Taxonomic status of the Tarndale bully Gobiomorphus alpinus (Teleostei: Eleotridae), revisited -: again

The taxonomic status of Gobiomorphus alpinus Stokell (1962) has recently been questioned. It is a localised endemic in the Tarndale lakes, submontane tarns at c. 1050 in elevation in inland Marlborough, South Island. Suggestions that this species is an ecophenotype of the widespread, amphidromous G. cotidianus McDowall, 1975 are refuted, and we discuss evidence that basing this conclusion on limited molecular data is of dubious worth. More broad-based molecular comparisons, re-examination of meristic and morphometric data, and comparisons of data on the Tarndale bully populations with specimens of G. cotidianus from another high elevation tarn, affirm the taxonomic distinctness of G. alpinus. In the absence of appropriate high resolution molecular data (e.g., quantitative trait loci, AFLPs, etc), we conclude that the Tarndale populations warrant taxonomic recognition, and a level of conservation consistent with their range-restricted endemism.