ABSTRACT

The genus Ostichthys, belonging to the family Holocentridae, comprises 18 species, of which four and one species were reported in Japan and Korea, respectively. One individual (221.19 mm SL) of Ostichthys kaianus was firstly collected from Marado, Jejudo Island, Korea in October 2017. This species is characterized by following morphological characters: D. XII, 13; P1. 16; P2. I, 7; GR. 7+14; TRac. 2½; dorsal profile of head convex; half scale anterior to the first lateral line scale absent; length of last dorsal spine equal to penultimate spine. Ostichthys kaianus is distinguished from the congeneric species, Ostichthys archiepiscopus in absence of half scale between the lateral line scale row and it’s just above scale row at the posterior end of opercle (present in O. archiepiscopus) and convex dorsal profile of head (straight in O. archiepiscopus). The only species recorded in Korea, Ostichthys japonicus closely resembles O. kaianus, but they are distinguished from each other in some morphological characters such as TRac. 2½ (3½ in O. japonicus) and presence of white stripes on body (absent in O. japonicus). We propose the new Korean name “Huin-jul-do-hwa-dom” for O. kaianus.