Subterranean Fishes of the World

The fishes comprising this species were first described and figured by Tomiyama (1936:52, Fig. 10C) but were included therein as members of the polymorphic subspecies Luciogobius guttatus guttatus Gill, 1859.

Japanese name is Dôkutsu-mimizuhaze

Country

Types

Regan (1940) based his description primarily on a single figured specimen (Tomiyama 1936 Fig. 10C). Tomiyama, however, had two specimens, both 45mm in length, and these should be considered the syntype series for the species (P. K. Tubbs ICZN, pers. comm. 18 May 1988). The location of these specimens (if still extant) is probably the Science Faculty Museum, Zoological Institute, Tokyo University.

Distribution

Type locality: the Cave of Daikon zima, Simane ken [Shimane Prefecture, Honshu Island], Japan. Recorded more recently from Wakayama and Shimane Prefectures, Honshu Island; Kochi Prefecture, Shikoku Island; Nagasaki Prefecture, Kyushu Island and the Goto Islands (Akihito 1984) (33^o-35^oN, 130^o-140^oE).

Habitat

According to Akihito (1984) this species inhabits underground waters near the sea. The exact nature of the cave of Daikon zima is not known to me (sea cave ? limestone solution cave ?). It is possible that this species (and Luciogobius pallidus) inhabit crevices under stones, or mud burrows in a similar manner to Typhlogobius californiensis (Thines 1969:194-196). Further details are required.

Systematics

Kuang et al. (2018) used molecular markers to study the internal structure of the Suborder Gobioidei which contains within it eleven Families. They demonstrated that Milyeringidae is sister Family to a group of four Families: Oxudercidae+Gobiidae+Butidae+ Eleotridae and is only distantly related to four others: Odontobutidae, Rhyacichthyidae, Apogonidae and Kurtidae (samples from Thalasseleotridae and Trichonotidae were not availabe for analysis).

Museum Holdings

None known but there must be some specimens in the collection of Emperor Akihito of Japan.