Acanthopagrus randalli (Perciformes: Sparidae), a new black seabream from the Persian Gulf

A new sparid species, Acanthopagrus randalli, is described on the basis of two specimens, collected from Bahrain and Kuwait, Persian Gulf, respectively. Acanthopagrus randalli is similar to A. akazakii Iwatsuki, Kimura & Yoshino 2008, A. butcheri (Munro 1949), and A. sivicolus Akazaki 1962 in having a silvery-gray body with dusky fins and 4 scale rows between the fifth dorsal-fin spine base and lateral line. It differs from the three latter species in having the following combination of characters: eyes of larger specimen with a more posterior position because of a prominently convex dorsal head profile from snout to just above eye; 4 or 5 wide vertical bands (6 or 7 horizontal scale rows' width) on body (vs. absent in A. akazakii, 6 to 10 bands in A. butcheri, and 8 to 12 bands in A. sivicolus) that are presumably clearer in stressed live specimens; conspicuous diffuse dark blotch at the first to second scale of the lateral-line origin that is continuous with a diffuse dark blotch covering upper cleithrum and upper posterior opercle; anal-fin membrane hyaline in smaller specimen and in larger specimen the membrane is hyaline with sparse black melanophores that are lacking around posteriormost anal-fin rays; posterior margin of caudal fin darker than rest of fin. Nominal species of Acanthopagrus are discussed with notes on other congeners.