Okamejei panayensis sp. nov., a new skate (Rajiformes: Rajidae) from the Philippines

A new hardnose skate, Okamejei panayensis sp. nov., is described from a single specimen [304 mm in total length (TL), adult male] collected off Iloilo, Panay Island, Philippines (Sulu Sea). The specimen conformed to the genus Okamejei in having a small body (less than 60 cm TL) and short snout (rostral cartilage less than 60% of dorsal head length), the tail with three rows of thorns and the clasper with a funnel. Among congeners, the new species is relatively similar to Okamejei boesemani (Ishihara 1987), Okamejei cairae Last, Fahmi and Ishihara 2010, Okamejei hollandi (Jordan and Richardson 1909), and Okamejei mengae Jeong, Nakabo and Wu 2007, all sharing black flecks scattered on the dorsal disc, and a “W-shaped” distal margin of ventral sensory pores. However, the former is uniquely distinguished by the following combination of characters: a small dark ring near the pectoral-fin insertion (posterior ocellus) absent (usually present in O. boesemani and O. cairae , sometimes present in O. hollandi ); a dark ocellus on the pectoral axil absent (sometimes present in O. boesemani , usually present in O. cairae ); black flecks on the dorsal disc surface sparsely scattered (forming patches in O. boesemani and O. cairae , densely scattered in O. hollandi and O. mengae ); ventral surface mainly whitish (grayish or pale brown in O. boesemani , O. cairae , O. hollandi , and O. mengae ); a shorter snout [preorbital snout length 13.7% TL (14.3–17.5% in O. boesemani , 14.5–17.2% in O. cairae , 13.9–16.1% in O. hollandi , 17.6% in O. mengae ); preoral snout length 14.3% TL (14.3–18.2% in O. boesemani , 15.0–17.9% in O. cairae , 16.0–18.5% in O. hollandi , 18.0% in O. mengae ); prenarial snout length 11.3% TL (12.0–14.7% in O. boesemani , 11.9–14.5% in O. cairae , 12.2–14.2% in O. hollandi , 14.9% in O. mengae )]; orbit diameter 127.4% of interorbital width (79.8–117.8% in O. boesemani , 86.5–134.3% in O. cairae , 93.3–120.7% in O. hollandi , 108.6% in O. mengae ); interspiracular width 5.9% TL (6.0–7.2% in O. boesemani , 6.0–7.4% in O. cairae , 6.1–7.0% in O. hollandi , 6.4% in O. mengae ); and 75 or 76 pectoral-fin radials (80–83 in O. boesemani , 80 or 81 in O. cairae , 79–85 in O. hollandi , 96 in O. mengae ). In addition, mtDNA analyses supported the genetic uniqueness of the new species.