ZooKeys
Info
In June 2025, the widespread lizardfish Synodus autumnus was first described.
Distribution and habitat.
Synodus autumnus is widespread in the eastern Indian Ocean and Pacific, from Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, Palau, the Marshall Islands, Indonesia, Timor-Leste, Papua New Guinea, Australia, Tonga, and the Hawaiian Islands, inhabiting coastal areas with coral or rocky reefs and boulders.
Color
The body above the lateral line is orange-brown (orange or yellowish-brown), and white below.
Five brown spots are visible along the lateral line, connected by reddish saddle-shaped spots with blue-white borders.
A spot above the pectoral fin base is only faintly visible.
On the ventrolateral surface there is a row of distinct brown spots and two rows of white spots.
The head above the upper jaw is red, below the lower jaw dark brown (dark brown or yellowish-green).
The tip of the mouth (with or without) a pair of dark spots.
The iris is orange-red or yellowish-orange.
All fins with reddish stripes, membrane uniformly translucent.
Remarks.
The peritoneal spots of Synodus are not normally lost in species of the genus Synodus, but in Synodus autumnus and Synodus binotatus they detach easily, making accurate counting difficult.
Although this characteristic is limited to the latter two species, the peritoneal spots may also be lost in specimens of other species if the abdomen is decayed (Furuhashi, unpublished data).
Etymology.
The scientific and English name “autumnus” of the new species is derived from its body color, which is reminiscent of the colors of shrubs and trees in autumn.
‘Iroha’ means “leaves of plants that change color in autumn.”
Literature reference:
Furuhashi R, Motomura H (2025)
Synodus autumnus, a new species of lizardfish (Aulopiformes, Synodontidae) from the Indo-Pacific region, and a reassessment of distributional records of Synodus rubromarmoratus.
ZooKeys 1243: 191-206. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1243.147259
Distribution and habitat.
Synodus autumnus is widespread in the eastern Indian Ocean and Pacific, from Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, Palau, the Marshall Islands, Indonesia, Timor-Leste, Papua New Guinea, Australia, Tonga, and the Hawaiian Islands, inhabiting coastal areas with coral or rocky reefs and boulders.
Color
The body above the lateral line is orange-brown (orange or yellowish-brown), and white below.
Five brown spots are visible along the lateral line, connected by reddish saddle-shaped spots with blue-white borders.
A spot above the pectoral fin base is only faintly visible.
On the ventrolateral surface there is a row of distinct brown spots and two rows of white spots.
The head above the upper jaw is red, below the lower jaw dark brown (dark brown or yellowish-green).
The tip of the mouth (with or without) a pair of dark spots.
The iris is orange-red or yellowish-orange.
All fins with reddish stripes, membrane uniformly translucent.
Remarks.
The peritoneal spots of Synodus are not normally lost in species of the genus Synodus, but in Synodus autumnus and Synodus binotatus they detach easily, making accurate counting difficult.
Although this characteristic is limited to the latter two species, the peritoneal spots may also be lost in specimens of other species if the abdomen is decayed (Furuhashi, unpublished data).
Etymology.
The scientific and English name “autumnus” of the new species is derived from its body color, which is reminiscent of the colors of shrubs and trees in autumn.
‘Iroha’ means “leaves of plants that change color in autumn.”
Literature reference:
Furuhashi R, Motomura H (2025)
Synodus autumnus, a new species of lizardfish (Aulopiformes, Synodontidae) from the Indo-Pacific region, and a reassessment of distributional records of Synodus rubromarmoratus.
ZooKeys 1243: 191-206. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1243.147259
