Family SCHINDLERIIDAE

Schindleriidae

© Copyright Ros Poole.

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Introduction

The family Schindleriidae comprises a single genus and five described species (Fricke & Abu El-Regal 2017); these three species are found in Australian waters. The group is found in the Indo-Pacific as far eastward as Easter Island. However, recent molecular studies studies of species from Japan and Palau have identified more than 20 species (Kon et al. 2007, 2011). The Australian species have not been studied in detail and it is likely that additional species will be found.

Schindleriids are small neotenous marine fishes reaching a maximum size of around 2 cm in length. They are very abundant near coral reefs of the Indo-west-central Pacific. Their retention of larval features has obscured the family relationships, but Johnson & Brothers (1993) demonstrated that the family is related to gobioid fishes.

General References

Fricke, R. & Abu El-Regal, M.A. 2017. Schindleria nigropunctata, a new species of paedomorphic gobioid fish from the Red Sea (Teleostei: Schindleriidae). Marine Biodiversity https://doi.org/10.1007/s12526-017-0831-z: 1-5 [Date published 12 December 2017: Online version]

Johnson, G.D. & Brothers, E.B. 1993. Schindleria: a paedomorphic goby (Teleostei : Gobioidei). Bulletin of Marine Science 52(1): 441-471 figs 1-12

Kon, T., Yoshino, T., Mukai, T. & Nishida, M. 2007. DNA sequences identify numerous cryptic species of the vertebrate: a lesson from the gobioid fish Schindleria. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 44: 53–62

Kon, T., Yoshino, T. & Nishida, M. 2011. Cryptic species of the gobioid paedomorphic genus Schindleria from Palau, western Pacific Ocean. Ichthyological Research 58(1): 62-66

Common Name References

Pollard, J. (ed.) 1980. G.P. Whitley's Handbook of Australian Fishes. North Sydney : Jack Pollard Publishing Pty Ltd 629 pp. [205] (Floaters)

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