Eviota punyitis the latest new species of dwarf goby to join the ever expanding roster ofEviotaspecies. Unlike so many other species which are identified primarily based on their appearance and color pattern,Eviota punyitwas confirmed primarily through genetic analysis of closely related species.
The newly describedEviota punyitwas recognized as distinct from the very similar lookingEviota sebreei. Eviota punyit and E. sebreei form what s known as ageminate species pair, or two species from a common ancestor displaying a very similar color and pattern.
E. sebreei主要在西太平洋地区发现E. punyitis found from the Red Sea, Indian Ocean and Indonesia, and they both overlap in the Coral Triangle. It is believed that these two related dwarf gobies became distinct species when they were separated by the Indo-West Barrier, and then their ranges overlapped once sea levels rose.
Surely this isn’t the last we’ll here of geminate species pair inEviotaor other groups of reef fish and future research will reveal many more cryptic species when genetic analysis is performed. The new speciesEviota punyitis officially described by Tornabene et. al. in the Journal of Fish Biology.
