First record of Priacanthus blochii (Actinopterygii: Eupercaria: Priacanthidae) from Malaysia

Abstract

A single specimen collected off Perak, Malaysia was identified as Priacanthus blochii Bleeker, 1853, being characterized by 13 dorsal-fin soft rays, 14 anal-fin soft rays, the dorsal and anal fins relatively low and rounded distally, 21 total gill rakers on the first arch, 77 scales in lateral series, the 10th dorsal-fin spine 1.59 times the length of the second dorsal-fin spine, the pectoral-fin length 48.0% of the head length, the posterior margin of the caudal fin convex, a black blotch absent anteriorly on the dorsal-fin membrane, and a single large black blotch on the pelvic-fin base. In Southeast Asian waters, P. blochii has been recorded to date, from Thailand (Andaman Sea), the Philippines, and Indonesia. A previous Malaysian record, based on a photograph purported to be of P. blochii, was identified here as Priacanthus sagittarius Starnes, 1988, the specimen reported here being the first record of P. blochii from Malaysia.