Korean sand burrower (Limnichthys koreanus), a new creediid fish from tidal waters of Jeju Island

NEWS - Korean sand burrower (Limnichthys koreanus) was described based on the holotype and 11 paratypes from the subtidal waters of Seogwipo, Jeju Island, Korea, which was previously considered to be the anti-equatorial L. fasciatus in the Northern Hemisphere. Molecular analysis of mitochondrial COI and 16S genes found genetic divergence of 9.4% and 15.0% between the new species and the topotype specimen of L. fasciatus.

Creediidae consists of 8 genera with 18 species that are distributed globally and are mostly concentrated in subtropical and tropical coastal waters of the Indo-Pacific Ocean. These fish are known as sand burrowers, small, slender sand-dwelling fish that camouflage and hide in the uppermost layer of sand while waiting for prey.

Six species of Limnichthys are currently recognized as valid: L. fasciatus Waite (1904), L. marisrubri Fricke & Golani (2012), L. nitidus Smith (1958), L. orientalis Yoshino, Kon & Odabe (1999), L. polyactis Nelson (1978) and L. rendahli Parrott (1958). They show anti-equatorial distributions, except for L. nitidus which occurs in tropical to temperate waters of the Indo-Pacific Ocean.

Morphological and molecular comparisons of specimens from Korea in the Northern Hemisphere show that they differ from the topotype examples of L. fasciatus from southeastern Australia. Specimens of the new species were collected during a monitoring survey of subtropical fish species from the subtidal zone of Jeju Island, Korea.

L. koreanus differs from all other Limnichthys species by the following combination of coloration and morphological characteristics: 38-40 vertebrae, 0-6 dorsal saddles connecting the mid-lateral lines, small infraorbital sensory pores, one median interorbital pore, and well-developed vomerine teeth.

The researchers analyzed 12 specimens from 1-2 meters depth that were initially thought to be L. fasciatus. The new species has spots on the dorsal fin. The number of dorsal saddle patterns ranges from 5 to 9. Limnichthys species typically have 8 caudal fin segments, however, L. koreanus has 8-9 branched caudal fins.

The new species is only known from Jeju Island, Korea. They inhabit relatively thick sand (or possibly fine gravel) substrates, often hiding almost entirely in the sand in the subtidal zone. They dart out to catch prey and then return to their original position. Females have mature eggs in their gonads from June to August, 522 eggs per individual and 0.62-0.65 mm in diameter.

Original research

Lee Y-J, Kim J-K (2024). Limnichthys koreanus, a new species of creediid fish (Teleostei, Acropomatiformes, Creediidae) from Korea. ZooKeys 1214: 59-75, DOI:10.3897/zookeys.1214.128977

Dlium theDlium

New living fossil, Amethyst worm lizard (Amphisbaena amethysta), from Espinhaço Mountain Range, Brazil

NEWS - New species from the northern Espinhaço Mountains, Caetité municipality, Bahia state, Brazil. Amethyst worm lizard ( Amphisbaena amethysta ) is the 71st species of the genus with 4 precloacal pores and the 22nd species of Caatinga morphoclimatic domain. Identification of the new species shows the reptiles of the Mountains are far from complete and may contain greater diversity of endemic taxa. A. amethysta can be distinguished by its anteriorly convex snout, slightly compressed and unkeeled, pectoral scales arranged in regular annuli, four precloacal pores, distinct head shield, 185-199 dorsal and half annuli, 13-16 caudal annuli, a conspicuous autotomy spot between the 4th-6th caudal annuli, 16-21 dorsal and ventral segments in the middle of the body, 3/3 supralabials, 3/3 infralabials and a smooth and rounded tail tip. A. amethysta occurs in areas with an average elevation of 1000 meters in patches of deciduous and semi-deciduous forests associated with valleys, slopes, fore

Early human species inhabited highlands for availability and diversity of food

NEWS - Researchers at the IBS Center for Climate Physics (ICCP) at Pusan National University in South Korea suggest that the patchwork of ecosystems found in mountainous regions played a key role in human evolution. Using a vast dataset of fossils, artifacts, high-resolution landscapes and 3 million-year-long simulations of Earth’s climate, a team of scientists is painting a clearer picture of how and why early humans adapted to rugged landscapes. Hominins are often found in and near mountainous regions. Now Elke Zeller and Axel Timmermann have helped explain why so many of our evolutionary relatives preferred to be “highlanders” rather than “lowlanders.” Mountainous regions are rich in biodiversity, providing a range of environmental conditions in which different species of plants and animals thrive. Steep areas typically exhibit a greater diversity, density of ecosystems and vegetation types, known as biomes. This diversity of biomes was attractive to early humans because it provided

Black-spotted longnose gudgeon (Microphysogobio punctatus) as new species and M. elongatus as synonym of M. tungtingensis

NEWS - Researchers have established the black-spotted longnose gudgeon ( Microphysogobio punctatus ) as a new species and redescribed M. elongatus (Yao & Yang, 1977) as a junior synonym of M. tungtingensis (Nichols, 1926) based on morphological analysis and molecular evidence supported by mitochondrial gene sequences. M. tungtingensis has been considered valid since its description, but its morphology is still vague especially when compared to another similar species, M. elongatus . In this study, researchers examined both species and compared several lots of specimens from a wide geographical range. There was no significant morphological difference between the two. Molecular evidence supported by mitochondrial gene sequences also showed low genetic distance and suggested that M. elongatus is a junior synonym of M. tungtingensis . At the same time, M. punctatus was found to have a similar distribution to both. M. punctatus is distributed in the Guijiang and Liujiang rivers, t

Dlium