1D5B4C01FDA Parupeneus posteli Fourmanoir & Guézé, 1967 Postel’s Goatfish ( Figs 1 , 3 A-E; Tabs I , II) Material examined Holotype . – MNHN 1965-56, 150 mm SL; SWIO , Mascarene Islands , Réunion , 21°07’S , 55°35’E . Paratypes . – SAIAB 615 , 2 , 90-92 mm SL, same locality as HT, 21°06’S , 55°34’E . Non-types ( n = 15). – SWIO , Mascarene Islands , Réunion, 21°07’S , 55°35’E : MNHN 1965-0057 , 6 , 102- 130 mm SL ; MNHN 1966-852 , 3 : 96-101 mm ; MNHN 1975-1145, 153 mm SL; southern Mascarene Plateau , Mauritius : SAIAB 83959 , 4 , 88-91 mm SL, Baissac Bank , 17°16.51’S , 58°40.47’E , R / V Dr. Fridtjof Nansen , 58-59 m depth , bottom trawl ; SAIAB 83898 , unvouchered photograph, 105 mm SL, Soudan Bank , 18°35.13’S , 58°48.28’E , R / V Dr. Fridtjof Nansen , 60-61 m depth , bottom trawl. Diagnosis Morphological characters Pectoral fins 15-18 (mostly 15 or 16); lateral-line scales 27-28; gill rakers 7-9 + 27-30 = 35-38; measurements in % SL, large-sized fish: body depth at first dorsal-fin origin 25-28; body depth at anus 20-22; caudal-peduncle depth 8.9- 9.7; maximum head depth 23-25; head depth through eye 21-24; interorbital length 8.0-9.4; head length 32-34; snout length 15-17; postorbital length 10-11; orbit length 7.1-8.2; upper jaw length 13-15; barbel length 31-37; caudal-peduncle length 21-22; caudal-fin length 25-27; height of second anal-fin ray 13-15; pelvic-fin length 23-26; pectoral-fin length 23-25; height of second dorsal-fin spine 16-18; height of third dorsal-fin spine 18-21; height of second dorsal-fin ray 12-14 and height of ninth dorsal-fin ray 8.8-10; small-sized fish: body depth at first dorsal-fin origin 24-27; body depth at anus 18-20; caudal-peduncle depth 8.1-8.9; maximum head depth 21-24; head depth through eye 19-22; interorbital length 7.2-8.8; head length 33-35; snout length 14-16; postorbital length 10-11; orbit length 8.2-9.4; upper jaw length 12-14; barbel length 29-34; caudal-peduncle length 21-24; caudal-fin length 26-29; height of second anal-fin ray 13-16; pelvic-fin length 24-26; pectoral-fin length 23-25; height of second dorsal-fin spine 17-20; height of third dorsal-fin spine 19-21; height of second dorsal-fin ray 13-14 and height of ninth dorsal-fin ray 8.5-10; posterior margin of maxilla extended dorso-posteriorly in larger fish and evenly, symmetrically rounded in smaller fish. Figure 3. – A-E: Parupeneus posteli ; A : SAIAB 83959, 88 mm SL, Baissac Bank, southern Mascarene Plateau (O. Alvheim and D. Tweddle); B : SAIAB 83959, 90 mm SL, same locality details (O. Alvheim and D. Tweddle); C : SAIAB 83898, 105 mm SL, Soudan Bank, southern Mascarene Plateau (O. Alvheim and D. Tweddle); D : large-sized fish (SL unknown), Réunion, Mascarene Islands (P. Guézé); E : MNHN 1965-0056, HT, 150 mm SL, same locality details (MNHN); F : Parupeneus sinai n. sp. , MNHN 1967-0557, HT, 83 mm SL, northern Red Sea, right side shown, image reversed (F. Uiblein). Scale bars = 20 mm. Colour Head and body of recently deceased smaller fish (< 10 cm SL, Fig. 3 A-B) red dorsally and mostly white ventrally with up to four well separated, vertically or obliquely oriented red or pale-red blotches or bands on lower half of gill cover and body; a weakly indicated broad dark-red mid-lateral stripe from behind eye to below or behind second dorsal fin, covering the lateral line anteriorly and then, towards its posterior end, bordered by it ventrally; lateral-line scales from below second dorsal fin to caudal-fin base with pale-yellowish pigment that increasingly covers scales above lateral line at caudal peduncle, intermingling with a red or pale-red vertical bar at caudal-fin base of ca. 3 scales in width; dorsal fins pale red or red, caudal fins yellow, pelvic and pectoral fins pale red hyaline, anal fin pale yellow or pale red whitish; barbels yellow; larger fish ( Fig. 3 C-E) with dorsally dark-red and ventrally red or pale-orange head and body, a whitish or yellowish rounded patch behind pectoral-fin base and an inconspicuous red mid-lateral stripe from snout through eye to caudal peduncle; caudal-fin base with a conspicuous red or vermilion bar of ca. three scales in width; barbels pale red and/or whitish rose anteriorly and pale yellow or white towards tip; caudal, pelvic and anal fins red or rose, pectoral fins pale red or rose hyaline; eyes in both smaller and larger fish with black pupil and red iris; preserved fish uniformly pale brown. Distribution and size Réunion ; Mauritius , Baissac Bank and Soudan Bank, southern Mascarene plateau (new record); 58-250 m depth; attains 15 cm SL. Remarks Strong allometry in body shape occurs with larger-sized fish differing from smaller-sized fish in deeper body, caudal peduncle and head, longer snout, jaws and barbels, smaller eyes, wider mouth and slightly shorter caudal fin ( Fig. 1 ; Tabs I , II).