Chromis abadhah (Teleostei, Pomacentridae), a new species of damselfish from mesophotic coral ecosystems of the Maldives

A new species of <i>Chromis</i> (Teleostei, Pomacentridae) is described from four specimens collected between 95 and 110 m depth in mesophotic coral ecosystems in the Maldives, Indian Ocean. <i>Chromisabadhah</i> <b>sp. nov.</b> can be distinguished from all of its congeners by the following combination of characters: dorsal-fin rays XIII, 12-13; anal-fin rays II,11-12; pectoral-fin rays 17-18; tubed lateral-line scales 17; gill rakers 7+17-18 = 24-25; pearly white body with a large black marking covering the anterior two-thirds of the anal fin. The closest DNA barcode sequence (5.1% average uncorrected genetic distance on the mitochondrial <i>COI</i> gene), among those available, is <i>Chromiswoodsi</i>, a similar mesophotic species known from the coastal western Indian Ocean (Somalia to South Africa). The new species is easily distinguished from <i>C.woodsi</i> by having 13 dorsal spines (versus 14 in <i>C.woodsi</i>), the absence of a black band on the base of the tail (present in <i>C.woodsi</i>), and by the genetic difference.