Hippichthys albomaculosus, a new species of freshwater pipefish (Pisces: Syngnathidae) from Fiji

Hippichthys albomaculosus, a new species of freshwater pipefish
(Pisces: Syngnathidae) from Fiji

Aaron P. Jenkins and Kinikoto Mailautoka
Wetlands International-Oceania, Fiji Office,
School of Islands and Oceans, Faculty of Science, Technology and Environment, University of the South Pacific, Fiji Islands.

This paper describes a new species of Hippichthys collected by the second author durng a 2009 freshwater and estuarine ichthyofaunal survey of Vanua Levu, the second largest island of Fiji.

Abstract
A new species of freshwater pipefish, Hippichthys alboaculosus, is described on the basis of 22 specimens, collected from Vanua Levu Island, Republic of Fiji. 

This species is distinguished from its closest relatives by a combination of characters that include: 13 trunk rings, total rings usually 48; dorsal fin origin on first tail ring; scutella not keeled; pectoral fin rays modally 14, trunk depth about 1.7 in head length, anal ring depth about 2.8 in head length; series of 10-11 white ocelli with dark margins bilateral to median longitudinal ventral keel and below inferior trunk ridge.