Abstract
During a biodiversity survey conducted in 2020, focusing on seamounts located in the southern region of Japan, specifically designated as marine protected areas, a single specimen of Stethopristes eos Gilbert, 1905 measuring 124.2 mm in standard length was obtained via the use of a remotely operated vehicle (ROV). The collection occurred at a depth of 519 meters on the Ritto Seamount, located along the western Mariana Ridge. However, this species is poorly known, with only a limited dataset available concerning its morphology. In this study, we present a comprehensive redescription of the species, utilizing information obtained from the type specimens and a newly discovered specimen from Japanese waters. The Japanese specimen constitutes the first recorded occurrence of this species within the western Pacific Ocean. As part of this redescription, we suggest new standard Japanese names for both the genus and species.
References
- Gilbert, C.H. (1905) II. The deep-sea fishes of the Hawaiian Islands. In: The aquatic resources of the Hawaiian Islands. Bulletin of the United States Fish Commission, 23 (2), 577–713, pls. 66–101.
- Koeda, K., Takashima, S., Yamakita, T., Tsuchida, S. & Fujiwara, Y. (2021) Deep-sea fish fauna on the seamounts of southern Japan with taxonomic notes on the observed species. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, 9 (1294), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse9111294
- Kumar, S., Stecher, G., Li, M., Knyaz, C. & Tamura, K. (2018) MEGA X: Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis across computing platforms. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 35, 1547–1549. https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msy096
- Mizumachi, K., Nakayama, T., Teramura, A. & Endo, H. (2022) First record of Cyttopsis cypho (Zeiformes: Parazenidae) from Japan and morphological comparisons with Cyttopsis rosea. Japanese Journal of Ichthyology, 69 (1), 33–41. [in Japanese with English abstract]
- Mundy, B.C. (2005) Checklist of the fishes of the Hawaiian Archipelago. Bishop Museum Bulletins in Zoology, 6, 1–703.
- Nakabo, T. & Kai, Y. (2013) Parazenidae. In: Nakabo, T. (Ed), Fishes of Japan with pictorial keys to the species, third edition. Tokai University Press, Hadano, pp. 591, 1900–1901. [in Japanese]
- Parin, N.V. (1991) Fish fauna of the Nazca and Sala y Gomez submarine ridges, the easternmost outpost of the Indo-West Pacific zoogeographic region. Bulletin of Marine Science, 49 (3), 671–683.
- Pequeño, G. (1989) Peces de Chile. Lista sistemática revisada y comentada. Revista de Biologia Marina, Valparaiso, 24 (2), 1–132.
- Sáez, S. & Lamilla, J. (2017) Taxonomic update and illustrated key of Zeiformes from Chile (Pisces: Actinopterygii [sic]). Latin American Journal of Aquatic Research, 45 (1), 94–103. https://doi.org/10.3856/vol45-issue1-fulltext-9
- Tyler, J.C., O'Toole, B. & Winterbottom, R. (2003) Phylogeny of the genera and families of zeiform fishes, with comments on their relationships with Tetradontiformes and caproids. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology, 618, i–iv + 1–110. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.00810282.618