A new record of Pristigenys meyeri (Priacanthidae) from Maluku province, eastern Indonesia with a description of the otoliths and a first estimate of age

ABSTRACT

On 27 October 2018 a single specimen of the Priacanthid Pristigenys meyeri was purchased at Mardika fish market in Ambon, Maluku Province, Indonesia. The fishers reported that it had been caught near Luhu Village, Seram Island. This is the first record of the species from Indonesia in nearly 150 years and the first record for Maluku Province. The type locality for P. meyeri is Manado, Sulawesi to the west, and the species has also been recorded from New Guinea, to the east of Maluku. At 244 mm SL the Maluku specimen is larger than the previously-recorded maximum for the species (224 mm SL). The otolith morphology of the species is described for the first time with an unvalidated age estimate of 18+ years. However, several fine growth marks may be additional annuli. High-resolution mapping of barium and strontium distributions using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (LA-ICP-MS) suggests a deep nursery habitat exposed to annual upwelling and a change in habitat at approximately eight years old, possibly to less deep habitat exposed to periodic warming. To date, the relatively deep habitat of the species ensures it is of rare occurrence in catches and is not currently of management concern.

KEYWORDS:

• Otolith
• Priacanthidae
• Pseudopriacanthus
• LA-ICPMS
• upwelling
• monsoon

Acknowledgements

Craig Taylor is thanked for producing the sawn cross-sections of the otoliths.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

ORCID

Daniel J. Bucher http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7640-4496

Renaud Joannes-Boyau http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0452-486X

Additional information

Funding

The funding for analysis and travel were provided by the Field Logistics and Analyses scheme of the Marine Ecology Research Centre, Southern Cross University.