A new species of the blenniid fish, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Laiphognathus longispinis</Emphasis> (Perciformes: Blenniidae), from southern Japan and Taiwan

A new blenniid fish, Laiphognathus longispinis, described on the basis of 39 specimens from southern Japan and Taiwan, is distinguished from the only known congeneric species, L. multimaculatus, by the following characters: 3 to 5 of the 6th–10th dorsal spines elongate in mature males (vs. no elongate dorsal spines in L. multimaculatus); no spots on cheek (vs. small spots present); anterior body spots usually large, forming diagonal bands (vs. small scattered spots); conspicuous black spot both centrally and dorsally on the pectoral-fin base (vs. inconspicuous spots over the entire fin base); elongate black spot on belly from pelvic-fin base to anus in mature males and females (wider in males) (vs. circular spot just before anus in males only); abdomen becoming reddish in males, but lips not reddish (vs. lips only becoming reddish). L. longispinis is distributed only in East Asia including Japan, whereas L. multimaculatus is widely distributed throughout the Indo-West Pacific except Japanese waters.