Two new species of marine goby genus Trimmatom (Teleostei: Gobiidae) from Taiwan with comments on a newly recorded species

Two new species of marine goby of the genus Trimmatom Winterbottom & Emery, 1981 are described from coastal waters of Taiwan. Trimmatom novempunctatus sp. nov. is distinguished from all congeneric species by the following unique combination of features: second dorsal fin rays 8–10; anal fin rays 8–9; pectoral fin rays 13–14; longitudinal scale rows 23; transverse scale rows 5; and pelvic fins with the first to third rays each branched once, the fourth ray elongated posteriorly (reaching beyond the last ray of the anal fin) and the fifth ray 6–10% as long as the fourth; distinctive colorations: the dorsum has a medial row of 9 dark spots extending from the first dorsal fin to the upper procurrent caudal fin, and the ventral side of the body has a medial row of 5 dark spots between the anal fin origin and the end of the caudal peduncle.

Trimmatom tetramaculatus sp. nov. is similarly distinguished by its unique combination of features: second dorsal fin rays 9; anal fin rays 9; pectoral fin rays 18; longitudinal scale rows 23; transverse scale rows 6; and pelvic fin with the first to fourth rays branched and the fourth ray short; distinctive colorations: a short, light-purplish blue band on both sides of the upper opercle (discontinuous across the nape); and four light-purplish blue saddles along the body’s upper side.

A new distributional record for Taiwan of another member of this genus, Trimmatom pharus Winterbottom, 2001, is also documented. A brief comparison of related congeneric species will also be addressed.