A checklist of ponyfishes (Teleostei, Leiognathidae) from Miyazaki Prefecture, east coast of Kyushu, southern Japan, with range extensions of three tropical species

Abstract

A checklist is presented of ponyfish species (Teleostei, Leiognathidae) from the coast of Miyazaki Prefecture, eastern coast of Kyushu, in the warm temperate zone of Japan and in areas influenced by the warm Kuroshio Current. Fish collection surveys (autumn, October 2016 to winter, early 2017) recorded 9 species of the family, including 1 collected by previous authors. Records of 3 species, Gazza minuta (Bloch, 1795), Leiognathus equulus (Forsskål, 1775), and Leiognathus fasciatus (Lacepède, 1803), extended their distributional ranges northward by ca 150–500 km. These 3 species and 3 others are distributed mainly in the tropical zone, and, combined with previous records of leiognathid fishes along the coasts influenced by the Kuroshio Current in southern Japan, this study shows a continuous distribution pattern of these tropical species, suggesting that the east coast of Kyushu is also influenced by this warm current. Diagnostic features, color images, and voucher specimen data are provided for each species.