Family THALASSELEOTRIDIDAE

Summary:

The family Thalasseleotrididae was recently erected by Gill & Mooi (2012) to include two marine genera, Thalasseleotris from temperate Australia and New Zealand, and Grahamichthys from New Zealand. Both genera were formerly classified in the family Eleotridae, although Hoese & Larson (1987) and Hoese & Gill (1993) had previously noted that these genera were atypical among eleotrids. The new family is defined on the basis of certain osteological characters of the bones in the pectoral girdle and the gill arches. Species in this new family also have the first gill slit restricted or closed due to a broad membrane connecting the hyoid arch to the first ceratobranchial bone.

Gill and Mooi consider the family to be the sister group to the gobies (family Gobiidae).

Cite this page as:
Dianne J. Bray, THALASSELEOTRIDIDAE in Fishes of Australia, accessed 24 Apr 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/Home/family/351

More Info

Family Taxonomy

The family consists of two genera and 3 species: Thalasseleotris Hoese & Larson 1987 with two species, T. adela Hoese & Larson 1987 from temperate Australia, and T. iota Hoese & Roberts 2005 from New Zealand; Grahamichthys Whitley 1956 (with one species, G. radiata (Valenciennes in Cuvier & Valenciennes 1837), from New Zealand).

Author

 Dianne J. Bray

References

Gill, A.C. & R.D. Mooi. 2012. Thalasseleotrididae, new family of marine gobioid fishes from New Zealand and temperate Australia, with a revised definition of its sister taxon, the Gobiidae (Teleostei: Acanthomorpha). Zootaxa 3266: 41-52. pdf

Hoese, D.F. & Gill, A.C. 1993. Phylogenetic relationships of eleotridid fishes (Perciformes: Gobioidei). Bulletin of Marine Science 52: 415-440.

Hoese, D.F. & Larson, H.K. 1987 New Australian fishes. Part 11. A new genus and species of eleotridid (Gobioidei) from southern Australia with a discussion of relationships. Memoirs of the Museum of Victoria 48: 43-50.

Hoese, D.F. & C.D. Roberts. 2005: A new species of the eleotrid genus Thalasseleotris (Teleostei: Gobioidei) from New Zealand coastal waters. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand 35(4): 417-431. pdf