Abstract
Schindleria parva, a new species of the family Schindleriidae, is described from two specimens collected from the central Red Sea of Saudi Arabia. The new species is characterized by lack of pigmentation on the body, possession of an inconspicuous gas bladder and the presence of small teeth on the premaxillae. The holotype is a female of 11 mm standard length (SL) (11.9 mm total length) and the paratype is a male of 9 mm SL. Dorsal fin rays 10 (9) anal fin rays 9 (7). The body depth at pectoral‐fin origin 5% (4%) of SL, depth at anal‐fin origin 8% (7%) SL, predorsal length 63% (65%) SL, preanal length 72% (72%) SL, the first anal‐fin ray situated below the fourth dorsal‐fin ray), a total of 23 + 16 myomeres. The female contained a series of 30 rectangular eggs in a single row, whereas the male is characterized by a short rod‐like urogenital papilla. Species of the genus Schindleria are likely the smallest marine vertebrates on the planet and S. parva is likely the smallest Schindleria species in the Red Sea. The global diversity of Schindleria is likely underestimated due to the paedomorphic features of this genus. Its fast generation times make it a species‐rich genus of high turnover rates, thus potentially highly important for the trophic food webs of coral reefs. Thus, this finding advances knowledge on the biodiversity of the Red Sea, highlights its conservation significance, and contributes towards the understanding of the complexity of the coral‐reef fish community.