Eviota piperata Greenfield & Winterbottom, 2014
Peppered dwarfgoby
Eviota piperata
photo by Winterbottom, R.

Family:  Gobiidae (Gobies), subfamily: Gobiinae
Max. size:  2.01 cm SL (male/unsexed)
Environment:  pelagic-neritic; marine; depth range 6 - 9 m
Distribution:  Western Pacific: Palau south to Indonesia (Raja Ampat and the Moluccas), north to Taiwan, including Papua New Guinea; South China Sea to the Philippines Islands (Apo Reef, Mindoro Province, outside of the Sulu Sea).
Diagnosis:  Dorsal spines (total): 7-7; Dorsal soft rays (total): 8-8; Anal spines: 1-1; Anal soft rays: 8-8; Vertebrae: 24-24. This species is distinguished by the following characters: cephalic sensory-pore system categorized as Group II or without the IT pore, and a varied POP from being both absent to lacking only the upper or lower pore; 8/8 dorsal/anal-fin formula; some branched pectoral-fin rays; absence of dark spot on ural centrum; male genital papilla without fimbria; cheek and rest of body densely peppered with chromatophores (Ref. 94781) Description: Dorsal-fin rays VI+I, 8 (all); fifth pelvic-fin ray 7.8% of fourth ray; with 6 generally long branches on fourth ray; 17 segmented caudal-fin rays; 24 lateral scale rows; 6 transverse scale rows; 24 vertebrae; abdomen midline with cycloid scales; first dorsal fin triangular; first 2 spines of first dorsal fin possibly filamentous in males as small as 1.25 cm, reaching back past end of second dorsal fin (Ref.94781).
Biology:  Found to be abundant in small coral limestone islands, with small shallow lagoons and steep outer slopes to deepwater, on submerged volcanic peaks (Ref. 94781).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 09 March 2015 Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless


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