#NewSpeciesAlert - 𝐵𝑟𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑦𝑔𝑜𝑏𝑖𝑢𝑠 𝑗𝑒𝑛𝑛𝑖𝑒, a new species of bumblebee goby (Oxudercidae), is described from the brackish mangrove wetlands of Hengqin Island, Guangdong Province, China. 🔓 zse.pensoft.net/article/1841… With a maximum size of less than 9 mm SL, the new species is not only the smallest species of 𝐵𝑟𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑦𝑔𝑜𝑏𝑖𝑢𝑠, but also one of the smallest known gobioid fishes. 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗧𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝐵𝑟𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑦𝑔𝑜𝑏𝑖𝑢𝑠 𝑗𝑒𝑛𝑛𝑖𝑒, a new bumblebee goby (Teleostei, Oxudercidae) from Hengqin Island, Guangdong Province, China 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 Tian J, Wu J, Lan C, Lavoué S, Huang J (2026) 𝐵𝑟𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑦𝑔𝑜𝑏𝑖𝑢𝑠 𝑗𝑒𝑛𝑛𝑖𝑒, a new bumblebee goby (Teleostei, Oxudercidae) from Hengqin Island, Guangdong Province, China. Zoosystematics and Evolution 102(3): 853-863. doi.org/10.3897/zse.102.1841… 𝗔𝗯𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁 A new species of bumblebee goby, 𝐵𝑟𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑦𝑔𝑜𝑏𝑖𝑢𝑠 𝑗𝑒𝑛𝑛𝑖𝑒 sp. nov. (Teleostei, Oxudercidae), is described based on 31 specimens collected from the Hengqin Island, Guangdong Province, China. This new species is distinguished from all other valid species of 𝐵𝑟𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑦𝑔𝑜𝑏𝑖𝑢𝑠 by its extreme small size (SL < 9 mm) and distinctive number, position, size and shape of its black bars. It possesses four complete (forming ring) or nearly complete post-cephalic, relatively narrow bars, two of which are located posterior to the base of the anal fin. The first bar behind the head extends pigmentation to the first dorsal fin but does not reach the midventral line. The second bar, chevron-shaped and located below the second dorsal fin, extends pigmentation onto that fin and ventrally reaches the midventral line and the anal fin. Cytochrome oxidase subunit I-based analyses, including six out of the eight valid species of 𝐵𝑟𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑦𝑔𝑜𝑏𝑖𝑢𝑠, show 𝐵𝑟𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑦𝑔𝑜𝑏𝑖𝑢𝑠 𝑗𝑒𝑛𝑛𝑖𝑒 sp. nov. to be more than 10% genetically divergent from other species, supporting the morphological diagnosis and confirming its distinct taxonomic status. With a maximum size of less than 9 mm SL (based on observations of 106 specimens), the new species is not only the smallest species of 𝐵𝑟𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑦𝑔𝑜𝑏𝑖𝑢𝑠, but also one of the smallest known gobioid fishes. 𝗘𝘁𝘆𝗺𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 The specific epithet is in honour of Ms. Jennie Ruby Jane. The name recognises her exceptional character and achievements, which proved source of inspiration for the first author who discovered the new species. The name is used as a noun in apposition. The Chinese vernacular name proposed for this new species is “珍妮短虾虎鱼”. 𝗣𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁 Top left - Live photographs of four paratypes of 𝐵𝑟𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑦𝑔𝑜𝑏𝑖𝑢𝑠 𝑗𝑒𝑛𝑛𝑖𝑒 sp. nov., illustrating intra-specific marking pattern. Photographed by Mr. Haocong Yang and Mr. Danyang Zhou. Bottom left - Brackish mangrove habitat of 𝐵𝑟𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑦𝑔𝑜𝑏𝑖𝑢𝑠 𝑗𝑒𝑛𝑛𝑖𝑒 sp. nov. on Hengqin Island, Guangdong Province, southern China. Right - Diagnostic marking pattern comparison among all species of 𝐵𝑟𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑦𝑔𝑜𝑏𝑖𝑢𝑠 having four post-cephalic black bands, the last two located posterior to the base of the anal fin. Left column: schematic drawings highlighting diagnostic marking patterns based on information from type material and original descriptions; from top to bottom: 𝐵𝑟𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑦𝑔𝑜𝑏𝑖𝑢𝑠 𝑗𝑒𝑛𝑛𝑖𝑒 sp. nov. based on its description (this study); 𝐵. 𝑎𝑔𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑔𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑠, based on a drawing of a type specimen (plate 4 in Herre 1940); 𝐵. 𝑘𝑎𝑏𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑠, based on the drawing of the holotype (fig. 19 in Inger 1958); and 𝐵. 𝑛𝑢𝑛𝑢𝑠, based on the drawing of a specimen of 𝐺𝑜𝑏𝑖𝑢𝑠 𝑎𝑙𝑐𝑜𝑐𝑘𝑖𝑖 Annandale, 1906 (fig. 1 in Annandale 1906), a junior synonym of 𝐵. 𝑛𝑢𝑛𝑢𝑠, and the description of 𝐵. 𝑛𝑢𝑛𝑢𝑠 by Hamilton (1822). Red arrowheads indicate diagnostic differences. Right column: photographs of live non-type specimens illustrating the corresponding left schematic patterns (all photos from the authors). © 2026 the Author(s). Published in the journal Zoosystematics and Evolution. An open-access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY-4.0) deed. creativecommons.org/licenses… #NewSpecies #Ichthyology #Taxonomy #Biodiversity #AquariumHobby #Fishkeeping #Aquarist #TropicalFish #FishTank #Gobioidei #IntegrativeTaxonomy #MiniatureVertebrates #China #Brachygobius #TeamGoby #Goby #Gobies #BumblebeeGoby #Oxudercidae #HengqinIsland #GuangdongProvince