PHYLOGENETIC-RELATIONSHIPS OF THE CORALLIOZETUS CLADE OF CHAENOPSID BLENNIES, WITH DESCRIPTION OF A NEW GENUS (TELEOSTEI, BLENNIOIDEI)

A parsimony analysis of 53 morphological characters was used to hypoth esize the relationships of the species of the chaenopsid genera Corall iozetus and Protemblemaria. A single most parsimonious topology was ob tained (Fig. 1), with the following implications. Species currently al located to these genera, together with the genus Emblemariopsis, form a monophyletic group (termed the Coralliozetus clade) whose sister gro up is the Chaenopsis clade (sensu Hastings and Springer, 1994). The ge nus Coralliozetus is monophyletic and distinctive, with the six includ ed species sharing more than twenty apomorphies. As currently construe d, the genus Protemblemaria is not monophyletic. Protemblemaria lucasa na Stephens, 1963 is either the sister group of Emblemariopsis (in the shortest topology), or of Coralliozetus plus the other two species of Protemblemaria (in a topology one step longer than the most parsimoni ous). A new generic name (Cirriemblemaria) is provided for this specie s to achieve a monophyletic classification. A synapomorphy for the gen us Emblemariopsis is proposed and Coralliozetus tayrona Acero, 1987 is included in Emblemariopsis. The Coralliozetus clade includes two tran sisthmian species pairs.