A new genus of small coral-reef goby (Teleostei: Gobiidae) from the Indo-west Pacific, with discussion of its relationships

Abstract

A new genus and species, Minysicya caudimaculata, is created for a small coral reef gobiine known so far from the Yaeyama Islands, Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan; Scott Reef off northern Western Australia; Lizard Island, Queensland; and the Tuamotu Islands, French Polynesia. Phylogenetic analysis shows that Minysicya n. gen. forms a monophyletic group with five other genera including Bryaninops and Pleurosicya (commensal on various invertebrates and plants), but has fewer of the specialisations exhibited by the other genera.