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Issue: Vol. 5777 No. 3: 19 Mar. 2026
Type: Article
Published: 2026-03-19
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5777.3.11
Page range: 587-596
Abstract views: 20
PDF downloaded: 0

New record of Epigonus pectinifer Mayer, 1974 (Pempheriformes: Epigonidae) from Tanzania, with the first phylogenetic analysis of the species

National Research Foundation—South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity; Makhanda 6140; South Africa.
Tanzania Fisheries Research Institute; Dar es Salaam; Tanzania; box 9750; Dar Es Salaam; Tanzania; Deep Sea Fishing Authority; Box 56; Fumba; Zanzibar; Tanzania
National Research Foundation—South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity; Makhanda 6140; South Africa.
Pisces Spiny-nosed deepwater cardinalfish Epigonus constanciae group taxonomy COI R/V Dr. Fridtjof Nansen trawl surveys Western Indian Ocean

Abstract

A single specimen of Epigonus pectinifer Mayer, a rare deepwater cardinalfish known from scattered localities in the Atlantic Ocean and Indo-West Pacific, was trawled during a survey conducted by the research vessel Dr. Fridtjof Nansen off Tanzania, representing a new regional record. Epigonus pectinifer belongs to the E. constanciae species group that is characterized by a pungent opercular spine, and it differs from congeners of the group by the following set of characters: a pair of pointed, mustache-like processes on the anterior part of the maxilla; a tongue bearing a tooth patch; a pair of bumps at the symphysis of the lower jaw; and vertebral count of 10 + 15. The specimen is described, illustrated with a photograph taken in fresh condition, and included, for the first time, in a phylogenetic analysis based on the COI barcoding region.

 

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How to Cite

Bogorodsky, S.V., Silas, M.O. & Reddy, S. (2026) New record of Epigonus pectinifer Mayer, 1974 (Pempheriformes: Epigonidae) from Tanzania, with the first phylogenetic analysis of the species. Zootaxa, 5777 (3), 587–596. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5777.3.11