Gobiodon spilophthalmus Fowler 1944

Situation surrounding Gobiodon spilophthalmus Fowler 1944 View in CoL

Synonyms or described as: No recorded synonyms.

Description: The description of this species can vary depending on the source material. The description includes juveniles with a white body with two longitudinal black stripes on the body and black spots on the head and tail ( Figure 28 View FIGURE 28 ) ( Fowler, 1944). Adults are described as uniformly black and distinguished from G. acicularis due to the lack of an elongated first dorsal fin ( Fowler, 1944; Munday, Harold and Winterbottom, 1999).

Distribution/Habitat: The species was described inhabiting a wide range of coral species typically found in lagoonal or sheltered areas of the reef with unknown distribution ( Munday, Harold and Winterbottom, 1999).

Notes: Gobiodon spilophthalmus was once considered to be an independent species, but recent evidence suggests that these individuals are likely to be juvenile individuals of G. acicularis and G. ceramensis ( Hing et al., 2019) . Individuals fitting the description of G. spilophthalmus were collected in corals with adult G. acicularis and G. ceramensis from Lizard Island, GBR, and genetically analysed ( Hing et al., 2019). Gobiodon spilophthalmus individuals fell out into genetic clades with either known species, correlating with the adults they were observed cohabitating with in host corals ( Figure 28 View FIGURE 28 ) ( Hing et al., 2019). Genetic relatedness with G. acicularis and G. ceramensis was so similar, that with confidence, they could be assigned to the cohabitating species ( Hing et al., 2019).